17 award-winning innovations for your home

Second place (tie): KitchenSync

"I realized there was this phenomenon of people storing recipes on a computer but needing them in the kitchen," says Noah Balmer, a senior at California College of the Arts. "To get the recipes where you need them, people are either bringing a laptop or reprints into the kitchen. Neither is the way to do it!"

Answering the need, Balmer designed KitchenSync, a gateway between computer and cooking area. The device connects to a home network and displays recipes in the form of a small book that stands open on a countertop. KitchenSync's dual touch-screens, which are washable, also allow users to chat online about the recipes.

A major in industrial design and self-described computer nerd, Balmer has found a way to bring social networking (and great potential for advertising) into the kitchen.

Second place (tie): Opus

What's fun about doing the laundry? Not much. But it doesn't have to be a backbreaking chore, either. That's what Rick Hagee realized as he gave shape to Opus, a portable hamper that eases the tasks of holding, carrying and loading laundry.

"Laundry is not a quick thing," says Hagee. "You're doing it all day, up and down stairs. I've always had to do my own laundry, so I know it all too well."

Hagee, a senior at Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio, considered that people of every age need to store and cart their dirty clothes, and developed Opus with benefits for all.

This morphing hamper can sit flat on the floor, fold for one-hand carrying, or hang open-mouthed on a closet rail — which makes it great for shooting hoops with some rolled-up socks.

Third place (tie): Della

In a class at San Jose State University, sophomore Alex Brown was reviewing photos of various products in their environments. When he saw a collection of flashlights — all of them without batteries and uselessly stored in a basement — he sought a solution to an age-old problem.

The invention he calls Della not only renders the conventional household flashlight obsolete but also functions as floor lamp, flashlight and lantern. Portable and fixed lamps, looking like short lightsabers, are cradled in holders on the arms of a slender post.

Della casts ambient light as a decorative lamp, and its base charges the portables so that they can easily be removed any time a flashlight or lamp is needed.

Brown's design has the singular appeal of updating the look and function of a gothic candleholder for the contemporary home. Much like a candle would have been lifted from its post to be carried around the castle, each of Della's illuminating bars stands ready at all times to light the way.

Third place (tie): BIN

Cleaning up the kitchen floor is a multitool task. So why should the vacuum, broom and kitchen pail all be kept in separate closets and cabinets around the home?

San Jose State University sophomore Faris Elmasu believes everything belongs right there in the kitchen, at the source of a mess.

BIN, his refined design, features a lightweight vacuum with a flexible head and a motor-powered brush on the bottom for sweeping up debris. Best of all, the spring-loaded handle telescopes down to snap into storing position right on the front of the BIN garbage can.

The young designer credits his mother for inspiring his invention: "She's a great cook but also a neat freak," Elmasu says.

Honorable mention: UCan

In households that recycle, nearly all the plastic, metal and paper come straight out of the kitchen. But what about all the recyclable material from bathrooms and bedrooms?

"I feel that for recycling to be more widely adopted, it must be made as effortless as possible," says Justin Atwater-Taylor, a senior at the University of Kansas.

"I narrowed the problem down to the household bathroom because there is so much recyclable packaging sent from there to the landfill, even in households that recycle, because of convenience and sanitation issues."

Atwater-Taylor designed UCan, which divides trash from recyclables, to ship flat (the user assembles it) and to sell with no exterior packaging.

UCan itself is made of recycled materials, too. If you're wondering whether you can reduce your ecological impact without going too far out of your way, this clever receptacle has the answer: Yes, you can.

Honorable mention: Guarden

To most anyone with a vegetable garden, rabbits are not cute, cuddly creatures but destructive pests. Keeping them away from your homegrown carrots and beans can be a real problem. Unsightly, rusting chicken wire has long been the common way to protect a planting area.

Thanks to Louis Filosa, a third-year designer at Purdue University, a better option may soon be available. Guarden features a retractable gear system, in-ground stakes and a magnetic closure to surround your fruits and vegetables. Just stand the retractable housing on end and extend the green netting to stake your ground against the cotton-tailed critters.

Honorable mention: BathDam

To kids it may just look like a lot of fun, but BathDam resolves many of the problems that arise at bath time. The apparatus is a water dam, allowing parents to fill only the far end of a tub.

The idea is the brainchild of Collin Smith, third-year student at the College of Design at Arizona State University. Smith identified and solved several issues with his creation.

First and foremost is safety: In a more confined bathing area, children won't slip, bump or have the space to lie face-down. Half a tub away from the faucet, a child is not at risk of scalding himself by turning on the hot water.

BathDam also saves water — and keeps it warm longer — since the whole tub needn't be filled for a small bather. Plus, the toys attached to BathDam appear whimsical but are designed to help get the child clean. Now the only problem is persuading your kid to get back out.

Honorable mention: Echo

Even in a kitchen with generous countertops and cabinets, large items are a hassle. Echo, designed by Daniel A. Hopkins, a junior at Purdue University, is a multipurpose item that takes care of several jobs in one compact design.

Made of plastic with molded rubber, Echo can function most simply as a fruit bowl. However, the nested two-piece design is set on a center pin; rotate one shell out of line with the other and the side panels open up like flower petals. Now Echo is a dish rack. With aerating columns along the sides and a draining bottom, Echo works equally well as a colander.

Hopkins developed Echo with bachelors in mind, figuring his creation would be well-suited to their bachelor pads and assumed low tolerance for kitchen duties. But Echo will sound good to anyone who needs to prep a meal and clean it up without cluttering available space.

Honorable mention: One-Handed Rolling Pin

The convenience of the One-Handed Rolling Pin is obvious to any baker or pasta-maker, but the idea was inspired by the difficulty that traditional rolling pins present for the disabled.

"This problem really became relevant to me when I found out my neighbor had lost the ability to fully use one of her hands due to Parkinson's disease," says designer Mark Schoolmeester, a sophomore at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The rolling pin can be changed out so that users may roll something flat (such as pie dough) with a nonstick roller, or create texture in the dough with a patterned roller.

Great idea. Now let's put Schoolmeester to work on strollers and lawn mowers.

Honorable mention: Rake N Take

Ryan Jansen's Rake N Take has that telltale mark of great design: It addresses an age-old issue with a simple solution.

Rake N Take cuts out the most tedious aspect of yardwork in one clean sweep. Rather than picking up leaf piles by hand or awkwardly trying to trap them between a rake and shovel, you can rake, grab and dump debris using Rake N Take.

A sliding sleeve surrounding the elongated handle locks in place for raking, or releases for the back-and-forth motion of leaf pickup. As the sleeve moves forward, the combs of the rake head bend and entrap the leaves. Due to the curled shape of the closed head, collected debris can easily be dropped into a garbage can.

In addition to winning honors in the IHA's Student Design competition, Jansen's design took first place in the Dyson Eye for Why competition and was the United States finalist for the International James Dyson Award. Jansen is a graduating senior at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Honorable mention: Torque

As many multisport athletes can tell you, dealing with the studs on cleats is a real pain in the neck. You can use the same pair of shoes for soccer, golf and baseball, but you'll still need to swap out the studs — and each type of stud requires a specific wrench. With all the studs and wrenches, an athlete's equipment bag can start to feel more like a plumber's toolbox.

Matt Dean, a junior at Purdue University, has the solution. Inspired by the hassles he experienced as a competitive high-school player, Dean created Torque, a universal wrench for removing, storing and reinserting the studs on cleats. Torque fits the stud styles for all three sports, and with storage right inside the compact wrench, Torque also solves the problem of misplacing the small studs.

Honorable mention: circuitDESK

In a time when the common work space includes a lamp, computer monitor, speakers, phone and cradles for various gadgets, it's surprising that so few desks are designed to accommodate standard electronics — let alone the tangle of cables that inevitably tails behind them.

Nicholas Komor, a junior at Georgia Tech, designed circuitDESK with mounted power outlets and a track-based logic for managing cables. "I was most inspired by two things: electric cable mess and vampire energy," says Komor, referring to the energy drain of devices left on standby power.

With the flip of a switch on circuitDESK, your whole desk goes right off the power grid, preserving the life span of devices while saving energy and money.

Honorable mention: Level

Leave it to a college student to work out a smarter way to carry cool beverages. Level, designed by Purdue University junior Byron C. Lee, is an ice cooler with a single, center-mounted handle. If two people carrying Level were to walk up a flight of stairs, the handle would rotate a few degrees to accommodate the angle and keep the cooler level.

A button on the handle's center point allows you to lock the bar in the horizontal position when it's all flat land between your car and your party. A concave base with bottom draining hole means you never have to lift and tilt the cooler to drain water, and it simplifies cooler clean-up at the end of the day.

Honorable mention: RightStep

RightStep is designed to assist the elderly in ascending or descending stairs. Mounted between handrails, the device acts as a handle for climbing steps, allowing users to pull themselves upward without extending their arms sideways or lunging dangerously toward the banister. For the descent from the top of the stairs — which can be frightening for anyone with unreliable limbs or eyes — the device acts as a weight-bearing brace. Users can lean against RightStep as they step down at their own pace, and it provides a barrier between the user and a perilous fall.

Created by Ben Taber, a junior at Purdue University, RightStep is a far more affordable option than a motorized lift or home elevator. For people on a fixed income, Taber's design is a big step in the right direction.

Honorable mention: RootSoak

Every budding botanist knows that plants drink most of their water through the roots, not from the leaves. RootSoak, designed by Seth Holehouse, of Columbus College of Art & Design, allows gardeners to water plants by focusing a steady stream of water at the base or "root zone" of a plant while minimizing the stress on one's wrist or lower back.

A regular garden hose screws easily into RootSoak's ergonomic handle, which is designed with a forearm extension to reduce wrist strain. The handle pivots for comfortable watering at your feet or in a window box, made even easier thanks to the device's extendable neck. The business end of RootSoak is a tulip-shaped nozzle that, in the fashion of a switchable shower head, rotates to select among water patterns.

Honorable mention: The Hamper Pack

As described by designer Phillip Padilla, a junior in industrial design at Virginia Tech, the Hamper Pack is designed to use door space — not floor space — for dirty laundry. A plastic hook hangs the pack on the back of a door, and dirty clothes can be dropped into the hamper's molded rubber laundry port. When it's time to head for the washers and dryers, the Hamper Pack can be worn like a backpack.

A great detail on the Hamper Pack is the onboard coin slot. No more rummaging for quarters on laundry day — just unzip the change pouch below the slot and start feeding the machine.

Two other contest honorable mentions, who were not available for comment, are Megan Hohlfeld, a sophomore at San Jose State University, who designed Barkpark, and Patrick Jonathan Cannon, a junior at Purdue University, who designed The Split Grill.