08.11.09 - Product Tank Toaster -  I was looking through a homewares catalogue at toasters, they all seem to be styling exercises, they all seem to work in very similar/identical ways.  Can the functionality of a toaster be improved? Just for fun, I started writing a series of 'what if's?'

1. What if the toaster worked like a vice, so that heat could be applied directly to any size of bread, saving energy?

2. What if the elements were recessed, so that crumbs couldn't get trapped in them and burn and they could be independently turned on, if you only wanted one slice of toast?

3. What if the crumb tray (plastic or ceramic) was on the outside of the toaster, so that it could go in the dishwasher?

4. What if the design was mechanical and parts were easy to remove, replace and recycle?

5. What if designing a new toaster wasn't just a styling exercise?

here's the video:

Having made a prototype, there's a lot to improve upon.  The elements need vertical bars to guide the bread when its being lifted.  The gearing should be a lot smoother and the lifting mechanism could go much higher.  There would also need to be another arm, so that power could get to the fromt elements - but it only started out as a spoof design.