Product Design · 2011
Eureka
Name
Eureka
Year
2011
Client
POLIMI
Category
Product Design
Author
V. Pavlyuchok
Eureka is a quite characteristic scale that works using water. Designed to reclaim traditional methods of measurement, this object is a perfect complement for your kitchen. Nowadays, modern scales have become high-tech devices — many other traditional systems, however, had been used over millennia.
Brief —
First scales date back to around 2,000 B.C. when, during the development of trade in ancient Egypt, merchants needed a way to measure the value of goods. Those first weighing scales were balances — two plates attached to an overhead beam fixed on a central pole.
Since then, scales have undergone infinite changes. Today, digital scales are replacing traditional ones. Notwithstanding these scales have been used for several millennia, this is leading them to be cast into oblivion.
As a solution, it was proposed to redesign the traditional scale — to reclaim the use of measurement systems based on physical principles. The constraint: create a modern scale based on any traditional system, usable at home.
Research —
Scales operate on different physical principles — measuring mass, force exertion or tensional resistance. Mechanical scales work without power supply: balance, spring, pendulum, hydraulic or pneumatic. Digital scales combine a mechanical process with an electric current applied to transducers that measure deformation.
The operation of the scales is based on different physical principles, capable of measuring mass, force exertion or tensional resistance. The goal was to identify an underused principle with potential for domestic product design.
Archimedes' Principle
Eureka.
Any body immersed in fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.
Focused on a traditional weighing system, the intention was to use this uncommon but equally functional principle to develop a product usable at home — and to show the potential of this physical law in everyday design.
Inspiration —
Very few products on the market use Archimedes' principle to weigh objects in domestic environments. Although this can be seen as a disadvantage, it offers a wide range of unexplored possibilities — both in technology and form.
Reference concepts: Water Scale by Muzaffer Kocer & Ayca Guven, Water Climb by Jaeyoon Park, Dajeong Kim & Jeong Heo, and Weighing Bowl by Acquacalda.
Outcome —
Eureka is the end result of a modern scale based on an ancient mechanism. Created to reclaim the use of traditional measurement systems, it competes against digital scales thanks to its ingenuity.
What characterises this product is not exactly its accuracy — limited to 100g — but its design and the way it is used. Defined by a simple, functional minimalist aesthetic, Eureka allows weighing objects with water as if it were a game.
Easy to use and clean, available in multiple colors, and designed for users of all ages including children. Capable of weighing objects up to 2 kg.
Components —
Eureka consists of 3 containers, each designed for a specific purpose.
External container
Transparent PC. Contains the water necessary for operation. Allows the water level to be read from outside.
Intermediate container
Opaque PC for better contrast with water. Fits on the rails of container (1) and slides vertically when weight is added.
Internal container
Silicone — flexible, durable, food-safe. Removable and never in contact with water, preventing unwanted splashing when extracting weighed products.
Operating Mode —
Rotate containers (1) and (2) to align their respective rails — this prepares the sliding mechanism for proper vertical movement.
Place container (3) inside containers (1) and (2).
Place all 3 containers on a flat surface. Pour water into container (1) until it reaches the zero mark (approx. 2.8 L). The scale is now calibrated.
To weigh a product, place it in container (3). The correct weight is shown by the water level on the scale.
Once weighed, remove the product by extracting container (3) — especially useful for bulk products.
CMF —
Container (1) must remain transparent — essential for reading the water level. Container (2) should be opaque for better contrast with water. Container (3) in silicone for food contact and easy cleaning.
The color selection can be as varied as desired, as long as the external container retains its transparency. All containers carry a smooth finish — reducing friction between (1) and (2) for accuracy, and aiding cleaning of (3) after food contact.
