Terra: Revolutionizing Household Cleaning

Yasemin Ulukan & Senur Design Center's Award-Winning Vacuum Cleaner Design

The inspiration behind Terra was to create a powerful, low noise vacuum cleaner with a strong look and honest design language. Research showed that vacuum cleaner buttons are often pressed by foot for ergonomic reasons, despite being designed for manual pressing. Consequently, Terra's buttons are designed to resemble pedals, allowing users to intuitively understand that they can be pressed by foot.

What sets Terra apart from other vacuum cleaners is its helix-formed, specially insulated air chamber. This unique feature increases suction performance while minimizing sound, offering high suction power and minimum noise with low energy consumption. The design also includes power control lights, a dust bag indicator, and a HEPA filter full indicator, all contributing to its aesthetic appeal.

Terra's production process is as innovative as its design. Despite its high performance, Terra is quiet thanks to its isolated air chamber. After numerous prototypes and extensive research and development, all parts of the vacuum cleaner are designed for quick assembly and minimal error rate. This economical design approach has reduced production costs. Moreover, all plastic parts of Terra are made from recyclable materials, with a sign on each part indicating the type of materials used, facilitating recycling.

The vacuum cleaner measures 350mm x 480mm x 320mm and is equipped with user-friendly features to prevent user errors. These include sensors and warning lights indicating when to change the 3 lt dust bag or HEPA13 filter, and a remote control on the ergonomic handle for easy operation. The project, which started in June 2013, was completed in October 2014 in Turkey, with prototypes exhibited at IFA2014 Berlin. The product hit the markets in June 2015.

Extensive research underpins Terra's design. Hundreds of vacuum cleaners were tested by end users, allowing the design team to observe ergonomic tendencies. Performance and noise tests were conducted in laboratories, with Terra ranking at the top of the competition. Stability and durability were ensured through numerous prototypes of each part made on 3D printing machines. Surveys based on the first batches of Terra indicate high user satisfaction.

Terra's design faced several challenges, including developing ergonomic controls without compromising aesthetics and function. The buttons on Terra do not need to be pressed from a specific spot, ensuring problem-free operation regardless of where they are pressed. This innovative design won the Golden A' Home Appliances Design Award in 2015, a testament to its outstanding and trendsetting creation that advances art, science, design, and technology.