Core77
It's been an interesting couple of weeks for our buddies over at Samsung, to say the least. After giving test units of their much anticipated Galaxy Fold phone to a select group of media (including us), the tech company had to quickly revoke the phones after users began experiencing glitches, mainly caused by peeling off a layer on the phone's screen that wasn't meant to be removed. And by quickly revoke, we mean appearing at our office to physically take the phone away from us. We should have yelled "no take backs!" and ran.
Anyways, we recently came across a fun Samsung product we hoped was made in an attempt to extinguish the metaphorical flames that arose from the Galaxy Fold situation or even the literal flames from the classic Galaxy Note 7. Unfortunately, it was announced very post-Galaxy Note 7 and pre-Galaxy Fold in September 2018. Either way, here's a look at the Samsung Firevase:
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We have a few questions we're hoping will facilitate a discussion in the comments:
1. Is this thing glass? If so, that sounds dangerous.*
2. Is it a good idea to design discreet fire extinguishers, or should safety devices always have clear safety labels and messaging?
3. It's human nature to try to keep glass objects from breaking, so would unaware visitors or unaware people in the space think to throw a beautiful vase at a fire?
4. Is there a way to design a discreet fire extinguisher where the use case is still made clear?
5. Can whoever made this video DJ our next party? We love the energy.
All jokes aside, it's also important to note that Firevase is not fake—it's very real. In 2018 the company gave out over 100,000 Firevases to its customers and is rumored to have another release date in mind. Would you buy one for your office or home? Why or why not?
*(Editor's note: as one of our readers pointed out in the comments section, Firevase is made of rigid PVC, not glass. Phew!)
Emily is the Content Marketing Manager of Autodesk Fusion 360 where she focuses on shaping the overall Fusion 360 content strategy, including the Fusion 360 blog and social media directions. Prior to Autodesk, Emily was the DMTV Content Coordinator at Design Milk, the Business Editor at HYPEBEAST and an Editor at Core77. During her time at Core77, she also served as co-chair of the 2018 & 2019 Core77 Conferences.
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Let's Discuss the Design Considerations of Samsung's Throwable Fire Extinguisher
Hi, I just joined Core 77, and this is my first comment to the first article I read on here, and I must say I love your questioning.
Thank you for your thoughtful response and welcome to the Core77 family! :)
This is dumb. Learn to use a fire extinguisher and keep it easily accessible in multiple rooms (I have 3 in my 975 sqft house).
I found this concept interesting when it was posted on Yanko Design last month. The video in their article contains English text that cover some of the questions that were posed. Here is the link to the Yanko post:
My main objection would be water is not suitable for either a grease/oil or electrical fire. All my extinguishers are ABC rated.
Interesting concept but what if you miss your target? Or what if the vase doesnt shatter because you didnt throw it hard enough, or the fire is on a soft surface like your couch?
Fire grenades are centuries old, not a new idea, but to answer your questions.
1. "safer than a fire for 1000, Alex." fair, but something that is frangible under intense heat but doesn't require cleaning thousands of tiny sharp shards would be preferable to shattering a glass vessel, objectively.
2. "So SAMSUNG should be written on it?" ...I'm pretty sure Emily was suggesting that the device should have some type of signage indicating that it's a fire extinguisher and directions for use, not sure what part of what she typed made you think she was concerned about the vase having Samsung branding.
3. "What is the likelihood a visitor puts out a fire over the owner?" I think the point is, everyone knows how to use a contemporary fire extinguisher, or at least everyone understands the purpose. What are the consequences of introducing a new fire extinguisher whose use isn't broadly understood / clearly communicated / somewhat ambiguous?
4. "Has been done for centuries..." Could you provide some examples of discreet fire extinguishers whose use case is still clear that have been around for centuries? I'm no fire extinguisher expert, but I can't think of any examples off of the top of my head...
5. "Having a fire extinguisher out and on display makes it more accessible, therefore more effective..." here I agree with you completely, but I think the crux of the issue is communicating to everyone that "this is a fire extinguisher, here's how you use it" without ruining the aesthetics of the object.
1. Fine. Worry your pretty little head about cleaning up after a fire, something you do anyway.
I know what a fire grenade is, but I'd be willing to wager that the percentage of the general population that knows about them is a fraction of a percentage. And I've never seen a fire grenade that has instructions for use. No, I don't think that guests are commonly putting out fires in other people's homes, but fire extinguishers are used in more places than just homes, and its not like people are given classes on how to use them. Hence the labeling including instructions.
I hope none of my comments have sounded argumentative, it's difficult to communicate tone with text, but I'm not up in arms over here, just trying to clarify my points and defend Emily's (in my opinion) logical questions.
To summarize my point, I think saying "well these little glass orb fire grenades were invented back in the 1800s and they work pretty if you know how to use them" isn't a good reason to not critique and try to improve the design of the vase Samsung has presented.