Folding UK mains plug wins design award — on sale soon

by Julian Prokaza
on Thu 18 Mar 2010 10 Comments

A design student’s reinvention the clunky UK three-pin mains plug was all over the internet last year, but the much-deserved attention lavished upon this clever folding design didn’t translate to a saleable product. That now looks set to change, after the design was named as the overall winner at the Brit Insurance Design Awards earlier this week.

The design, by London-based art graduate Min-Kyu Choi, beat a fashion collection by the late Alexander McQueen, a battery-powered light aircraft and a housing development in Mexico at the ceremony, hosted at the London Design Museum.

 

Min-Kyu Choi came up with the idea after noticing the difference between his svelte MacBook Air the mains plug needed to power it. The UK three-pin BS 1363 plug was introduced in 1947 and has changed little over the years and the design poses a particular problem for packing into bags.

The new design folds completely flat when not in use, but can still be used in this mode with a specially designed socket. This also means that a few folded plugs can be connected to a standard size plug adapter, removing the need for bulky gang plug adapters.

A company called Made in Mind is now marketing the folding plug and the latest news is that “a product range” using the design will be on sale later this year. You can see a post-awards interview with Min-Kyu Choi over at BBC News.

[ Made in Mind]

Originally published on www.mobilecomputermag.co.uk, now incorporated into Broadband Genie

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Comments

  • neutral

    by social network design at 09:00 on 26 Mar 2010Report abuse

    Great article. I am always interested in different perspectives when it comes to how people acquire their web design knowledge.

  • neutral

    by social network design at 10:41 on 27 Mar 2010Report abuse

    The information you have provided here is really great...there is lots of stuff in this site.....i like it really great.

  • neutral

    by social network design at 14:22 on 29 Mar 2010Report abuse

    Thanks you!!! the site is really great i love it....how can you maintained this...the contents and the post are really great.

  • happy

    by Georgie at 20:00 on 2 Apr 2010Report abuse

    Brilliant! This is perfect for people with weak hand grip.

  • unhappy

    by David at 02:04 on 5 Apr 2010Report abuse

    This is clearly not designed by an engineer as it is fundamentally dangerous and would be illegal if sold.

    The BS 1363 standard was introduced in 1947, one of its main objectives was to end child deaths due to electrocution from plugs and sockets, and it has succeeded brilliantly.

    There are two very obvious errors in the Folding Plug design (quite apart from whether the moving parts are up to doing the job).

    One is that the safety barrier in this design is optional; this is because you do not have to fold out the sides to be able to insert the plug. That is completely unacceptable, safety must be inherent. The standard requires 9.5mm from the pins to the periphery of the plug; this design has 3mm along the length of the rotating part and 0mm at the ends.

    The other obvious error is that access to the fuse must be impossible when the plug is in use, this design has the fuse accessible at all times.

    The existing design of folding plug on the market, SlimPlug, does not have these problems, the ThinPlug, currently awaiting regulatory approval, has also been designed with safety in mind. Perhaps it is because those two designs come from engineers, not an art student who can create something attractive, but clearly has no understanding of engineering design.

    BS 1363 and the Plugs and Sockets regulations are in place to stop dangerous products being foisted on the unwary by the ignorant. The fact that the Folding Plug has been awarded several prestigious design awards tells a very sorry story about the values of our society.

  • unhappy

    by Denis at 13:38 on 12 Apr 2010Report abuse

    David is correct in saying that this is a hazardous product and a potential killer.
    Or maybe we are missing something here!!! Perhaps British Product design Awards is presented for talents who are good with pen and paper regardless of what they come up with...as long as it looks good.
    If I had known I would have sent my design idea I came up with few years back!!! of a passenger plane that accommodates 5000 passengers at 10 times the speed of sound which runs on water....and it looks fantastic too!!!
    “Slim plug” is a good and safe idea and it is available, but I think “thin plug” is even better but not yet available...can’t wait to get one for myself if it ever gets on the market.

  • neutral

    by Your name at 18:09 on 12 Apr 2010Report abuse

    I agree with David's observations that Min Kyu Choi's plug is not likely to be safe and will not meet British standards. One more problem comes to mind with this design.Unlike SlimPlug (no rotating pins) and ThinPlug (rotating earth pin only), the MinKyu Choi's design has rotating live and neutral pins, which over time and use could create arcing and increase the risk of fire.

    ThinPlug won a Red Dot Award in 2009, which is a European award that recognised both the design appearance and safety features, since products must be substantially ready for sale at the time when the award is given, and I am hoping to be able to acquire one of these as soon as it becomes available.

  • unhappy

    by Jo at 09:45 on 13 Apr 2010Report abuse

    The adapter also looks like a hazard. The earth pin in a socket opens the gate in a socket, thus preventing someone from putting fingers into a socket, but there appears to be no gate on the adapter so that if the adapter is in the socket wat's to prevent someone from inserting their finger or an object that conducts electricity and causing electrocution?

  • neutral

    by John at 10:58 on 21 Sep 2010 | registered | 1 postReport abuse

    I can see where Jo is coming from regarding the adaptor but this is no more dangerous than the travel adaptors currently on sale. As far as comments regarding the Slim Plug and ThinPlug are concerned, they are only a practical option where a working earth pin is not required.

  • neutral

    by Mr.G at 20:51 on 14 Nov 2010Report abuse

    This is aimed at travellers. You have to compromise when travelling, I'm willing to take the small risk. After all, in the past I've pushed wires into sockets with screwdrivers, to power electronics. Another poster talks about electrocution. That may have been true in 1947, but we've had RCD's in common use since the 1980's, and every hotel I've ever stayed in has a RCD fitted.

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