Zero-energy Bio Refrigerator cools your food with future gel

In a valiant effort to rethink the ubiquitous refrigerator -- which has seen few design changes since the invention of freon fridges in the 1930's -- Russian designer <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/electrolux-design-lab/4702827182/">Yuriy Dmitriev</a> has unveiled a fresh-looking, gel-filled appliance of the future. His <a href="http://www.electroluxdesignlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/22-Bio-Robot-Refrigerator.jpg">Bio Robot Refrigerator</a> utilizes a special gel-like substance that suspends and cools food once inserted. Dmitriev's design was a finalist in the <a href="http://www.electroluxdesignlab.com/2010/06/electrolux-design-lab-2010-semi-finalists/">Electrolux Design Lab</a> competition, which challenges entrants with the task of redesigning modern appliances for the future.

The Bio Robot Refrigerator mounts on a wall -- Dmitriev points out it can be mounted horizontally, vertically or even on the ceiling.

The fridge does not have a motor or other traditional <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/green-gadgets/">technology</a> like most refrigerators, -- the gel does all the work -- so, 90% of the appliance is actual usable space.

To use the fridge you basically shove food into it's biopolymer gel -- which has no odor and is not sticky -- and it is suspended and cooled until you need it again.

Dmitriev notes that the cooling agents are the "bio robots" inherent in the gel that use luminescence -- light generated in cold temperatures -- to preserve food.

Although this sounds super <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/green-gadgets/">techy</a> and fun, Dmitriev doesn't really explain how it's going to work, so we're a little skeptical of the Bio Robot Refrigerator becoming a reality someday.

Viability aside, the fridge is definitely a huge step forward in terms of rethinking the design of one of our most-used appliances. Probably the best thing about this concept machine is that it uses <a href="http://inhabitat.com/zero-energy/">zero energy</a> for cooling -- it just needs energy for it's little control pad. Compared to the typical modern fridge, which uses about 8% of a household's energy, this nifty-looking gadget of the future could cut our energy use significantly.