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Design Story of the POWERbot Star Wars Edition
To celebrate the upcoming release of <Star Wars: The Last Jedi>, the robot vacuum cleaner POWERbot( VR7000 ) received a complete makeover as the faces of Darth Vader and the Stormtrooper. This special robot vacuum cleaner is a tribute to the < Star Wars > universe, and has been designed  to convey the look and feel of the beloved movie series to users as they experience the product from its exterior design, sound effects , to the package itself. By endowing the personalities of familiar characters into a robot vacuum cleaner, which is the only home appliance that ‘moves independently ’, the POWERbot Star Wars Edition provides a visceral and dramatic experience to its users. Sense the ‘Force’ that flows from this powerful design of the POWERbot.
star wars logo
A Darth Vader POWERbot robot vacuum cleaner sits against a space background underneath the Star Wars logo. Beneath the vacuum, text begins to appear the same way as the opening crawl from the Star Wars movie.
          The Stormtrooper POWERbot robot cleaner appears against a space background.
          The Stormtrooper POWERbot robot cleaner appears against a space background.

          POWERbot, Commencing Transformation

          We often find familiar ‘faces’ in the appearances of random objects. The POWERbot Star Wars Edition
          was also born from the interesting idea of imagining the faces of Darth Vader and
          the Stormtrooper in the appearance of an existing model.

          This idea further developed to eventually merge the personality and function of
          the POWERbot with the imagery of the Star Wars universe, leading to a mass production project.
          The POWERbot’s strong suction power and its CycloneForce reminds users of a resilient Star Wars
          character, and the Edge Clean Master’s auto-shutter that sweeps edges with the precision of a lightsaber
          serves as an allegory to an intense fight scene in the movie. Our designers started to transform
          the POWERbot through these common elements between the POWERbot and Star Wars’ characters.

          Design that Captures

          the Essence of Star Wars

          The POWERbot Star Wars Edition is Samsung’s first attempt at featuring
          a character on a home appliance. Since we were featuring a Star Wars character,
          we needed to first understand and empathize with the deep love fans have for these
          characters that stood the test of time. Our designers personally met with world-renown
          members of the Star Wars fan community for interviews, and through their feedback,
          imbued the unique sentiments of the Star Wars galaxy into the product.

          Color Detail that Vividly Portrays

          the Force of the Characters

          The previous POWERbot model had to undergo partial color modifications
          in order to accurately transform and depict the appearances of Darth Vader
          and the Stormtrooper. For instance, the color ‘Death Black’ was a result of
          rigorous experiments and analysis of countless black colors. This color fills in
          the front exterior of the Darth Vader product and exudes the powerful aura
          of the original character.
          The transparent dust chamber and the red cyclone cap were originally designed
          to give better visibility of the suction process to users, but we applied darker
          shades to these parts to convey depth in the eyes of the character as an effort
          to reflect the feedback we received from the fan community. Our detailed work
          in color modifications helped the POWERbot take on a much more accurate
          resemblance of the Star Wars character.

          • An image shows changes sketches and changes made during the design process of the Darth Vader POWERbot robot vacuum cleaner.
          • An image shows changes sketches and changes made during the design process of the Darth Vader POWERbot robot vacuum cleaner.
          • An image shows changes sketches and changes made during the design process of the Darth Vader POWERbot robot vacuum cleaner.
          • An image shows changes sketches and changes made during the design process of the Darth Vader POWERbot robot vacuum cleaner.
          • An image shows changes sketches and changes made during the design process of the Stormtrooper POWERbot robot vacuum cleaner.
          • An image shows changes sketches and changes made during the design process of the Stormtrooper POWERbot robot vacuum cleaner.
          • An image shows changes sketches and changes made during the design process of the Stormtrooper POWERbot robot vacuum cleaner.
          • An image shows changes sketches and changes made during the design process of the Stormtrooper POWERbot robot vacuum cleaner.
          The shape of the Darth Vader POWERbot (VR7000) is displayed side by side with the Stormtrooper version.
          The shape of the Darth Vader POWERbot (VR7000) is displayed side by side with the Stormtrooper version.

          Printing

          Illustrations

          for Perfect

          Resemblance

          The faces of Darth Vader and the Stormtrooper are printed over the front portion and dust chamber
          area of the POWERbot Star Wars Edition. Since the POWERbot is a three-dimensional product, there
          were some discrepancies between the on-screen sketch and the actual printed illustration. To achieve
          perfect actualization of the character, our designers had to create countless mock-ups to finally
          discover the most optimized line that helped the character come alive and instantly recognizable.
          Also, to boost quality even in the most detailed steps of the printing process, we sent our printing
          expert to foreign production sites to impart key techniques.

          Mobility Accompanied

          by Star Wars Voices

          Sound is another important aspect of the overall product experience, and must properly convey the story
          that the product is telling. The POWERbot Star Wars Edition’s sound effects borrow from the voices of the movie’s
          characters, giving users the stirring impression of being in the Star Wars universe.

          A product’s sound effects are usually designed to properly transmit information to users,
          but the POWERbot Star Wars Edition takes a metaphorical approach that makes use of quotes from the movies.
          The UX designer went on a Star Wars marathon through the entire series and built a script using quotes
          that match the functions of the product. We then hired fan-favorite voice actors to record the lines. Star Wars fans
          will be pleasantly surprised to hear the <Star Wars> soundtrack and Darth Vader’s heavy breathing coming out
          from the POWERbot as it prepares to start its cleaning cycle.

          Audio buttons allow you to hear the sounds of the Darth Vader and Stormtrooper version of POWERbot (VR7000).
          • Start

            Let's go
          • Check

            is no one here?
          • Start Spot Clean

            Don't worry about that
          Audio buttons allow you to hear the sounds of the Darth Vader and Stormtrooper version of POWERbot (VR7000).
          • Can’t Return to Charger

            Help me
          • Turbo Mode

            You are powerful
          • Start

            Take this mask off after cleaning
          • Complete Settings

            It will be completed on schedule
          • Turn On Repeat Clean Mode

            There will be no one to stop us now

          Package as a Part of

          Your Collection

          The packages of products that collaborate with popular works of art often become collectible items
          themselves. We focused greatly on elevating the package quality to give our users the thrill of not only
          opening the package, but owning the package as part of their collection as well.  

          We overlaid Darth Vader and Stormtrooper illustrations on the front side of the packages to set
          the special edition package apart from the existing package design, and also included a Function List
          that keeps track of all the sound effects of the product. In addition, as an extra step of being mindful of
          our users, we wrapped the basic package in vinyl and packed it again in a separate cardboard box
          so that users can keep both the product and the original package in individual full boxes.

          • Darth Vader and Stormtrooper illustrations are shown in the background against a space background.
          • Darth Vader and Stormtrooper illustrations are shown in the background against a space background.
          • An image shows the packaging for both the Darth Vader and Stormtrooper versions of POWERbot (VR7000).
          • An image shows the packaging for both the Darth Vader and Stormtrooper versions of POWERbot (VR7000).
          Various versions of Stormtrooper and Darth Vader POWERbot (VR7000) faceplates and dust canisters are placed on the ground among miniature Darth Vader and Stormtrooper figurines.

          Simply supplementing a beloved character from a beloved series into a product design
          may sound like an easy task. However, our designers worked intensely and joyfully to maintain
          the integrity of the wonderful story that the character belonged to, and developed a product
          that could be understood with the same sentiments fans have toward the movie series.
          The POWERbot Star Wars Edition was designed with the profound intention of providing
          a cheerful cleaning experience to the everyday lives of our users. This is the end result of
          first understanding where our users’ joy comes from, and then applying that
          understanding into the very designs of the product.