Each year the International Home & Housewares Show offers a competition for students studying product design and industrial development.

This year, the Student Design Competition winners included six students who put their own spins on items such as a safety ladder, garbage can, spice measuring system, bread maker, blanket and a food slicer. All of the students created their products for a class project.

Designer: Nora Flood, Purdue University, junior

Product: "Escape"

"My mother was part of my inspiration," said Flood, who designed an emergency fire exit ladder. "She needed a ladder that she could carry, so I wanted to design one that was lightweight."

Although Flood, 20, said she can't calculate the actual weight of the acrylic ladder in its prototype model state, she says "it'll definitely be lighter than a typical aluminum ladder."

The ladder's design is new, too. It uses the window frame for support instead of hooking onto a windowsill. The compact product folds accordion-like for easy storage.

"It was exciting to win the award and be at the Housewares show," Flood said. "It's an opportunity to meet people and get exposure to potential manufacturers for the ladder."

Designer: Frank Zaremba, Cleveland Institute of Art, senior

Product: EB01 Emrgnts Blanket

"I wanted to create something that would help calm people during a trauma," said Zaremba, 23.

The thermal blanket fits a human like a large coat and includes a hood with a neck brace. The blanket also has two pouches in the front for lavender.

"Lavender is soothing and it will help reduce stress during an emergency," he said. "The cloak is designed for emergency people like firemen, ambulance staff or policemen. When a person is traumatized, the blanket encloses them like a giant cocoon and protects them from chaos and further emotional injury."

Designer: Kate Cummins, University of Notre Dame, senior

Product: Spice

Cummins, 22, designed a spice-measuring system to increase the efficiency of "measuring, storing and mixing spices."

The product, "Spice," is a series of stackable cubes that snap into place. Each color-coded cube opens with a snap of a finger and includes a pop-up mechanism that dispenses a ½ tablespoon measure. Cummins said the product is helpful to people who have weak hands or wet hands that are slippery.

Designer: Vu Phan, Arizona State University, junior

Product: CanDu Trash Bin

"My grandmother has problems emptying the trash, so I designed this to help people like her," said 24-year-old Phan.

The tall, circular, aluminum trash bin has an acrylic pull out section with wheels on it.

"You just pull out the can and roll it to the garbage. There's no lifting," Phan said.

Phan also pointed out that the handle and its base are designed to make it easy to grip. Air channels molded into the bin make the plastic trash liner bag fall out easier by eliminated the potential for a vacuum.

"The bag never gets stuck in the can," said Phan, who says he's already had several manufacturers interested in his design.

Designer: Kaitlyn Benoit, University of Notre Dame, senior

Product: Slice & Scoop

People with visual impairments or the blind were the incentives behind Benoit's design.

"I was inspired by a fellow student of mine who is blind," said Benoit, 21. "I realized there were areas of need for the blind and that some of us are unaware of the need to help design products for the blind. So my friend and I identified cooking as one of the areas that was lacking products."

The award-winning product is a plastic gadget that is put over food to be sliced. The Slice & Scoop protects hands as it guides the knife to make accurate cuts in foods such as tomatoes, potatoes and other sliceable items. Benoit says the product also "helps people gather the slices without a big mess."

IHA Student Design judges said Benoit's product showed "excellent research into user needs and anatomical fit [of hands]."

Designer: Jessica Jurca, Cleveland Institute of Art, senior

Product: Enrich Bread Maker

Jurca's product is designed for multi-cultural cooking. In other words, different types of breads from various cultures all can be baked within the product. The metal bread baker is designed to fit and bake everything from Chinese steamed buns and American-styled breads to African and Middle Eastern flat breads.

IHA Student Design judges said that Jurca's product features "an innovative social networking approach to food and culture."