Designers
Jonathan Stout
Sinan Altun
Amparo M-Conde
2015
Concept idea
It is a concept of furniture with an internal structure and an outer surface layer.
Both sides are mobile materials to achieve the same cabinet with different results. One cabinet can change the appearance, shape, texture, ...
In this case each piece of furniture is independent (a bed will always be a bed but it will be able to change the size and outward appearance).
Both sides are mobile materials to achieve the same cabinet with different results. One cabinet can change the appearance, shape, texture, ...
In this case each piece of furniture is independent (a bed will always be a bed but it will be able to change the size and outward appearance).
Objetives
Change your furniture effortlessly.
Low cost for cabinet changes.
The cabinet adapts to user needs easily.
The same piece of furniture is versatile and effective for different types of users (large families, one-child families, singles, young, ...)
The same furniture covers the aesthetic needs of the user. Timeless and avoid obsolescence.
Low cost for cabinet changes.
The cabinet adapts to user needs easily.
The same piece of furniture is versatile and effective for different types of users (large families, one-child families, singles, young, ...)
The same furniture covers the aesthetic needs of the user. Timeless and avoid obsolescence.
How is it works
The operation of this product is based on a robotic internal structure and an adaptable external material.
Through a series of signals furniture you can change its shape and outer size with some limitations. Furniture will always be the same type of furniture (a table is always a table but can be adapted to the current user).
Furniture such changes will be made through a tablet where you can view the resulting change.
Each change will have a cost, but will never exceed the cost of the unit itself. The initial price of the furniture will be high, but not the future changes.
The operation of this product is based on a robotic internal structure and an adaptable external material.
Through a series of signals furniture you can change its shape and outer size with some limitations. Furniture will always be the same type of furniture (a table is always a table but can be adapted to the current user).
Furniture such changes will be made through a tablet where you can view the resulting change.
Each change will have a cost, but will never exceed the cost of the unit itself. The initial price of the furniture will be high, but not the future changes.
The Story of the Idea
The following story was a pitch to Philips Research Division. The goal was to look at what technology exists and possible emerging and changing markets to create a product that could potentially appear in the future. The story moves in three phases, the first, shows a potential market event, the second shows a product that came about due to this event, and the final product, The Philips IDS, is how Philips could have a product to fit that new market.
Following the global financial crisis of 2011, many people re appraised the role their home played in their lives. In just one decade our view of the home changed from being solitary and static to a communal and dynamic lifestyle accessory that supported our way of life.
We did research asking how individuals and families could foresee communal living impacting and becoming a part of their lives. We also watched TED talks and a documentary called Happy to learn how the social aspect of community can play on an individual’s overall wellbeing.
With this information, we get Mike Muller in Ghent, Belgium. He is a 26 year old electrician for Lumilec and lives in Magpie Flats. It is a warehouse converted into a communal living center near the Kinepolis. Mike and the other tenants we talked to, who were all in their mid to late 20’s really enjoyed these communal living areas. Of course there are problems like who’s doing the dishes, taking out the trash, common cores etc. However it is overall viewed positively. Mike and many others view the communal living as a short term solution. It is viewed as a means of saving money with the ability to live on their own. Being able to move and explore different areas/cities without being a burden financially on their parents. We also learned from talking with the tenants, that many do not want moving to be a hassle. Mobile living is quick and dynamic, so owners of these flats end up providing basic furniture such as beds, tables, lamps, and so forth.
They provide these essentials for a couple of reasons:
Housing is now an accessory.
Providing this adds greater appeal and attraction to new tenants.
New programmable material revolutionized production methods allowing for inexpensive and personalized products that each tenant could make their own.
Given this change in the market, what does this mean for manufacturers of home products? The crisis of 2011 spawned many innovations, some of which started today such as the field of programmable matter. Programmable matter is matter which has the ability to change its properties (shape, density, conductivity, and optical properties) based upon user input or automatic sensing. As soon as it was commercially viable, manufactures created this product type called meat and bones products. It allows for a simple skeleton of the product to be manufactured (Bones), then there is programmable matter applied over it (meat). It is a lot like putting clay over a support structure. The programmable materials can then be modified within constraints of the product using any 3D modeling software that can export an STL file.
This style product became popular in dynamic communal living environments because with many different people living with different tastes, the products can be adapted to the individual users style and mood. So when one tenant leaves, the next tenant can move in and adapt that same product to their taste. Thus feeling ownership and control over their environment sooner.
What does this mean for Philips?
Programmable materials could open a “world of magic” for their Disney partnerships allowing kids to manipulate their night lamps or soft lamps and explore creativity with living colors. These materials could change the manufacturing process by eliminating the need for different color materials. Instead, now just one color is manufactured and the user changes the color to fit their desires. These materials could open up product highlights for a whole generation of personal care products such as personalized ergonomics or whole new product lines such as the simple Philips IDS (The handheld device seen in the pictures).
With the new meat and bones production method, designers can now make products in a 3D environment to a certain skeletons constraints. Those who own this skeleton can download this and apply it to the skeleton using the Philips IDS. Made possible by transparent LCD Displays, the user can now visualize the product in its environment before purchase by holding the Philips IDS up to the skeleton / location as well as manipulate the products they already have and apply them should they want to change. With the browse and manage functions of the Philips IDS, the user can also group their furnishings into moods. So with a simple selection, the user can become more focused, energized, or perhaps calmed for a nice nap.
These features combined in the Philips IDS allows Philips to sell a top rated home management appliance in a potentially open source market.
