Product Design, UX/UI Design, Animation
CARL - A smart home robot concept
We believe robots will play a major role in our future, they will soon conquer people's homes. As designers, we want to shape the way they impact our lives - both from a visual and a functional perspective.
Robots should help us with things we can’t do without them. That is why CARL is not just a robot that provides a bit more comfort - instead, it helps you to protect the most valuable place: your home. It is designed to be your eyes and ears whenever you are not there.
CARL is equipped with an array of sensors that enable him to smell, listen and see. So he will notice any change in air quality, like dangerous gases or allergenes, and he will monitor the noise level. When you leave, CARL patrols the house and notifies you instantly when he senses something strange – like a fire, a water pipe break, or even an intruder. Also you can remote control him to look around your house from far away.
As designers, we ask ourselves: do robots really have to look like humanoid-wannabes with rolling eyes moving clumsily on tiny wheels? We think, they should not only be tech toys, but rather be a real enrichment that integrates perfectly into a home environment. That is why we have given CARL an appearance that is simple, yet emotional. Inspired by furniture and interior design we combined a fabric-covered body with smart technical details.
The interface is designed to be privacy-focused. When inactive, CARLs top part is retracted, so you can see that he doesn’t watch you all the time. Using a voice assistant is not mandatory – CARL can be controlled with just a few taps on his touch display or your smartphone.
CARL drives around the house using ballbot technology. That makes his movements dynamic and elegant.
https://design3.de/en/project/carl/
