Philips shows innovations based on simplicity-led design
Philips backgrounder on simplicity-led design
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event":MUSICEXPLORER, to make it possible to browse, buy, and organize our music all in one place.
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event":MOMENTO stores the most cherished moments, recorded as short movie clips, and replays them as floating magical fragments in a glass ball.
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event": LOOKLOOK captures stills that can be instantaneously sent to a mobile phone or projected onto any surface for immediate sharing with others.
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event":Philips Light Chimes detect changes in the breeze and temperature and translate them into captivating patterns and swirling light.
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event":Light Chimes detect changes in the breeze and temperature and translate them into captivating paterns and swirling light.
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event":LED Bulbs can be (re)adjusted by twisting for the color and atmosphere right at the source.
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event":LED Bulbs can be (re)adjusted by twisting for the color and atmosphere right at the source.
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event":HERBARIUM is an intelligent greenhouse designed to provide the best climate for growing health-giving herbs from smart seed pads.
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event":HERBARIUM, an intelligent greenhouse designed to provide the best climate for growing health-giving herbs from smart seed pads.
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event":THE CHAMELEON, a lamp shade that changes to match any color you 'show'it.
PARIS, September 2005; PHILIPS "The Simplicity Event":The AIR TREE takes is cue from nature and keeps the home environment fresh by performing much the same function as a biological tree: cleaning the air.
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Since unveiling Sense and Simplicity as its brand promise in September 2004, Philips has demonstrated the power of simplicity-led design in growing businesses and driving innovation. A wide range of products already provides customers with the direct benefits of simplicity-led design, including the Ambient Experience.
Ambient ExperienceSome medical examinations - such as MR scans - can be difficult for everyone involved. People feel scared, uncomfortable and generally ill at ease. An anxious patient will often move around while in the scanner and this costs time for the clinician: time to settle the patient and time spent retaking pictures because of movement at the wrong moment. All of this time costs money. But if the patient is physically and emotionally comfortable, time and money can be saved.
Philips decided that its healthcare proficiency, along with the proven expertise of Philips Design and the technology of Philips Lighting, could be combined to create an experience that helps relax the patient and ultimately benefits the clinician and hospital.
Philips has made the waiting room into a hotel room-like space, where family members can sit together with the patient. When it is time for the examination, a door opens directly into the exam room. The patient walks into a space where the atmosphere makes him feel instantly at ease, because he has chosen it. A credit card-sized "mood token" controls projectors in the room that show images and lighting on the walls and ceiling in a theme chosen by the patient (cartoons for children, for example).
This reduces apprehension by giving patients some control over the experience and offering them something to focus on other than the less pleasant implications of undergoing an examination or scan. The feedback from clinicians is that in providing a positive environment, there is a significant difference in the outcome for patients of all ages. Historically in the US, it has been normal procedure to sedate children before they undergo examinations such as MR scans. The Ambient Experience has proven to be so successful that many children no longer need sedation.
The first Ambient Experience radiology suite is in use at Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital near Chicago and uses Philips' lighting and consumer electronics to create a more patient-friendly environment for people undergoing medical scans. The suite at the hospital's children's pavilion features a Philips Brilliance CT (computed tomography) scanner in a room with curved walls, creating a softer emotional environment.
Design conceptsPhilips is demonstrating a unique showcase of design concepts from Philips Design, which show how simplicity could translate into groundbreaking products over the coming three to five years, across the company's entire healthcare, lifestyle and technology portfolio.'Momento' Some memories are meant to be shared and treasured, and accessible in an instant. Philips considers that it should be as easy to share video memories, as it would be to view a treasured photograph sitting in a frame.
Momento is a unique glass ball, small enough to fit into the palm of the hand, which offers a completely new way to share precious video memories. The device will 'wake up' when approached and play its store of movie clips when a person reaches out to pick it up. To change from one clip to another, simply shake the glass ball and the movement is detected through in-built sensors prompting the existing clip to dissolve and another one to appear in its place.
Momento has no buttons to press or dials to turn and all functions are controlled by either proximity or detected movement. Storing images is also simple. The device receives movie clips wirelessly from any 'Bluetooth' enabled phone.
'In Touch' New technologies make sharing information, news or pictures with family and friends faster than ever before. This though is on a person-to-person basis. Philips has considered why it should not be as easy to share this information with all those living in a house, whether that is family or housemates and to do so as simply as instant messaging. The result is the In Touch design concept, a 21st Century take on a family 'message board'.
In Touch is a mirror that transforms into a touch screen message center, providing an alternative to leaving messages in different places, such as a written note stuck on the fridge or an answer phone message. Through In Touch, members of the household view messages left in text or video format, which are posted directly onto the device or sent remotely. When illuminated, the screen also includes portrait photographs of all the 'family' members in the network, which are used as a method of sending messages.
In Touch is easy to operate. Simply touching a relevant image on the mirror will activate a message, which could be a voicemail, video, picture or text message. The mirror also makes it simple to leave messages or send them automatically to other members of the network.
To leave a message on the electronic board, just touch the mirror with a stylus and a drawing space opens. To record a video message, touch a blue light in the right-hand corner of the mirror, which turns red and a real-time image of the person recording the message appears in the centre. The message is then recorded.
To send an MMS or SMS message, create a message with the stylus and then, using a finger, drag and drop the text box on to one of the portrait photographs. The MMS or SMS is sent automatically and the message reverts to its original position with a confirmation stamp showing it has been delivered.
'Look Look' Philips believes that sharing experiences should be as simple as a child saying "Look, Look" to a parent. Its 'Look Look' design concept is a device that allows people, particularly children, to capture and share images spontaneously and to share them either with those around them, through an in-built projection system or remotely by sending the image to In Touch or another compatible device, such as a parent or grandparent's phone.
To capture an image, simply extend the eyepiece a short way and the capture mode is engaged. It is possible to zoom in on the scene and press the scroll wheel to capture it.
Viewing images is easy. This is done either by looking through the eyepiece viewfinder and toggling through the pictures with the scroll wheel or by using Look Look's in-built projection system.
'Tune In' The pleasure we find in music knows no bounds and unites people in a way that few other mediums can. While sharing music has become easier, it is also fraught with problems: from the legal issues of copyright, to the process of searching and downloading. Philips investigated whether there was a way for the sharing of music to become more spontaneous and that could be done in a simpler manner. Its Tune In design concept does just this, providing a device wearable around the neck and allowing music lovers within a limited area to broadcast and share their music collections with others.
The heart of the application is a radar device that measures and displays the distance between a person and other Tune In community members. The location is displayed in the form of glowing dots radiating out from the centre of the circular screen. Color-coding on the dots indicates the type of music being played in the immediate area. There are also four touch sensitive areas on the device, allowing the user to control their own music in the usual manner, such as play/pause.
Tuning into another person's music is as simple as pressing the relevant dot that represents them on the screen. By pressing again, the device reveals all the details about the track being played, while pressing the center dot returns the user to their own music.
'Air Sensor' Allergies represent a significant worldwide health problem for hundreds of millions of people. A combination of plant pollen and mould, together with smog caused by automobile and industrial emissions create a harmful outdoor environment, particularly for those with existing health conditions. Managing allergies and other breathing related conditions depends upon knowing the outdoor air quality. Philips has created a design concept that makes checking outdoor air quality as simple as looking out of the window.
'Air Sensor' provides a simple and instant method for determining outdoor air quality, day or night. The solar powered device with an in-built battery for 24-hour operation can be located in any room with a window. The two parts of the sensor, one for sampling the air and the other for displaying the information.
The device samples and calculates air quality based upon four measurements; temperature, pollen count, humidity and smog levels. This information is displayed separately or all together. In its view all mode, it is easy to know outdoor air quality at glance. If the display is 'smiling', it is safe to go out side.
Using a simple touch sensitive dial, select information on all four air quality measurements individually. While temperature is shown in the form of numerals, information on smog levels comes in the form of lights that shows one of three 'faces' ranging from a 'smile' for low levels to a 'sad' look for high levels. Pollen levels and humidity are displayed through a series of columns and rows respectively.'Air Tree' The World Health Organization estimates that 40% of all buildings currently in use pose a serious health hazard due to indoor air pollution. Philips came up with a design concept that to help address the issue of poor indoor air quality and that would be as easy to use as setting the temperature. Air Tree is an elegant and decorative design for a device that could provide major health benefits for those with breathing related conditions, such as asthma, by offering personal control over indoor air quality through means of cleaning, humidifying or dehumidifying the air, as needed.
Air Tree has two operating modes, 'Humidity' and 'Clean'. Simply selects the mode they want and the device will then operate automatically.
In 'Humidity' mode, select the desired level through the interface 'twig' - a simple and easy to use control panel set into the Air Tree - and the built-in software will then continually monitor the atmosphere and will determine if it needs to humidify or dehumidify to maintain the level selected by the user. A light at the base of the tree indicates when the container, that collects water from the atmosphere when dehumidifying, is full. There is a small twig at the base of the device into which the user pours water to fill the reservoir that the 'Air Tree' uses for humidifying the air.
In 'Clean' mode, the Air Tree filters and refreshes the air without extracting or releasing water into the atmosphere. The device is left alone to operate without any interaction by a person, even during long periods such as when a family is away on holiday. Air is drawn in via the base and passes through the filter before emerging from the air outlet twig at the top.
The humidity mode is manageable and set by simply stroking the touch strip on the control twig; clockwise to increase humidity, counter clockwise to decrease it. A light display at the top of the twig indicates the level set and this is followed by a short animation showing whether the air is to be humidified or dehumidified. Squeezing the side of the twig will switch the Air Tree to 'Clean' mode and a short animation of pulsating lights indicates that the cleaning process is underway. 'Aqua Duo' Experts advise that every adult should consume at least eight large glasses of water per day to maintain their health. However, not all water is as pure or healthy as it could be. And just using bottled water is a wasteful solution. Philips created the concept of Aqua Duo on the simple idea that people should have access to purified water in their homes at any time but also at the right temperature for cooking or drinking.
Aqua Duo consists of a pair of containers - one that heats water and the other that cools it. These two thermoses are designed to sit on a base unit in the kitchen to provide clean, filtered hot and cold water as required.
The Aqua Duo concept includes a range of pre-set water temperatures, designed for particular uses. The hot water container has settings for cooking (lukewarm), to baby food (hot but not boiling) and boil (100oC). The cold container's settings are cool (16oC), chill (8oC) and icy (4oC).
When a temperature is set, the corresponding button on the base unit lights up, as do the icons on the relevant water container. To indicate that heating or cooling is taking place, the light flickers on the base unit between the different icons until the desired temperature is reached at which point the light will settle on the button pressed.A display system on the water container that indicates the level of the water moves through the horizontal as the container is tilted forwards for pouring. The display always shows the exact water level and is created through an embedded flexible screen. The display is triggered by a water and gravity sensor.
'Herbarium' Having access to fresh, homegrown herbs are not only an excellent addition for any meal, they can also provide an important contribution to a person's health. Researchers now believe that a wide range of herbs - such as mint, basil, oregano, sage and thyme - possess antioxidants that help protect against cancers and heart disease, as well as help improve glucose control and insulin activity. However, for most people, growing fresh herbs is an ideal for which they neither have the time nor the space.
Philips took the view that growing your own herbs should be as simple as making a cup of coffee. The result is a design concept - 'Herbarium - that creates a portable and intelligent greenhouse for use indoors, which would fit onto a small window ledge in any kitchen and is designed for use by people with little or no gardening experience.
The solar-powered greenhouse creates a self-contained microclimate in which to grow herbs from seeds using pre-prepared plant pads that do not require plant fertilizers or other chemicals. The user simply places the biodegradable pads into the growing frame. Each pad contains the soil and seeds necessary, together with an RFID tag that is recognized by the 'Herbarium' to ensure that the right combination of herbs receive the ideal growing conditions.
The 'Herbarium' design concept is designed to use many types of pre-seeded plant pads, e.g. thyme, basil, sage etc.
When a pad is positioned in the Herbarium, the name of the plant appears on the pot rim display, which is also triggered by the chip. As the plant grows, the name fades back to be replaced by other information such as when the pad was planted in the Herbarium and the optimal date to harvest the leaves.
'Soft Therapy' With more people spending their working lives sitting in front of a computer screen, the issue of relaxation is becoming increasingly important to ensure physical well-being. Medical researchers have recently been examining the role of the neck in relation to injuries to hands, wrists, elbows, arms and shoulders. They have also identified motion in the joints of the neck as a significant contributor to Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).
Recent medical research shows that such problems can take a long time to treat, which is why prevention is far more effective in the long-term.
Philips took on the challenge of creating a design concept that would make muscle-based pain relief as simple as putting on a shirt. The solution is 'Soft Therapy', a wearable, cordless garment that is soft to the touch and that reduces tension in strained muscles and joints in the back and neck by means of infrared heat and vibrational massage.
Soft Therapy is wearable over clothing or directly on the skin. It uses infrared LEDs and massage to treat pain through heat and a massage motion.
It features a series of soft keys on the front of the garment that allow the selection of one of three pre-set modes. The two arms of the Soft Therapy garment will automatically turn on when they are snapped together around the neck. Opening the arms switches off the garment.
Each treatment cycle lasts no more than 20 minutes, after which the garment can be easily hooked onto its recharging peg on the wall, so that it is fully charged for the next session.
Illusion SystemPhilips has identified that consumers want less buttons, menus, lists and options, but without losing the functionality they offer. Equally, consumers would benefit from more physical, but intuitive ways to control electronic equipment and music, films, photos and games that should be enjoyed on them. As a result, Philips has developed The Illusion System, which seeks to answer the question 'why couldn't using a home entertainment system be as simple as pointing at what you want?' Illusion offers swift control of all media devices in the home with the illusion of movement and the transformation of objects from one state to another, such as a television transforming itself into a mirror when switched off, instead of a dark space on the wall. The Illusion System consists of four devices: a TV (Vision), home media center (Mercury), loudspeaker (Wave) and remote control (Wand).
'Wand' is the central control and access device for all home content, from music to films and from TV channels to family photographs. It also acts as a control device for an entire room, from sound to lighting. Wand is an intuitive system that allows a user to point at any device and to scroll, select, play and move elements just by moving the Wand. When it is pointed, the Wand recognizes the device at which it is aimed and, through the 'active skin' portion of its rod design, provides the relevant control options for that device.
For example, by pointing Wand at the Vision TV, the user can 'grab', 'move' and 'reorganize' content on the screen. Using the same intuitive gestures, it will also control the volume of the Wave sound system or the lighting, adjusting brightness, color and the saturation of light to match the required mood. Pointing the Wand at a digital camera enables the user to automatically transfer pictures onto the Vision TV.
Wand is used, as its name would suggest, through simple gestures up and down or side to side. The speed of the motion also determines the speed of reaction of the content it is controlling. For example, to scroll faster through content, the user just increases the speed of movement, like choosing to turn the pages of magazine slowly to read the contents or flicking through it to glance at the pages.
'Vision' is a TV that transforms itself into a frameless mirror when switched off, rather than just a dark space on the wall. In operation, it becomes an Ambilight television, blending into its surroundings and providing an additional dimension to the viewing experience. But it is also a TV that adapts itself to those using it, orients its screen and moves downwards until it is at the appropriate height for those watching it.
Vision TV, though, is not just a device to view traditional television content, such as broadcasts and films. It becomes a means to select and display all contents available in a home, such as personal photo albums, allowing seamless interaction between devices.
For example, Vision takes all available content, from films to family photos and displays these in one seamless form through the use of virtual cards that a user can simply scroll through and select. By using the wand and moving it up and down more slowly, the Vision device will switch between different types of media - TV, video, photographs or music. Once a media type has been selected, moving the Wand horizontally enables the user to move, step-by-step between the content available in that media selection. This means in TV mode switching between channels or in video mode between the available films. A 'super-scrolling' option is also available, which is activated by moving the Wand horizontally at a faster rate. The quicker the movement of the Wand, the faster Vision will scroll.
'Mercury' is a home media center that provides access to all media without having to leave the couch. This content is sourced from Mercury's in-built hard disc, from discs stored within the device and from players and PCs elsewhere in the home, as well as from mobile devices, such as cameras or music players, to which it is connected wirelessly.
Shaped as a slender rectangular column, it is designed to be positioned beside a seat or couch, mounted on a wall or placed on a table. During playback, a light display indicates with different color codes the kind of disc being played. Hold your hand above the slot at the top of the device, the disc ejects automatically and the color display turns to white to show that there is no disc inside.
'Wave' surrounds the listener and beams sound from a single, fabric covered speaker that is easily positioned behind the user, such as from behind the couch, to deliver the illusion of separate channels of 'surround sound'. When activated by pointing the Wand, either end of the Wave 'bends' automatically and beams sound directly at the people sitting in front of it. The color of the fabric is based on personal taste, so that it fits naturally into the color scheme of any room.
Music ExplorerThe advent of new music technologies, that provide unparalleled access to sounds from every available source, has been one of the most dynamic cultural revolutions of recent times. However, access to thousands of different types of music has led to issues over how a user navigates through their libraries and how they can select tunes based on their preference at any given time.
Created as a home 'music center', Music Explorer consists of two components: a portable 'turntable' (screen panel) and a stationary speaker base. The panel, which is designed to be held in the hand, offers a user interface and a display for content with four main playback modes: Home, Shop, Disc and Radio. The base unit provides the sound and also houses the disc player.
The selection of content is achieved by simply and intuitively gesturing, using a touch sensitive screen on the panel. Brushing a fingertip lightly over the surface of the screen provides the facility to scroll through content. Tapping onto a particular selection allows the user to 'zoom' into different information within a category. Each layer of information is displayed in the form of a 'star cloud' and when a particular selection is made, the screen appears to dive deeper into that cloud for further content.
To change the mode of the screen panel, the user just rotates the entire panel. The Home mode provides for navigating and playback, Shop enables the user to scan for and add new music content to the Home folder, Disc enables a user to scan and play music on discs, while Radio provides access to scan and play internet radio stations.
When not in use, the panel can be placed on a rotating tray on the top of the speaker base. This also recharges the panel.LED BulbsAdvances in LED technology have opened a whole world of new possibilities in lighting. Originally, LEDs were just used to display information, on mobile phones for example. However, their energy efficiency makes them ideal for wider uses. LEDs convert 90% of the incoming electrical charge into a luminous energy and use only one-eighth of the power of traditional bulbs and less than half that for fluorescent lights. For Philips, though, it is not only the energy savings that make LEDs ideal for use in lighting solutions, but also size, low heat generation and flexibility.
Philips developed a series of design concepts that seek to answer the question 'why couldn't changing a room's ambience be as simple as switching on the TV?' The following design concepts offer various ways to adjust color, saturation, tone and brightness with simple and intuitive gestures to create the desired lighting ambience.
'Soft' is a light bulb like no other, becoming soft, tactile and safely squeezable. Squeezing the cool-to-touch bulb changes its color to a different preset from the color spectrum.
'Constellation' runs through a spectrum of light pastel colors when the 'finger' on the side of the bulb is tweaked. An LED at each intersection of the wire frame structure points inward, creating soothing patterns of geometric light effects on nearby surfaces.
'Flask' alters the brightness and 'warmth' of its white light when turned, to set the exact desired atmosphere.
'Fractal' is designed to emit a warm yellowish tint and shift to a cool, bluish white light when the 'finger' at the side of the bulb is revolved. The bulb's three-dimensional optical effect diffracts light in several directions simultaneously.
'Tap' is twisted, just like a bath or sink tap to scroll through a rainbow of colors. Aligning the graphic index of the bulb with the one printed on the glass displays perfect white light.
'Flat' scrolls seamlessly through a spectrum of semi-directional light variations from an array of LEDs embedded in the bulb's translucent material. This is achieved by placing a finger in Flat's off-center indentation. White light is displayed by aligning the two indexes.
'Flex' provides either ambient uplighting to set the appropriate mood in a room or a more direct light source, as needed. Flex is a rubber lamp designed to provide ambient lighting when bent upwards, or downwards for direct lighting. Using a network of small LEDs embedded directly in the rubber material, it is easy to manipulate and very durable. Added to this, sensors on the rim of the shade or detect circular movement, allowing the light to be 'tuned' to any desired color available in the LED spectrum.
'Spectrum' changes color when a finger is revolved a few centimeters below any of the spots on its rim. Revolving a finger in a full circle around the shade displays the full spectrum of light available.
'Aurora' appears like a normal, suspended lampshade but has no visible light source. The light emits from the inner surface of the shade itself with all colors within the LED color spectrum available for display. The color is selected by means of a central tuning knob located in the centre of the lamp and which will go through the entire range as it is turned until the desired color is reached.
Mood MixChanging the atmosphere of a room should be as easy as flicking a switch. The Mood Mix design concept does just that, providing touch sensitive control of all the ambient lighting in a room.
Mood Mix is a dual mode controller that enables the user to select the ambient color and intensity of light in a room. The circular controller features an outside groove that, when a finger is run across it, will scroll through all possible colors. Holding down a central button on the controller increases the amount of white light to be combined with the selected color. Releasing the finger selects the required intensity level. The Mood Mix controller works in any part of the room and is entirely wireless. When not in use, the device can be placed on a wall-mounted charger.
Chameleon is a lamp shade that changes to match any color you 'show' it... A traditional bulb at the centre of the lamp provides white light above and below the lamp, while an LED ring around this light projects a selected color into the shade, while at the same time preventing the white light from diluting the color being projected.
Chameleon will match any mood required in an instant. The user simply picks up a piece of fabric or any other colored object, holds it to the sensor on the lamp stand and this color will be projected onto the inside of the shade automatically, changing the lighting mood of a room.
Light ChimesThe outside space in a home, particular the garden, is increasingly been regarded by people as another living space. As a result, a large industry has grown up to provide design solutions for this outside room. As in any space, one of the most important components is lighting. Philips has examined this increasingly popular living space and created a design concept which combines the best in technology with the natural elements of the gardens. The result is Light Chimes, which takes the concept of outdoor lighting and matches this to the invisible elements of the space - wind and temperature - and turns them into something visible.
Light Chimes are hollow, circular LED lights integrated onto poles that can be positioned anywhere in the garden or outdoor space. Pre-charged, there is no wiring involved. As the wind blows through the space, it passes through the hole in the middle of the circular LED and as the speed of breeze varies, so does the Light Chime, increasing in brightness according to the strength of the wind. With a quantity of the Light Chimes placed in a garden, for example, it is possible to see, for the first time, the speed and direction of the wind, translated into light. The devices also react to temperature, changing color accordingly and providing an indication of weather conditions outside. The cooler the air, the warmer the color of the light and vice versa.
posted by P @ 10:05 AM
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