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Connecting Two Worlds
Synthesised imagery and computer-driven
production techniques are not just influencing
real-world objects and environments. They are
also changing our expectations about how
things are conjoined. As technology allows digital
and physical worlds to connect, communication
between things enables us to use data and control
objects to make our lives easier.
At SXSW (2013), Sara Ohrvall, senior vice-
president at Stockholm-based research and
development company Bonnier R&D, emphasised
the scale at which data-generating devices are
predicted to grow in the coming decades. “Over
50 billion devices (beyond smartphones) will be
connected to the internet by 2020, with one in 20
messages already being sent machine to machine.”
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Designers are creating products with meaning
and using data to allow consumers to make
better decisions about their lives. The Google
shoe is an experiment in connected objects
from interactive designers Zachary Lieberman
of design collective YesYesNo and Despina
Papadopoulos of Studio 5050 forArt, Copy
& Code. The smart sneaker talks back and
can connect the wearer’s activity to the web.
Powered by an accelerometer, gyroscope and
Bluetooth, the shoe translates movements
into commentary that can be heard via
speakers and it also can post real-time
updates to Google+ on the user’s behalf.
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Products such as the Lark Sleepband can
be paired with a smartphone to track sleep
patterns and become a personal sleep coach.
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The Copenhagen Wheel cycling project,
created by the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology’s Media Lab, measures and
quantifies how cycling has both environmental
and personal wellbeing benefits. By
transforming ordinary bikes into hybrid e-bikes
that also function as mobile sensing units,
the Copenhagen Wheel allows the cyclist to
capture the energy dissipated while cycling
and braking and save it for when they need
a boost. It also maps pollution levels, traffic
congestion and road conditions in real-time.
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Connecting domestic appliances and gadgets
is a key focus at present. Google Glass apps
are being developed to fuse objects with
augmented reality and wireless connectivity
to control objects around the home. Headsets
use visual identification, RFID, infra-red,
Bluetooth and QR codes as methods for
recognising controllable devices. They allow
consumers to access information related to an
object, and control an interface by hovering
over the objects such as fridges or garage
doors to control them.
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Screens inside the house could tune in or
change the channel on the TV, turn on the
lawn sprinkler and access the thermostat app
to show how much energy has been used.
110
Redefine
Consumer Product