Final

Here is our final idea:

Fourth Step

Here are some characteristics of our new idea:
- The cube is absolutely mobile
- The cube is a cleaning device
- The cube is a chair
- The cube is a table
- The cubes can stack themselves:
o They realize a screen
o They realize a blackboard
o They realize a dividing wall
- And has the name “BOXED!”


For more information about BOXED! we will add a presentation next week …

Third Step - Evaluation

As we presented this idea we got the following feedback:
- The main idea is good but does not comprehend this issue in its entirety
- We got the hint to think about this issues:
o The device should be transformable
o Kinetic movements

Well, kinetic movements would be too complex. But the transformable character is very interesting. So we decided to think about a “cube” which:
- Is table or a chair
- Cubes can stack themselves (saves a lot of space!)

Third Step

For our final presentation we decided to focus more on the realization of the concept and less on the whole functionality (like multitouch-screen handling, voting for comfort etc). So we try to show how the tables and chairs clean the room, how they look like and how they move around (how moves table/ chair from A to B).
To realize this we declared the following questions (they are answered in the fourth step):
- Which problems could arise in the everyday life with these devices?
o How are our devices reacting to students while driving through the hallway?
o How many devices are allowed to drive through the hallway?
o How are the students reacting to the devices?
o What happens when a student tries to irritate a device?
- Where could devices be placed when they are not used?
o In the basement?
o In not used classrooms?
- How do the devices open doors?
- How should the devices affect the people in the building?
o Driving through hallway as a duck-family? (Table in front, followed by chairs)
o When a device gets broken: other devices will carry it?

Second Step - Evaluation

Well, the main problem here is to integrate chairs. It would be a more cohesive system if the chairs were somehow integrated in the table. But a system consisting of a table with integrated chairs is mechanical too complex and would not provide comfort. Another problem here is that tables would not reach each point in the building to clean. Getting onto another floor could be solved with elevators. But cleaning e.g. the room’s corner would be problematically – the table would not be handy enough. In contrast a smaller device like a chair could do So we decided to split our furniture device into two parts: a system of chairs and tables - both fully autonomous.

Second Step

The intelligent furniture has the following characteristics:
- Mobile (it can drive around, navigated by the building)
- GUI (for interacting with the building or using it as a normal computer)
- Cleaning module (could displace cleaning personal)

Our idea: the intelligent furniture should be a table. Because the table can drive around the building can tell it where to clean. The surface of the table is a multitouch screen. The tabletop can raise and could be used as a digital blackboard. Professors can use it for their presentations. If the building decides to change a room, the tables could place themselves on the hallway and shows the students where to go (this will displace the color control system).
In class, students use that table as a computer – in additional the tables are connected. So they support sharing documents or give the possibility to vote for more brightness in the classroom etc.

Here are the first pics of the table:

First Step - Evaluation

Reading “first step” you will miss a clear description of a device that is implemented into the building. We thought about a PDA-Like device that is used to interact with the building. On that way professors, janitors or chars can interact or can get information what to do.

The problem is: we do not want to give people an additional device. Furthermore the scenario “building tells people what to do” (e.g. please clean room X, please change the seat arrangement in room Y) is not really elegant. Isn’t it better (in an economic view) to do these things automatically – by intelligent furniture?