Results of a workshop at Google Zürich

1. «Connected homes for
connected people» workshop
Beyond Home Automation: Using Technology to Change What We Mean By Home
January 24, 2012 Workshop partner, design agency :
Zürich

2. 4 «innovation territories and paths»
IP#2: Well-Tempered Presence
IP#1: The Programmable,
Domesticated Home
IP#4: The Membrane
IP#3: The 4D Window –
« Another window on my world »

3. Components of the Connected Home
Extra
digital
room
Local
network
Data
store
Digital
s;cker
Building
wall
OS
@
home
Sync
dock
Domes;c
store
Physical
&
digital
Propbox
Rights
management
and
sharing
Residents
public
space
Technicians
network

4. WORKSHOP : MAIN STEPS
GOAL OF THE WORKSHOP :
> transforming the ”innovation paths” developed by
the FING into product / service offers
> a dozen representatives from various companies work
together to unite their various fields of expertises

5. Introduction

6. The participants split into 3
groups to explore the following
themes :
- well tempered presence
- programmable home
- 4D window

7. Using inspiration cards,
the groups start to
brainstorm…

8. …note down and
share their ideas…

9. Using the criteria card, each group
selects their 2 best project ideas…

10. …which they prototype using Legos !

11. Groups interchange to
outline the main
projects’ feasibility

12. Each group presents its results…
http://www.youtube.com/user/Fing62?feature=guide

13. Final conclusions by Google & FING

14. SELECTED
PROJECT 1
The well-tempered presence : Social Scales

15. So cial Scales
and
easily manage our visibility
When at home, how can we
ers , wit hin our var iou s How does it work ?
our ava ilab ility fro m oth
w we're at home, who
relationship circles? Who can kno
? How can I be notified Social Scales are
can reach us there, and how smart boxes, conn
bers are in or out of home? internet, at home. ected to the
when other houshehold mem Th
How can I also control the
other flows that intend to profiles on social ese boxes have access to your
a networks, on skyp
services, physical mails, dat mobile phone. e, or to your
enter our home: deliveries, ele ctro nic
by our my riad
pro duc ed and rec eiv ed
devices…? Boxes include scal
es and small cam
can recognize an eras, so that they
any identify objects pe
l boxes, where you can put after they have be ople put in them
Social Scales are smart physica r availability en taught to do it.
municate you Social boxes are
kind of object in order to com to manage all
able to « link »
one object to on
to your differe nt relationship circles, and circle of people. e person, or to a
e is to make it easier to
kinds of flows. Their purpos When an object is
placed in the box
you want to say you're
def ine presence settings. When Social Scales upda or
tes your status an removed from it,
put an object representing
available for someone, you and lets the person
(s) represented by
d your availability
stands for one person, one
him/her in a box. Each object the object know.
ship circle. You want to use
organization, or one relation Boxes can be purc
e? Just teach the box what ha
users, or provided sed and programmed by their
a doll to represent your niec by vendors. Stores
gine other kinds of actions
the doll means. You can ima where consumers can provide boxes
ge of possibilities is huge, place objects that
related to presence: the ran r products they wish represent the
itive. To order milk from you to order. The Post
and all actions are very intu … smart PostBox that office can build a
grocery store, just place a milk bottle into the right box parcels are expect
knows whether ou
tgoing mail or
ing the postman…
and
l to manage your presence
Social Scales are a great too APIs are available
out going flows. You are the to imagine other
more generally incoming and services, to bette kinds of uses and
your visibility. r manage physica
one who manage your relationships and flows. l and dematerializ
ed
Connections with the expedition
Innovation Territory: "The Home as Hub"
Innovation Paths: "The Well-Tempered Presence"
Objets and Infrastructures: "Visibility Slider" / CondoNet

16. Design principles
Tools – Hardware /Software - Each box is related to one set of presence/
- Boxes, equipped with scales and cameras, visibility/availability/communications settings or
connected to the Internet actions in a specific place. It needs only to be
- Apps to recognize any objects' weight and programmed once (or comes pre-programmed)
shape, and to link them with people, circles, -Each object is related to one specific person,
actions and settings organization or circle
- Apps to connect boxes with social networks and
-The box/object matching must be extremely
other communication methods
simple
- APIs to invent other kinds of actions related to
presence - The system needs to be secure and to take privacy
very seriously
Partners involved and wanted Business Model
Google: To connect the device with chat / social Boxes can be purchased standalone, as
networks status ; Android apps; Google Goggles shape decoration, fun or functional objects.
recognition. They can be sold as "peripherals" to services
Seb: To prototype the boxes. such as social networks, Skype, etc., or to
La Poste: Delivery; pick up outgoing mail and high-end smartphones.
parcels; deliver mail + check on an elderly person… They can be offered by merchants or service
Telecom Operator: Connectivity and additional providers as activators for their services (home
services. shopping, post delivery…)
Toy manufacturer: To customize basic characters/
objects. For Google, Social Scales can offer another
Retailer: Automatic ordering and delivery of goods… possibility to know more about user habits, in
order to offer more customized services

17. Use case Scenario
« I have made three boxes, since I have decided to use Social scales. I called
them On / Call / Want. For instance when I'm back home, after work. I'm not
available anymore for my work relationships, so I remove the small characters
representing my coworkers from the « On » box. I become available for my mum
and my family, so I put my mum's object (a lipstick) in the « On » box.
If I want to call them, I put these objects in the « Call » box. I can still use
my keypad, but it's very useful for my 2 years old daughter, who can't count
yet! »
« Another useful use of the boxes is when something's lacking in my fridge. For
instance, I can put an empty milk bottle in the « Want » box, and it tells both
the grocery store and my neighbours that I need milk. Thus, I can order it that
way, or one of my neighbours can be nice and give me one.
Some of my neighours also use a « share » box ; they can put down stuff they
are ready to share with the other neighbours, like roller tape. »
« There are lots of possibilities ; last week, I put both my grandma's and La
Poste's objects in the « On » box ; as she's quite lonely, the postman went to
say hello to her, while delivering her mails ! »

18. Project’s illustration

19. Additionnal ideas
Proximity of objects is meaningful
When two objects are close, they can get new meanings ; what's
important is the tangibility of communications.
When we put a teddybear next to a lipstick, it could mean that a child
wants to call his mum.
The importance of symbolic representations
When I put down my keys (which are a transitional object) somewhere, it
means I'm home, so I'm not available for my work relationships
anymore, but for my family it's ok ; we can imagine they are
automatically notified when I drop my keys. Symbolic representation is
an important idea when it's about dealing with dematerialized flows.
Theme rooms
- Different availability and visibility settings for every room.
- For instance in the bathroom, I'm invisible for everybody except my
family, whereas in the living room, I'm can receive my work calls, my
neighbours' calls and so on.

20. Additionnal ideas
Availability wall
Previous actions can mean something new for our close relationships :
it's not « I'm here » which is important, but « How I am here ». Our
respective presences can be like a family barometer : when two members
of the household are stuck in the trafic jams, and then turn off their
phone after work, it means this is a bad time to call the family...
It can contributes to draw/build a time mapping of activities, which is a
new way to deal with presence.
Geo-based sharing
Thanks to sensors (sensor stickers), we can get a set of data, useful to
build a mapping of my activity. My relationships can be notified I'm home
because there is a sensor on the door, that I'm not available anymore
when I'm in the shower thanks to another sensor, etc.
Learning Home : teaching the home our habits
1 sensor + patterns = 1 action
The first time we do something, the home observes ; the second time, it
starts to learn, it keeps learning the third time, the fourth time, I don't
do anything, the home offers to do it for me. This learning home can be
used for presence issues.

21. SELECTED
PROJECT 2
The programmable home : Bread assistant

22. Bread Assistant
How does it work?
Making very good or fancy bread with a bread
machine is not so easy. There are various kinds The bread machine comes with a public API
of flour, leaven, salt… Unfortunately, most of which can be programmed by both users and
the machines sold on the market are not manufacturers. It has several plugged sensors,
“really” programmable. Only a few settings can which connected to a smartphone make it
be chosen by the end user. Additionally, the possible to follow the bread's cooking from a
recipes provided with the machine are usually distance. The machine is connected to its
pretty basic. On the Internet, there are hundred manufacturer for uploading premium recipes.
of collaborative web sites dedicated to bread Additionnaly, baker community websites let
machines and how to make numerous kind of bread machine users download recipes, some
breads, buns or cakes. Users ask questions, for free, some for a fee.
share recipes and tips according to their type of
machines, and ingredients. Some have
developed such a level of experience that they
can be considered bread machine process
“proAms”. The goal of the project is to let allow
bread machine owners to easily use the Connections with the expedition
collective intelligence of the community through
This project follows Innovation Path #1 of
simple script files that can be downloaded into
« Connected Homes for Connected People »:
a new kind of programmable bread machine.
"The Programmable, Domesticated Home".
The machine is able to easily download
configuration files based on ingredients, the
It emphasizes the programmability of home
type of wheat, expected results …
appliances and equipments, user control, as
well as the construction of user communities.

23. Tools – Hardware / Software Design Principles
Bread machine
Not intrusive
Sensors and camera
An assistant, not a gadget
Public API
Community “system”
Bread maker community website(s)
Professional result
QR code
A marketplace for recipes (most for free, not all)
Smartphone or tablet (used as interface and scanner)
Partners Involved and Wanted Business Model
Mostly based on sales of new programmable brad
Google: prototype a community website and the
machines, upgrades and possibly ingredients
public API
(Nespresso model?)
Seb: prototype the machine
Collective intelligence for recipes, + "professional"
Sensetale: connect sensors to machines recipes given or sold by manufacturers or ingredients
shops.

25. Use case Scenario
Before leaving for work, Claire scans her flour packaging with her smartphone and
get access to a list of recipes proposed by the bread-making community. She
chooses one of them, mixes the different ingredients, places the dough in the
bread machine and activates the distance control system.
At 5pm, from her desk office, she uploads the special programme according to the
recipe she has chosen, and sends it to her bread machine. The machine reads the
script, adjusts the cooking time and begins the preparation. Claire can see her
bread baking from her tablet as well as read several other parameters: her
machine is equipped with heat, humidity and smell sensors, and a small camera.
When she gets back home, the bread is hot and ready to be eaten.
The following week, Pascal wants to cook a bread recipe like a professional. He
logs on to the manufacturer website with his machine's serial number in order to
get access to the premium recipes, specially written for the brand's machines. It’s
a high quality service. Pascal can watch videos or even talk to a professional baker
if he wants to improve his results.

26. Additional Ideas
Digital Maid
- Various sensors are spread through the home to capture movements,
signals, activities… and send reports to the resident, via her phone. The
device “listens” and “observes” the house and its uses.
- Scenario: I’m starting a recipe that I read on my tablet. It’s actually
projected on TV screen too / the cooking time is adjusted according to my
preferences and guests (from calendars, contact, social network...) and
from pictures (figures out weight and freshness) / the phone listens to
sounds to detect when baking starts or finishes...
Smart Oven
The oven is connected to the manufacturer that provides it with premium
functions, in order to facilitate general use and enhance user experience.
A community publishes tools, advice and digital scripts to help amateur
cooks produce excellent meals.

27. Additional Ideas
Help Store
Half domestic store, half technicians network, this store helps residents in
their everyday life, offering several applications and both hardware and
software widgets . It’s a kind of peer-to-peer service, promoting local
interaction, production, distribution, and networking... Various skills, data,
contents, scripts, etc. can be exchanged.
Home Automation Ecosystem
Define a logical standard for hardware objects to send end receive
actions/status in an interoperable way, via TCP/IP, which can be
implemented cheaply over various low cost networks (ethernet, wifi,
zigbee …)
Applets and apps are available for download in a complete ecosystem.
Geeks can program the system themselves, while mass consumers just
use it. Professional installers can also add value.

28. SELECTED
PROJECT 3
4D Window : Tack-Tiles (new window on the
world, other planes of reality)

29. Tack-Tiles ld, other pla nes of reality
N ew window on the wor
How does it work ?
ey give
d purposes. Th
seve ral meanings an pse, they
Windows have tside. At a glim Tack-Tiles are small physical widgets
ey offe r us a view ou e time ("phydgets")
natural light, th ther, traffic, th that display information flows in simple
formatio n about the wea ors text, image
convey basic in what our neighb or graphic forms.
playing in the courtyard,
of day, the kids
are about… gital
Physically, they are an ultrathin (ideally
flexible and
the wealth of di cut-to-shape), low-energy screen, with
nds of win dows could use r kinds of a renewable
What if new ki to convey othe energy source, a basic networking dev
w e have access mediately mee
t ice and basic
data to which that do not im intelligence to run a simple data collecti
d feelings, ones e way?
on and
information an and unobtrusiv display program.
the eye, in a similarly light
her
ick peep into ot
small portho les offering a qu , cam views
One tile typically displays only one type
of
Tack-Tiles are aps and alerts information. Although one could buy
by re ality: traffic m eather data, unprogrammed
planes of near ed vehicles, w tiles and either write a script or downloa
, avai lability of shar nds and relative
s, the d an app
of other places of (willing) frie before burning it into its chip, most tiles
will probably
e location
local events, th come pre-programmed. Some will be
purchased by
, etc.
family calendar gies,
consumers, some will be offered by reta
ilers, service
ication technolo providers, or as add-ons to home dev
t disp lay and commun looking through the ices.
Using lightweigh e wholly new ways of walls
we can now imagin ed through the
w things that can be view Tiles can come in different shapes and
sizes. They
window, and ne can be stuck on walls and doors, laid
or stood up on
of our home. tables, hung on coat-pegs, etc. A typi
cal home could
have 5 to 10 tiles displaying different
content in
different places.
Tack-tiles are linked to the local netw
ork. They are
always on, publicly visible, but not intr
usive.
Connexion with the Expedition
Tack-Tiles are an incarnation of the "4D Window" Innovation Path that emerged from the CH4CP expedition.

30. Tools – Hardware / Software Design Principles
Tiles:
-­‐ePaper
of
flexible
OLED
screen Small,
low-­‐
or
zero-­‐energy,
zero
maintenance
-­‐A
transparent
solar
panel
layer Unintrosive:
no
noise,
no
glare,
calm
displays
-­‐Flexible
baIeries
Several
shapes
and
sizes
-­‐Basic
chip
for
handling
informa;on
gathering
and
display
Usually,
no
interac;on
required
-­‐A
simple,
low-­‐energy
network
connec;on
(Zigbee?)
Very
low
cost;
dump
(and
recycle!)
rather
than
reprogram
-­‐Possibly
(but
usually
not
necessary)
a
touch-­‐screen
layer
Applica+ons:
-­‐Can
be
burnt
into
the
chip
-­‐Or
downloaded
as
apps
and
burnt
-­‐An
SDK
is
provided
for
those
who
want
to
program
their
own
apps
Partners involved and wanted Business Model
-­‐
CEA
:
Flexible
OLEDS
/
Transparent
solar
panels
/
Flexible
Direct
purchase
(sell
soTware
via
hardware)
baIeries Ad-­‐supported
/
"Goodies"
-­‐
Google
:
Widgets
/
Calendar
/
Android
Apps
/
Finance,
Energy
Addi;onal
feature
when
one
buys
an
appliance
(deported
consump;on
data…
screen),
a
transport
card,
a
zigbee
network,
a
restaurant
guide,
a
-­‐
SEB
:
Tiles
on
home
appliances,
or
related
to
them local
transport
card…
-­‐Alcatel
Lucent
:
Gateway
to
the
internet
via
set-­‐top
boxes
Sell
with
an
apartment,
with
an
expensive
device,
with
an
(zigbee) electricity
subscrip;on,
etc.
-­‐An
ecosystem
of
providers
interested
in
having
a
specialized
Apps
market…
display
aIached
to
their
objects
or
services

32. Use case Scenario
When the moved in to their new flat, Pascal, Claire and theirs 3 kids found 3
Tack-Tiles: One that displayed car traffic, one for the weather and one (which
they quickly dumped) showing the location of members of the family.
They were also given a tile with their travelcard, showing the time of arrival
of the buses at the nearest stations. The grocery store also has one for its
special offers, but that one didn't make it to a house wall.
Pascal and Claire positioned a few tiles next to the flat's door. When they’re
about to go out, they have a look at the weather forecast, traffic conditions,
air quality, their main medical or administrative appointments. The "local news"
is conveniently located in the loo, while "social" maps of the area displaying the
location of friends and relatives, or local events, are accessible near the TV.
Emma, the youngest daughter, caught up to Tack-Tiles. She purchased an
assortment of fancy-looking, programmable tiles to which she attached
premade or original programs: Post-It and Calendar tiles for the fridge door,
or Celebrity alerts for her best friend's birthday.

33. Additional Ideas
« Telescope / Timescope machine »
This telescope transforms your phone into a window to remote places: now, in the past, or in
the future. The user can choose the view (2D / 3D), what she sees, and the time period (now,
future, past). She can then "travel" to the selected place/time, looking at it from above (maps,
3D views), from street level, and displaying additional data on top of the place's view. The
phone becomes a mix between a window, a telescope, a time-machine and a teleporter. It can
help us navigate, prepare for a meeting, plan for an evening by selecting the right places to go,
check on an event, etc.
« Connected art »
This new kind of window/wallpaper offers artistic renderings to convey different kinds of
feelings. Combined with ambient lighting, it could take different shapes or patterns.
« Augmented Window »
Additional data, information content and interaction displayed on actual glass windows, using
projection or innovative material such as presented by Corning or Samsung. Any glass surface
can, when the resident chooses it, turn into a computer screen. The data may or may not be
related to what can actually be seen through the glass. By looking at the sky, one could get the
weather, at the street, traffic and public transportation data, at the store, special offers…
« Stimmung screen »
A fuzzy display (screensaver, projection on rough surfaces or water…) provides a feeling about
what happens outside: busy/calm, hot/cold, slow/fast, happy/angry, silent/noisy, dense/
scattered. You choose indicators (resolution, diameter) and sources, and the display does the
rest…