1. FUTUREBYSEMCON#22015
BY SEMCON
#2 2015
EVERYTHING
GETS
CONNECTED
3DTHE BREAKTHROUGH
IS CLOSE FOR
3D MANUFACTURING
GUIDE:
SUCCEEDING
WITH UX
LIGHTWEIGHT:
FROM GRANITE
TO COMPOSITES
AUGMENTED
REALITY WILL
IMPROVETHE
WORLD
THE EXPERT:
BUILDYOUR BRAND
WITH GAMIFICATION
HAND-MADE
QUALITYTHAT
PAYS OFF
25 billion connected devices in
five years will provide endless
opportunities and advantages
– for those who are prepared
2. 2 FUTURE BY SEMCON
30
Gamification
Can you play your way to
a stronger brand and
better products?
Contents
#2/2015
This is Future
Noted 4
The connected world 6
The guide 15
The solution 16
Lightweight material 18
Augmented reality 20
Trends 24
QA: Mario Herger 30
How Oculus Rift works 34
Semcon Brains 36
What happened next? 41
For and against 42
The list:
Future connectivity 44
BY SEMCON
ISSUED BY
Semcon
WEBSITE
semcon.com
LETTERS
Future by Semcon
Semcon AB, 417 80 Göteborg,
Sweden
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
future@semcon.com
SEMCON PROJECT MANAGER
Madeleine Andersson
+46 (0)76 569 83 31
madeleine.andersson@semcon.com
TRANSLATION
Cannon Språkkonsult AB
EDITORIAL PRODUCTION
Spoon, spoon.se
EDITOR
Björn Jansson
ART DIRECTOR
Mathias Lövström
REPRO
Spoon
PRINTING
Trydells Tryckeri, Laholm
ISSN
1650-9072
Creating the future
3. VIRTUAL
REALITY
THAT MIGHT
BECOME
REALITY
Is Oculus Rift the device
that mankind has been
dreaming about, or will it
be just another reality-
machine flop?
34 40
“LIGHT
WEIGHT IS
MORE THAN
JUST WEIGHT”
Semcon’s lightweight
expert Fredrik Stig wants
to raise the discussion
from just talking about
weight – there are also
functional gains to be
made.
6ARE WE
READY
FOR THE
INTERNET
OF THINGS?
What’s going to
happen, and who’s
going to win, when
all our gadgets are
connected and
talking to each other?
SCOUTING FOR FUTURE technical
innovations is often very difficult – and
sometimes even ridiculous. Bill Gates
said in 1981 that nobody will ever need
any more than 640 kb of RAM memory.
Ordinary office computers now have at
least 3,000 times as much.
With that said, it feels good that the
future is, in some ways, already here.
Technology that just a few years ago
seemed like technological utopia, such
as 3D printers, augmented reality and
the internet of things, are all becoming
reality. Three examples of technology
that will affect our lives, and how we at
Semcon do business. For a company like
Semcon it’s not enough just to keep up
with developments. We always need to
be at least one step ahead in order to stay
in front of our competition, but mainly to
deliver added value to our customers.
In the future, the one that isn’t here
yet, it might be an everyday occurrence
to print an IKEA screw that’s missing, of
the exact length, diameter, angle of
thread and material strength. We might
even be able to project an image onto
your spectacles of where on the item of
furniture the screw needs to be.
Or will that be just another ridiculous
future idea that people will have a good
laugh about? ✖
Editorial
The future is becoming reality
Markus Granlund
CEO
Semcon
FUTURE BY SEMCON 3
4. Noted
THE AIMMIT User Expe-
rience project is currently
underway, which is a
collaboration between
Semcon, Chalmers, the
Viktoriainstitutet and
Volvo Cars. The project’s
goal is to develop and
improve drivers’ user
experience, specifically
the interfaces that drivers
come in to contact with.
Jan Nilsson, UX designer
at Semcon, is the skills
manager and involved in
the project.
“AIMMIT’s goal is to add
multimodality into drivers’
surroundings, involving
various senses, such as
hearing and sight. Or that
drivers get haptic respons-
es, which are via touch.”
The project offers the
opportunity of trying out
and developing thoughts
and ideas that can later
filter out into fully-func-
tioning innovations.
“A user-friendly system
should not only be usable,”
says Jan. “It should be
desirable, a good expe-
rience. And that’s when
design spans the entire
experience, not only the
product but also the entire
ecosystem of peripheral
services.” ✖
USER EXPERIENCE
Anewprojectisexploringthe
environmentincarsofthefuture
BUSINESS
SEMCON AND A premium custom-
er from the automotive industry
have agreed on an 18-month long
project for developing the interiors
of two new car models. Semcon’s
offices in Germany, Sweden, India
and the UK will be involved, with
Semcon and the customer agreed
on forming a long-term partner-
ship for engineering services for
future car models.
Major
development
contractin
Germany
The Sri Venketeswara national park and
nature reserve is one of the places that
SOS Children’s Villages will visit.
4 FUTURE BY SEMCON
5. BEFORE CHRISTMAS LAST YEAR Semcon’s employees from around
the world collected donations for SOS Children’s Villages. The dona-
tions will give the children of SOS Children’s Villages in Bangalore,
Tirupati and Puducherry the opportunity of going on excursions in
2015.
In Bangalore it will be a trip to the Wonderla Amusement Park, and
to two technical museums, something that will hopefully lead to more
Indian engineers in the future.
In Puducherry the children will be taken on a study trip to an
ashram, The Sri Aurobindo. An ashram is a secluded place, often for
Hindus, where one can spend time meditating. Some people choose
to live a life of asceticism in an ashram.
The children of Tirupati will be taken to the Sri Venkateswara na-
tional park and nature reserve, in Andhra Pradesh. The park is known
for its many waterfalls and rare flora and fauna. ✖
Christmas
presents for
outings
CSR
EMPLOYEES
NEW ADDITION
TO GROUP
MANAGEMENT
PER NILSSON IS the new
communications and marketing
director at Semcon. He joins the
company from Volvo Trucks,
where he was the global PR
manager.
“It feels wonderfully inspiring.
Semcon is an exciting company
with skilled and innovative peo-
ple. I’m looking forward to working
with them in creating relevant,
committed communication for
lifting the brand further,” he says.
Per Nilsson will take up his
position in August and he will
also be part of the company’s
group management.
SOSChildren’sVillagesrenovations
improvingqualityoflife
CSR
RENOVATION WORK AND equipping SOS Children’s Villages began last year in Bhimtal
in northern India, which is a village sponsored partly by Semcon.
Family homes in Bhimtal have not been renovated or repaired since being built back
in 1984, and because heavy rain is common in the area many of the houses have leaky
roofs, damaged walls and windows. The sewage and drainage system was also in need
of improving as it often got blocked during the rainy season.
Residents now have the opportunity of being involved in the renovation work to get
the details right and colour schemes they want. So far eight families have moved into
the newly renovated, repainted houses and the remaining four houses are expected to be
completely renovated in 2015.
SERVICE COMPANIES LIKE Semcon are taking on an
increasingly important role in societal development. A
concentrated effort is therefore underway at a national
level for service innovation, initiated by Swedish Almega
and Teknikföretagen.
Semcon has been heavily involved in strategy
groups through CEO Markus Granlund and technical
director Anders Sundin, who took part in discussions
with trade and industry, the public sector and the
government.
The initiative will concentrate on four service inno-
vation perspectives: customer value, management
and organization, processes and business models,
plus service offers in systems.
STRATEGY
Concentratedeffort
forserviceinnovation
FUTURE BY SEMCON 5
6. 25 billion devices
will be connected to
the internet within
five years.
Connectivity is the
major technology
shift that is creating
new markets and
business oppor
tunities. The
challenge is to act
before it is too late.TEXT MARCUS OLSSON
7.
8. vehicles to sensors and robotics.
All industries are being affected by
this change. The manufacturing in-
dustry, life science, energy and the
automotive sector are just a few
of the areas,” says Mikael Eriksson
Björling.
HE IS A STRATEGIC marketing
manager at Ericsson, and com-
pares today’s technology shift with
the growth of industrialization.
“There have been five major
technology shifts over the past 250
years, which are general technol-
ogies that have come to dominate.
Steam, rail and electricity are a
few. Each time investments in
these technologies were made over
a 20-40 year timespan, with infra-
structure built up around them,” he
says and continues:
“Electricity networks for exam-
ple were built for one application.
Electric lighting would replace gas
lamps, which also meant reducing
the risk of fires in major cities.
Electric engines soon followed, re-
placing steam engines as drivelines
in factories, which was long before
we had electricity sockets in our
homes. That was another turning
HE LAMP ON the bottle
lights up. The sound given
off at the same time sounds
similar to when receiving a
text message on a mobile phone. Time
to take your medication. Each time the
lid is opened a wireless signal is sent to
the care provider, who can ensure that
the patient is taking the medication
regularly. Just one press of a button
and a repeat prescription is issued.
Vitality’s interactive GlowCap
medicine bottle is just one of many
examples of connected products that
have created a whole new market.
Ambient makes an umbrella that
keeps track of the weather. With the
T
The connected medicine bottle improves pa-
tient safety – and care providers can ensure
that medication is being taken regularly.
The connected umbrella
checks weather forecasts and
notifies the user if it is needed
for the day’s walk.
help of data from Accuweather.
com and a wifi receiver the user is
told if the umbrella is needed. The
handle’s LED lights indicate the
risk of rain.
There is a major technology shift
underway right now. It’s about
connectivity, the ability to wire-
lessly connect devices. And it’s not
just everyday products for the man
on the street.
There is a whole universe for
things that work hidden out of
sight. The Internet of Things (IoT)
is a network where machines talk
to one another. The biggest change
is not that people are getting
connected, but rather that more
devices are.
Accountancy firm Deloitte’s
report “The Internet of Things
Ecosystem: Unlocking the Business
Value of Connected Devices,” states
that 60 per cent of all wireless IoT,
or connectivity devices, will be
bought or used by companies and
industries. According to Deloitte
more than 90 per cent of all new
revenues will be corporate, not
from private individual consumers.
“All research and innovation is
affected by connectivity. From new
8 FUTURE BY SEMCON
9. point. With the spread of the elec-
tricity network we could start mak-
ing other things like electric ovens
and heaters. Technology spread far
beyond its original application, that
of switching on the lights.”
For mobile networks, broadband
technology, cloud services and
general connectivity, often called
just Information and Communica-
tion Technology (ICT), the equiva-
lent process has been ongoing for
the last 30 years.
“The infrastructure is in place
and an entire generation has
grown up using this technology.
Suddenly we can do lots of things
that we couldn’t do in the first
phase. This technology will now be
the foundation of everything we
do in society. We will, in princi-
ple, not be able to do our weekly
shopping without being connected,
or get production underway in 7
our factories. If we switch it off
then society will not function. The
major industrialization project is
still underway in automating and
streamlining the production of
things. But we are on the verge of
changing our societal form, leaving
industrialization behind us and
entering The Networked Society,”
says Björling.
ACCORDING TO MANY analysts
there will be as many as five billion
connectivity devices networked
globally in 2015. Revenues are
growing by 20 per cent annually,
while the same figures for various
apps and services linked to these
devices is as much as 50 per cent.
Meanwhile there will be 715 million
homes with broadband by the
year-end.
By 2020 there might be as many
as 25-75 billion connected devices,
depending on which analysts you
believe.
Some industries stick out as
early frontrunners. The automated
vehicle and infotainment systems
are well known examples. John
Hagel sees more. He is chairman of
Deloitte’s Centre for the Edge and
Mikael Eriksson
Björling works as
strategic market-
ing manager at
Ericsson.
Thomas Edison invented the world’s
first usable lightbulb, which was the
start of the expansion of the electric-
ity network. As soon as this was done
people also started using it for other
things. The same thing is happening
today with internet connection.
Mikael Eriksson
Björling works as
strategic market-
ing manager at
Ericsson.
FUTURE BY SEMCON 9
10. one of the authors of the compa-
ny’s report on connectivity.
“Industries like retail and the
manufacturing sectors soon took
up this new technology. They
often have large facilities where
they need to maximize production
efficiency. Many companies in
these industries want to do all they
can to better manage maintenance,
stock control and equipment,” he
says.
In future General Electric’s
aircraft engines look like be-
ing equipped with microscopic
wireless sensors placed in hard-
to-reach areas in the form of an
ink-like substance. This will in turn
send information from critical ar-
eas and engine parts. The engine’s
performance will be checked down
to the last millimetre. This will
improve safety procedures and will
in future lead to new engines and
pricing models.
GENERAL ELECTRIC IS at the
research stage of this new sensor
technology, but has used sensors in
the past that do the same job – but
not with the precision that the new
technology will give.
Last year GE’s income from
software and hardware linked to
IoT was USD 1.1 billion. The money
comes from 1.4 million units for the
healthcare industry and 28,000 of
the company’s aircraft engines. GE
gathers data every day from a total
of ten million sensors in equipment
worth around USD 1 billion.
Caterpillar is another company
that has reviewed its products
and services. Its new equipment
measures information showing
how the customer uses the heavy
equipment, enabling it to help
avoid production stoppages.
Paul Sallomi, US head of tech-
nology, media and telecoms at
Deloitte says:
“In the energy sector there are
many value-driven applications
and smart measuring devices.
There are companies that have
installed millions of smart devices
and built up platforms with user
interfaces where individual con-
sumers can see what they are using
and act accordingly to be more
energy efficient.”
But studies show that a mere
ten per cent of all customers have
logged in, and only one per cent
7
Paul Sallomi
works at Deloitte
as US head of
technology, media
and telecoms.
John Hagel, Chair-
man of Deloitte’s
Center for the
Edge, sees retail
and the manufac-
turing industry as
early advocates of
connected units.
have done so more than once.
Energy companies can also
better monitor and predict require-
ments. They avoid having too many
staff working on fault-finding.
Quality is improved, cutting oper-
ational disruption to a minimum.
In the end it means they better
utilize their investments and plant
facilities.
“OTHER INDUSTRIES ARE seeing
the same upside from investments
in mobile solutions,” according
to Emily Nagle Green, author of
“Anywhere: How Global Connec-
tivity is Revolutionizing the Way
We Do Business” and former CEO
of research firm Yankee Group. She
10 FUTURE BY SEMCON
11. 7
interviewed sixty top executives
from many of the world’s biggest
technology companies before
writing the book.
“The technology shift is advanc-
ing rapidly every week in com-
panies presenting revolutionary
solutions. Maybe not all will be
spectacular, but they are tiny vic-
tories that over the long term will
mean major profits,” she says. For
the retail trade mobile payment
technology is on its way to replace
paper currency and credit cards.
“I believe that stock tracing and
tagging, using radio frequency
identification (RFID) will take over
completely in the manufacturing
industry. A number of airlines
In the future aircraft engines
equipped with microscopic wireless
sensors, in difficult to reach areas,
will be able to send information to
pilots in real time.
Future
connectivity
1
”Mind sharing”. New
communication methods
are popping up all the time.
Some believe that by 2020 it will be
the norm to communicate by the
power of thought, working in harmony
with wireless equipment.
2
Smart citizens and cities.
A catalyst for development
is users’ behaviour and how
companies grasp change. Studies
show that most of the interviewees
expect traffic patterns, energy con-
sumption and water quality checks
real time to be common apps in 2020.
3
Information sharing.
47 per cent of the interview-
ees want to be able to pay
electronically, but without personal
information automatically shared.
56 per cent want all internet use to be
encrypted.
ERICSSON CONSUMER
LAB’S ANNUAL REPORT
LISTED HOT TRENDS FOR
2015 AND THE COMING
YEARS. THE INTERVIEWEES
STATISTICALLY REPRESEN
TED 85 MILLION PEOPLE
AGED 15 TO 69.
Emily Nagle Green
wrote the book
“Anywhere: How
Global Connectiv-
ity is Revolutioniz-
ing the Way We Do
Business”.
FUTURE BY SEMCON 11
12. 7
have linked their food handling
to similar systems where they can
follow where the food is, how fresh
it is and that it’s heading for the
right place.”
EXPERTS AGREE THAT one of the
biggest changes is the emergence
of new business and payment
models. They will not only reshape
companies but also entire indus-
tries.
Manufacturers and sellers of
products are being transformed
into service companies where
the hardware has a key role, but
where the software that monitors
everything is the most central
component. Paul Sallomi at
Deloitte:
“Take aircraft engines for exam-
ple. General Electric has already
developed outcome-based pay-
ment models that will be further
developed. Instead of selling the
engine they sell the expected num-
ber of hours and the performance
that the customer will get out of the
product. This is a transformation,
where the products become ser-
vices. Major changes are expected
in retail.”
“Look at your mobile phone as
an IoT product. Imagine a smart
store that knows when you have
stepped through the door,” says
Sallomi. “The store also knows
what you have bought in the past
and can predict what you might
be interested in buying and will
therefore offer campaign prices
customized just for you. If you’re
going to by a pair of training shoes
you might be offered a treadmill,
clothes and other fitness training
equipment.”
The contact-free payment
systems are on the increase.
NFC equipped mobile phones
(near-field communication) can
register purchases with the help
of Bluetooth, via QR readers or
with just the press of a few buttons
and authorization via your mobile
phone.
Mikael Björling Eriksson believes
he knows what this will lead to.
“Cash handling will be com-
pletely obsolete in the future. In
store transactions will disappear
altogether. You’ll just pick up the
goods you want and walk out.
“Service” as such will disappear in
many areas. It will redefine mar-
kets, what products are and how
they are used. Foodstuffs/victuals
as a service are not far from taking
the next step. In future we will
“IN THE AUTOMOTIVE
AND TRANSPORT
SECTORS THE AUTO
NOMOUS VEHICLE
WILL TURN THE OLD
MARKET ON ITS
HEAD. IT MIGHT EVEN
BE A CAR WITHOUT A
STEERING WHEEL.”
MIKAEL BJÖRLING ERIKSSON,
STRATEGIC MARKETING MANAGER,
ERICSSON
probably not visit our supermar-
kets but will get everything deliv-
ered to our door. In the automotive
and transport sectors the autono-
mous vehicle as a service will turn
the old market on its head. It might
even be a car without a steering
wheel. We’re then talking about
a completely new kind of vehicle
manufactured in a completely new
way – from early innovation stage
to finished product.”
JOHN HAGEL’S VISION of the future
contains new corporate structures
in pyramid or umbrella form.
“We are on the verge of finding
new business models and invent-
ing new interactivity with custom-
ers. We are moving from a purely
transaction-based relationship to
relationships where companies
work with customers in com-
pletely new ways,” he says. In brief
you need to improve customer
experiences with the help of oth-
ers, rather than doing everything
yourself. A key is to mobilize many
third parties that using their prod-
ucts, applications and services,
add value to customers being
served. Capturing those values is
the key. This means less and fewer
investments in manufacturing and
In the future shops will know
everything about you as soon
as you walk through the door.
Based on your buying patterns
you will be given customized
offers and campaign prices.
12 FUTURE BY SEMCON
13. in-house structure, giving more
powerful growth potential than
today’s models.
THERE ARE MANY possibilities. “But
there are also lots of pitfalls that
companies must avoid so they don’t
end up too far behind the competi-
tion. One of them is not to wait too
long,” says Emily Nagle Green.
“The mobile expansion is rem-
iniscent of when the internet was
new. Similarly, it has taken time
for many companies to become
mobile, create apps and a mobile
presence,” she says. “When the
internet was new many compa-
nies delayed far too long before
creating a website. In my book I
predicted a number of scenarios
around the world, depending on
expansion and access to broad-
band and wireless internet. India
is a huge country where things pro-
gress more slowly than I or other
people expect. 3G and 4G have
taken far too long to get a real foot-
hold. Bureaucracy and corruption
are problems, especially in such
expansive economies like India.”
Paul Sallomi claims that the
biggest challenges are understand-
ing technology and working out
how it will affect business. Whether 7
26That’s how many connected
devices that IT firm Gartner
believe will exist in 2020.
billion
FUTURE BY SEMCON 13
14. Read
more! If you
want to learn more
about connectivity, you
can read “7 Ways to
connect for the future”
at the back of the
magazine.
around them. IT bosses’ roles have
changed from being about mainte-
nance and cost-cutting to, with the
help of new technologies, finding
new sales channels and sources of
income. It is also crucial to un-
derstand that you need to
educate staff and dare to
shake up the corporate
structure.”
THE QUESTION IS how
connected can we be?
“Integrity and security are
things that can scupper devel-
opment but never make it stop
entirely,” says Paul Sallomi. “It all
depends on how much we as indi-
viduals are ready to share. There
can be vast differences between
cultures. Younger generations are
willing to share, because they are
used to sharing their personal
information – especially if there is
a value in doing so. But different
societies have different ways of
looking at this subject.
When Emily Nagle Green looks
into her crystal ball she doesn’t see
any end to the possibilities waiting
for brave companies of all sizes.
“It’s common to overestimate
changes over the short-term and to
underestimate the more long-term
changes. We become easily
blinded by progress
made over the short-
term, changes that
are happening now.
We then risk missing
future potential. I be-
lieve we have under-
estimated all the changes
that this will lead to,” she says
and continues:
“There are no limits to how con-
nected we, and everything around
us can be. Wireless technology is
limitless compared with physical
wires. In the future people will see
connectivity as a human right. The
same way as we consider food,
healthcare and education today.
Connectivity will be a means of
how to reach everything. We will
take for granted that we are always
connected. In the end everyone
will have that right.” ✖
it’s cost-cutting or new sources of
income, companies must “under-
stand what’s possible and make the
invisible, visible.” It’s about daring
to see more than one step at a time.
“There are no limits to how con-
nected we, and everything around
us can be. Wireless technology is
limitless compared with physical
wires,” says Emily Nagle Green.
“This ecosystem is growing rap-
idly and we are seeing an increas-
ing number of successful examples.
Companies really need to be aware
of what connectivity can mean for
them,” says Sallomi.
“It’s a matter of seeing it as an
“art form where everything is pos-
sible”. The questions they must ask
are: How can we use this and what
will the consequences be if we don’t
adapt and be part of the connec-
tivity sphere? It’s up to companies
to find their place. To be market
leaders you need to run with new
developments. Companies IT boss-
es will therefore be more important
in future. They are uniquely quali-
fied to see and understand changes
7
“There are no limits to how connected we, and
everything around us can be. Wireless technol-
ogy is limitless compared with physical wires,”
says writer Emily Nagle Green.
14 FUTURE BY SEMCON
15. The guide
User experience
10 steps to the ultimate
user experience
9
PROTOTYPES, PROTOTYPES,
PROTOTYPES. It’s only when
the design is tangible and you
can touch it that it’s possible to evaluate
the experience and finely tune it towards
the end result. Our
advice is to start
early. Forget
perfection and just
make simple paper
models and 3D
printouts. You can
never produce too
many prototypes.
4
WHAT’S THE BUSINESS?
Product development is
business development. The
user is also a customer, and with
insight on how the product can
create value designers can create an
experience that generates both
money and satisfied users. All design
provides an experience, the question
is which one do we want to achieve?
THE MORE THINGS AND TECHNOLOGY THAT WE SURROUND OURSELVES
WITH EVERY DAY AND AT WORK, THE MORE IMPORTANT DESIGN BECOMES.
UX IS THE DESIGN DISCIPLINE THAT COMPLETELY FOCUSES ON THE USERS’
EXPERIENCE. FOLLOW OUR GUIDE AND IMPROVE THE EXPERIENCE.
TEXT JOHAN JARNEVING IMAGES BLOOMUA
1
INVOLVE THE USER. Good
design begins and ends with the
users’ experience. Designers
need to imagine situations where the
product is used and actively understand
the need. Remember that direct ques-
tions don’t always provide the whole
answer. Ethnographic methods and
shadowing provide a better guide in that
case.
DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
A successful design process
is nimble, dares to try and
moves forwards by taking small
steps. An iterative work meth-
od that moves forward, follows
responses and improves. Over and
over again. The catchword in soft-
ware design is agile, meaning rapid,
flexible and nimble.
3
FIND THE EXPERTISE.
Users are naturally central to
everything, but how do you put
together a team to create the expe-
rience? Here we need to have both
client and practitioner organizations
and structure the task at hand to
succeed.
6
2
COME UP WITH A VISION.
What purpose does the
product have? What will
the user experience when using it?
If everyone has a clear vision for the
project then everyone works in
harmony, providing a story to tell.
Also set measurable objectives on
route.
8
HOLISTIC APPROACH. In
what context should the
design be seen? Are there
numerous generations? Is it part of a
larger series? Does it have a physical
form and digital functions? To
optimize the experience you need to
have an eye on every component part.
7
DON’T FORGET MARKETING.
For the design to reach the cus-
tomer and user it must go hand
in hand with marketing and involve the
marketing department at an early stage.
They have a wealth of knowledge and
understanding about users.
5
MORE COORDINATION. Design
is more than just colour and
shape. To achieve the required
experience of a new car, a revolutionary
new app or an innovative medical aid,
needs teamwork and coordination of
specialist expertise.
DESIGN THE DELIVERY.
Presenting and delivering the
finished design is part of the
user experience. Don’t forget to adapt
your proposals for target groups in
your solution. For recipients it might
be crucial that it’s in the right format
and with the right argument.
10
FUTURE BY SEMCON 15
16. Nurseshelped
bysmartphones
The solution
How Semcon solved the
customer’s problem
TEXT EMELIE CARLSSON PHOTOS ASCOM
THE ASSIGNMENT: Together with Ascom to create a
specially built smart phone
customized to nurses’ demanding workload. By simplifying
communication options the aim was to make everyday
work as easy and more efficient as possible. Semcon
helped design a hand-held unit that was as user-friendly as
possible.
THE SOLUTION: A robust, but simple design makes
the product easy to handle. A display
on the top side of the unit means that the user can easily
see the information without having to pick it up. The prod-
uct also comes with a large main display and a clip that
makes it easy to fix to clothing. Batteries are easy to re-
move and replace to make it easy for shift workers at the
end of their working day. The unit is more robust than other
smart phones and can withstand water and being dropped.
THE RESULT: Semcon’s design, combined with
Ascom’s technical solution makes nurses’
jobs more efficient and simple. Nurses can now easily read
the information required to do their job with more time
spent with patients. The finished product, the Ascom Myco,
has received positive response from the market. The prod-
uct was given an honorary mention for its product design in
the Red Dot Award 2015.
16 FUTURE BY SEMCON
17. EASY TO READ DISPLAY
Nurses can quickly get an overview of the
most serious alarms by looking at the dis-
play situated on the top of the unit without
needing to pick it up.
BARCODE READER ALLOWS ACCESS
TO PRESCRIPTIONS
The product comes with a barcode reader
that is linked to the healthcare facility’s IT
system. This can be used to scan barcodes,
providing information about prescriptions
and medication.
CLEAR ALARM MANAGEMENT
Apart from the top display giving
information about the most serious
alarms users can read from the
main display to see the status of all
the alarms coming in, allowing them
to prioritize by accepting, rejecting or
forwarding alarms.
KEY APPS PRIORITIZED
To stop notifications and reminders from apps
disturbing work the unit comes equipped with a
function that allows key apps to be prioritized. If
these apps require updating then this will be done
automatically. Less important apps are automat-
ically not selected to allow the most important
apps to be as high performing as possible.
CUSTOMIZED DESIGN
The handheld unit is more robust than oth-
er smart phones and made to withstand
liquids such as disinfectants and being
dropped. It is ergonomically shaped and
designed to be used one-handed. It comes
with a specially designed carry clip so it can
be simply attached to clothing.
FUTURE BY SEMCON 17
18. THERE’S A LOT of talk about the future
and magic molecules, but lightweight
materials are not new. Since Stone Age
man created rudimentary cutting and
crushing tools from granite (2,691 kg/m3)
2.4 million years ago mankind has been
in search of lighter and better materials.
People who built rowing boats in the
16th century use the same logic as people
building lunar modules today.
Take cedar and elm. Two kinds of wood
suitable for small boats. They float well
and are very suitable for their ability to
withstand rotting. People building with
elm will need to brace themselves for a
sweaty building process and even sweat-
ier rowing. Elm is tough and difficult to
work with and a density of 690 kg/m3.
Cedar is significantly easier to form and
a whole 35 per cent lighter, weighing
a mere 450 kg/m3. NASA has the same
considerations to take into account when
considering advanced aluminium alloys
and carbon fibre.
Between WW1 and WW2 the use of
aluminium increased, due to it saving
up to 30 per cent weight compared with
steel. Especially in the aviation and auto-
motive industries. In recent decades the
interest in carbon fibre and new plastics
has exploded.
Remember that it’s not just saving
weight that’s key. Durability, rigidity,
stress resistance and thermal stabil-
ity will decide whether the materials
become successful. Aerogel for example
has the lowest density of anything at
just 160 g/m3. What makes this interest-
ing is the combination of its insulating
properties.
Despite huge advances over the past 50
years we are on the verge of a revolution.
In 2010, Andre Geim and Konstantin
Novoselov received the Nobel Prize in
physics for their experiment with the
two-dimensional material “Graphene” –
a “mat” of carbon atoms, just one atom
thick, and with outstanding properties.
Graphene weighs 0.77 mg/m2. ✖
From Stone Age
granite to today’s
lightweight materials
WHAT DO FIGHTER AIRCRAFT, F1 CARS AND SPACESHIPS HAVE IN COMMON? THEY
ARE FULL OF ADVANCED LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS OF COURSE. BUT DID YOU
KNOW THAT LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS CAN JUST AS WELL BE USED IN ROWING
BOATS AS WELL AS LUNAR MODULES? OR THAT CARBON FIBRE IS LIKE A LUMP OF
LEAD COMPARED TO THE LATEST LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS AROUND THE WORLD?
TEXT FREDRIK HULDTH
The revolution
Lightweight materials
BEST POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO IN A CAR
475 kg without any liquids and 575 hp. Estimated
from its dry weight, the British Caparo T1, with the
help of F1 engineer Gordon Murray, has the best
power to weight ratio of any car.
WORLD’S LIGHTEST HOME
Laser Photon Elite is the world’s lightest
tent that you can buy over the counter. A
one-man tent with outer and inner tent,
aluminium and carbon fibre poles, plus
the necessary bags and lines and weigh-
ing in at just 587.9 g.
WORLD’S LIGHTEST BICYCLE
The world’s lightest racing bike was built
by professional cyclist Günter Mai. He
created a fully functional road racer out
of carbon fibre that weighs just 2.7 kg
complete. The frame weighs 642.5 g
and the front forks just 185.9 g.
IT’S THE EXTREMES THAT ARE PUSHING DEVELOPMENTS
FORWARD. HERE ARE SOME OF THE WORLD’S LIGHTEST,
MOST FACSINATING INVENTIONS.
18 FUTURE BY SEMCON
19. KNITTED METAL
Scientists are not just on the lookout for
new substances, they are also focusing
on developing existing materials. “Knitted
metal”, developed for the aviation, auto-
motive and healthcare industries, is a thin
metal wire that is knitted into a weave. It is
lightweight, uses less material and is highly
formable. When used in sandwich material
the knitted metal can save up to 50 per
cent of the weight compared with metal
sheeting.
GRAPHENE
The 2010 Nobel Prize was awarded for
a two-dimensional material, only one
atom thick. It is like a mat of carbon
atoms formed in a hexagonal honeycomb
pattern. Completely pliable, see-through
and superbly conductive for electricity and
heat. Impermeable to gas and liquids and
200 times stronger than steel.
CARBON FIBRE COMPOSITES
Composites are compound materials,
where two or more materials, each with
different properties, combine to form a
construction material with new properties.
Carbon fibre is the basis of a number of
composite materials, which is extremely
light and extremely strong. Composite
fibres do not decompose but are sensitive
to impact. Delamination between layers
is not uncommon. Used extensively in
the automotive, aviation and aerospace
industries. A total of USD 20 billion is spent
on carbon fibre every year.
FROM PLASTICS TO COMPOSITES
ALUMINIUM
The third most abundant element on earth
(after oxygen and silicon). Used frequently
by the aviation and automotive industries
for its excellent properties in relation to
its weight and resistance to rust. Mainly in
the form of alloys for greater strength and
reduced material fatigue and thermal sen-
sitivity. The automotive industry calculates
a 24 per cent weight saving in cars when
compared with steel.
AEROGEL
One of the lightest materials on earth. A
polymer-based gel (often silicon dioxide)
whose liquid is depleted by adding carbon
dioxide that converts from liquid form to a
gas. Very porous and extremely low density.
It feels solid to the touch. It is also a highly
effective insulation material.
MAGNESIUM
Magnesium is the third most abundant
metal on earth, after iron and aluminium.
The German armed forces were pioneers in
using magnesium in their aircraft. In recent
years the aviation, automotive and mobile
industries have discovered magnesium’s
positive properties such as its light weight
and durability. Magnesium is a soft metal,
mainly used in alloys.
PLASTICS
Plastics are our most commonly used light-
weight materials. With limitless formability,
durability and low manufacturing costs.
Modern research has developed plastics
that are extremely durable to chemicals
and high temperatures with significant-
ly improved load capacity per kilo. New
plastics have proven to have more effective
protection against radiation compared with
metals. Plastic works well with other light-
weight materials such as carbon fibre.
FACTS WHAT ARE LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS?
Lightweight materials are new substances and technologies that allow engineers
to create lighter replacements for existing products. Plaster and light metals in
walls instead of concrete. Aluminium hulls on boats instead of steel. Or a cross-
country ski pole made from carbon fibre instead of fibreglass. Lightweight and
high durability are saving the world’s resources with lighter vehicles and vessels
using less fuel, thus cutting carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Lightweight
materials are also reducing the risk of repetitive strain injurys at the workplace.
FUTURE BY SEMCON 19
21. YOU SIGH DEEPLY and your sweaty palms
give away your panic as you jog through the
massive multi-storey car park and into the
city’s new shopping centre. This is a hyper-
market with thousands of goods stacked in
endless isles on thousands of shelves. You
are a parent who now has 15 minutes to do
the weekly shop. In 30 minutes you need to
collect your 3 year-old from daycare.
You would have usually fiddled with your
mobile phone or a shopping list from your
pocket and started scratching your head.
Not today. Today you are shopping with AR
– augmented reality.
Nappies, children’s food, salmon, milk …
Suddenly a colourful digital line appears in
front of the trolley that guides you on the
shortest route around the store. Little red
arrows a little further on show you which of
all the dozens of washing powders are on
special offer.
The shelf with children’s food only shows
you the organic options without added
colourings - because you pre-chose this.
Want to know what a product contains?
You could look at the packet’s label, but
that would be very last year! Instead you
ask your AR system how many carbs and
fibre the item contains. Of course! If you
now want a bit of human interaction then
the system will point out the till with the
shortest queue. Otherwise you can check
out by blinking to your headset without
needing to stop. Wait – where on earth did
you park the car? The computer knows.
Nightmare over.
Augmented reality is technology that
offers users computer-generated infor-
mation in addition to our ordinary visual
stimulants. Sound, images, video, or other
interactive information is laid over reality,
giving users qualified knowhow in real
time, which is becoming increasingly
important in a world with ruthless technical
advances.
“Consumer products are becoming
increasingly complex every day and thereby
more difficult to fully utilize,” says Andrew
Head, responsible for business develop-
ment at Semcon Product Information in
the UK.
“For a new product to have a major
impact it shouldn’t be too fiddly to use.
AR provides access. You avoid having to
leaf through large manuals and instead we
create AR apps that show you everything
a product can do. It’s about getting help
and getting more out of all the advanced
gadgets we now surround ourselves with.”
THE CORNERSTONES OF the technology
include powerful compact computers,
customized software, advanced display
concepts, exact coordinates, cameras and
sensors, plus all the information that the
systems need to help users with.
There is an extensive range of display
technology. At the more advanced end of
the spectrum is Virtual Retinal Display,
which are like spectacles that project
media directly at the retina. Eyetap is a
more advanced Terminator-like example.
A beam-splitter splits the light on route to
the eye and sends a copy of what’s seen to
a camera that digitalizes the reflected light.
A computer then processes the image and
adds information before the image returns
to the eye via a projector. There are also
contact lenses in the research stage with
microscopic diodes that show the informa-
Welcome to a
better reality!
AUGMENTED REALITY HONES PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION TO THE
MAX. A NEW GENERATION OF AR APPS WILL REVOLUTIONIZE HOW
SURGEONS OPERATE, HOW WE SHOP, PLAY COMPUTER GAMES,
TAKE HOLIDAYS AND SAVE PEOPLE LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS.
7
TEXT FREDRIK HULDT
PHOTO MIKKEL WILLIAM
FUTURE BY SEMCON 21
22. Subject
Augmented reality
tion we want to see against the cornea.
The trick is the wireless communication
in the lens that manages to relay all the
data.
AR doesn’t just exist in symbiosis with
groundbreaking and experimental tech-
nology. Our tablets and mobile phones
have everything we need: screen, camera,
microphone and speakers.
“The automotive industry is a good ex-
ample. Cars today have an average of 50
computers! If we look at our dashboards
there are vast amounts of advanced sys-
tems right there. The time when we could
just jump in and drive are long gone,” says
Andrew.
“If we want to get the most out of our
investments then we have to either go
on a course, or get help from an AR app.
Hold your phone over your dashboard
and it simply shows how all the sys-
tems work. AR creates value by making
complicated things easy and accessible.
This is going to be really huge, and it’s
happening right now.”
THE HIGH HOPES for augmented reality
that have been with us for some time are
finally being realized. The technology will
be one of our most important as comput-
ers become really portable. Eventually the
technology will help to simplify our lives
instead of the other way around, and it
gives us the opportunity of inspiring oth-
ers by letting them see what has only thus
far existed in people’s imaginations.
Imagine a group of archaeologists
on a Stone Age dig who can actually
see buildings and entire villages as
they would have looked in their natural
surroundings. Surgeons performing ad-
vanced operations no longer need to look
away from the scalpel to check patients’
pulse, breathing, blood pressure etc. AR
technology will arrive with a bang and the
potential is almost unlimited. ✖
THE SYSTEM, KNOWN AS Aug-
mented Vision, provides the same
type of information that has been
available in BMW’s HUD system for
some time, such as speed, speed
limits, RPM, gears and navigational
data. Instead of projecting graphic
information on the base of the
window, which has been common
practice until now, the information
is displayed in the glasses, directly
in the driver’s field of vision.
If you need help navigating, you
program your destination using
an app on your phone or by using
voice activation before departure.
During your journey something
called contact-analogue naviga-
tion is used. The system shows the
direction of travel by “painting”
arrows directly on the ground.
Other exciting things pointed out
to the driver include vacant park-
ing spaces.
If the user gets a TEXT while
driving then an icon appears in the
glasses. It can be then be read out
by the car without the driver need-
ing to look away from the road.
The most ambitious function is
X-Ray View, which makes some
parts of the car see-through with
the help of fixed cameras around
the car. Accidents between car and
pedestrian or between car and
cyclist, which today happen due
to drivers’ vision being impaired
by the car’s A frame, would then
be completely avoided. The doors
also become see-through when
using the Augmented Parking
function, which facilitates parking
by sharp kerbs. The driver sees the
wheels and kerb through the door.
The system is currently just in
the concept phase, but was intro-
duced to the world’s press at the
car show in Shanghai in April. Mini
is BMW’s experimental workshop
for new exciting concepts and is
known for quickly delivering what
it says it will. ✖
7
AUGMENTED REALITY WILL PROVIDE MAJOR OPPORTUNITIES
FOR MAKING INFORMATION MORE ACCESSIBLE. HERE ARE
THREE EXAMPLES OF HOW THE TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED.
1. GLASSES HELP MINI
DRIVERS ON THE ROAD
Mini’s
Augmented
Vision system
displays
information
in the driver’s
glasses.
BMW-ownedMinihasextremelyexitingARapplications
underway.TogetherwithQualcommtheyhavedeveloped
glassesfordriversthatactalittlelikeGoogleGlass,butwhich
looklikesomethingoutofanElvisPresleysunglassescollec-
tionatGraceland.
22 FUTURE BY SEMCON
23. Why can’t using a computer
feel completely natural? This
question is being asked by
Magic Leap,one of Google’s
shyest,yet most rumoured
concern.
THE COMPANY WAS founded just four
years ago and is (for the lack of con-
crete information and own products)
most well known for getting investors
to risk USD 542 million in venture
capital. So what do they have up their
sleeve? They are promising revolu-
tionary augmented reality applica-
tions, and cross that promise with its
basic thesis that all technology today
is obsolete. Founder Rony Abovitz
comes from a company that makes
robots for orthopaedic surgery.
The company has developed some-
thing it calls Digital Lightfield, or Dy-
namic Digitized Lightfield Signal. The
work is done by processors, sensors,
hardware and software and something
else that “must remain a secret”. The
result is said to be unique, unexpected
and “never been seen before” so that it
can only be described as magic.
AR mixes the world we live in with
3D images. Digital Lightfield copies
biological processes that help the
brain accept the images projected
straight onto the retina as real. The
subject’s surroundings are scanned
using infrared cameras, making it
possible for Lightfield objects to move
around physical objects.
Under the title “Just another day at
the office at Magic Leap …” the com-
pany invited us all for a taste of how
their technology will change the way
we play computer games. The feeling
is almost like climbing into the sci-fi
classic Men in Black. Everything looks
normal at the office until a monster
appears from right to left, which is ob-
viously brought to heel by using a cool
laser gun. Magic and revolutionary?
Is the video a real game simulator or
just a film of special effects? The wild
rumour carousel surrounding Magic
Leap has gathered momentum. ✖
Semcon developed an app for
JCB that simplifies the service
technicians’working day.An
iPad now lets them know what
the machines look like inside.
YOU ARE STANDING in the middle
of a huge construction site with vast
loaders driving here, there, and every-
where. An intense environment where
workers’ safety and huge financial
investment depend on all machines
working and driven properly by well-
trained drivers. If something breaks
then the problem must be solved
quickly.
It’s the perfect challenge for JCB’s
AR app, developed by Semcon. Using
an iPhone or iPad, the app’s software
lets service technicians see a part
that’s of interest how it’s working and
where in the vehicle it’s located, as
well as all other relevant information.
You quite simply stand by the ma-
chine and point your AR camera
at the part of the machine
marked with AR con-
tent. The display will
show the machine
as a cross-section
and the parts of
interest in detail. If
technicians require
more in-depth infor-
mation then Semcon
builds in hot-spot links
where you can gather
more advanced instruc-
tions.
If the construction work can be
made more effective by getting a
new kind of loading vehicle, then
drivers and service personnel need
to quickly get information about how
the new equipment works. The AR
app once again provides x-ray vision
and informative data about how the
advanced hydraulic system deep
in the machine is linked
and how it works. When
implementing a new
generation of engine
we can study, in de-
tail, the combustion
process in the cylin-
ders and the gas flow
in the exhaust system
at different RPM.
The value of AR here
is about quickly un-
derstanding a product
without needing to
read reams of complicated text – an
instructive tool that saves resources,
time and money. It’s also fun. People
like to see the invisible and to intui-
tively understand how things work.
The instruction manual-free society is
just a few years away. ✖
2. NEW WAY OF USING COMPUTERS?
3. APP GIVING SERVICE
TECHNICIANS X-RAY VISION
Magic Leap introduces itself using
a little flying elephant. What’s all that
about?
Using JCB’s app service
technicians can see the
inside of a machine.
FUTURE BY SEMCON 23
26. T’S 24 YEARS ago
that Terminator 2
was being shown in
the cinemas. This
is a cult film that
not only taught the
world to say “hasta
la vista, baby”, in
an Austrian accent,
but also inspired science and the
technological development of 3D
printers.
The T-1000 robot, which
makes life difficult for Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s ageing T-800,
has the ability to withstand ma-
chine-gun fire, petrol bombs and
head-on collisions. The T-1000
is reduced to liquid form and the
droplets reconverge. The robot
then rises from the liquid and
assumes human form. Eureka,
thought the US chemist Joseph
DeSimone. The same principle
must be possible to apply in digital
manufacturing.
He calls the technology CLIP, and
earlier this year he appeared at the
influential TED conference (Tech-
nology, Economy, Design) in Van-
couver to demonstrate his break-
through under the heading: What if
3D printing was 100x faster?
The dream of 3D printers’ pos-
sibilities are just as old as another
sci-fi classic. In Star Trek there is a
machine called the Replictor, which
can make anything, preferably a
piping hot cup of Earl Grey tea. We
aren’t quite there yet, but after lots
of setbacks 3D printing is finally
on its way to turning visions into
reality – and with other dream
I
applications than a cup of tea. A key
contribution in this development
comes from Joseph DeSimone and
his Carbon 3D.
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS that
3D-printing – or additive manufac-
turing as it’s known in the industry
– is fighting is speed. It quite simply
takes too long to print a component
or product to be financially viable
for industrial use.
“There are mushrooms that grow
faster than 3D printed parts,” says
DeSimone. During his 15-minute
presentation describing his inno-
vation a 3D ball is being made. It’s
completed before the end of the
presentation, which he picks up to
throw into the crowd.
So what’s the secret? DeSimone’s
3D printer doesn’t add layer to
layer. It controls light and oxygen
in a process that gets components
to grow and harden from liquid
plastic.
What we perceive as 3D manu
facturing is, according to DeSimone,
a misconception: earlier techniques
are layered 2D manufacturing.
Apart from faster results, his 3D
machine’s components have a
smoother surface that better utilizes
the material’s elasticity, meaning
improved material properties. We
are now waiting for the commercial
launch and more raw materials to
work with.
ON THE OTHER SIDE of the earth,
at SP Sweden’s technical research
institute in Borås, Joakim Karlsson
is tackling questions. He recently
completed a doctorate in material
sciences and has spent the last five
years refining additive manufactur-
ing of small components.
He started his 3D career at Arcam
– a Swedish company developing
industrial solutions for additive
manufacturing or things like pros-
thetic hips and aircraft components
– and then went on to research.
“At Arcam I worked on turbines
for jet engines, which is a complex
product that is only manufactured
in small numbers, making it per-
fectly suited to additive manufac-
turing. The turbine is made from a
heat-resistant titanium alloy, which
is extremely sensitive. It’s brittle
and reacts to oxygen and nitro-
Joseph
DeSimone
Profession:
Chemistry
professor at the
University of North
Carolina, Chapel
Hill, inventor and
CEO of Carbon 3D.
Trend scouting:
Speed has got
in the way of 3D
manufacturing’s
industrial break-
through.
DeSimone’s
discovery makes
the process 25–100
times faster than
ordinary layer-on-
layer printing.
26 FUTURE BY SEMCON
27. 7
gen in the atmosphere and other
materials often used for things like
casting, making titanium alloys dif-
ficult to work with in the traditional
sense,” he says.
“Using 3D technology we make
components in a vacuum envi-
ronment with fewer chemical
reactions. In the past when casting
turbines we had to throw away
90 per cent of the manufacturing
process material. We have now got
this down to 10 per cent. A com-
plete turnaround and huge profits
in production.”
The 3D technology Joakim
worked with at Arcam works very
well for larger components like or-
thopaedic hips and parts for aircraft
engines.
FOTOCARBON3D
Joakim
Karlsson
Profession: Spe-
cializes in material
application re-
search for additive
manufacturing
at SP Sweden’s
technical research
institute.
Trend scouting:
Precision is
improving and we
can now affect the
products’ every
detail much more.
Using 3D scanning
and faster additive
manufacturing we
can, for example,
make new dentures
that are better
than the original
teeth.
“IN THE PAST WHEN
CASTING TURBINES
WE HAD TO THROW
AWAY 90 PER CENT OF
THE MANUFACTURING
PROCESS MATERIAL.
WE HAVE NOW GOT THIS
DOWN TO 10 PER CENT.”
“The challenge is parts that are
smaller than 1 cm in any dimen-
sion. This changes the prerequisite
for material strength and surface
structure. A result of the research
project I worked on is finer surfaces
and greater precision. We have, for
example, succeeded in improving
the richness of detail for 3D manu-
factured dentures so that they look
more like real teeth.”
HIPS, TEETH AND hearing aids are
examples of products that have
advanced furthest using 3D tech-
nology. More than 95 per cent of
all hearing aids are manufactured
additively. It’s mainly the ability to
perfectly customize the product
that has pushed developments.
“But the 3D printable hips also
get a different surface that fixes
better, meaning fewer post-op
complications.”
In just the last 5–10 years there
has been extraordinary advance-
ments in what people call 3D print-
ing. Joakim considers what might
have ignited the spark.”
“The technology itself isn’t
revolutionary but it’s been honed
and improved a lot over the past ten
years. In the 90s 3D printers were
only good enough to print out poor
prototypes. We are now making
high-grade industrial compo-
nents and finished products. The
consumer market boom is largely
due to old patents expiring, making
the technology cheaper. You can
Using CLIP technology components are manufactured up to 100 times faster than with
conventional 3D technology, which often involves layers put on top of layers.
FUTURE BY SEMCON 27
28. AVI REICHENTAL
BELIEVES THAT WE WILL
SOON BE SURROUNDING
OURSELVES WITH 3D
PRINTERS THAT WILL
BE ABLE TO MAKE MOST
THINGS. FROM YOUR
FAVOURITE BREAKFAST
CEREAL, TO THE
CLOTHES YOU WEAR TO
SUIT THE WEATHER.
get a perfectly adequate 3D printer
for home use now for under SEK
10,000.”
AVI REICHENTAL IS a pioneer and
great visionary in the field of 3D
manufacturing. He believes that we
will soon be surrounding ourselves
with 3D printers – not just one per
household, but one in every room,
each with its own job, which will
be able to make most things. From
your favourite breakfast cereals,
to the clothes you wear to suit the
weather. Even Star Trek’s dream of
making the perfect cup of tea might
be possible.
He sees 3D manufacturing as
part of a future digital ecosystem.
The physical manifestation of our
ideas and the tool that will allow all
of our products to be completely
customized according to personal
taste and needs.
The buzzword in the industry is
mass customization. Avi and his
company, 3D Systems, is also taking
part in Google’s and Motorola’s Ara
project, which is a customer-de-
signed mobile phone that the user
uses to print modules and assemble
themselves. A DIY mobile from
design to manufacture.
Avi’s vision is for everyone to be
designers, tradesmen and indus-
trial manufacturers at home in
the shed. His father was a cobbler,
and although he never learned the
profession he can make his own
customized shoes using his 3D
printer.
A LOT ABOUT 3D-printing is still
only a vision, but one thing that is
Avi
Reichental
Profession:
Innovator and CEO
of 3D Systems,
which is behind
companies like
ChefJet, which
prints chocolate
and sugar.
Trend scouting:
Look at 3D printers
like a part of the
internet of things
and expect to have
one in each room
so we can print
out what we want
according to our
preferences, on
demand.
1GOOGLE PROJECT ARA
The future of the mobile phone is modular. A mobile phone
made from interchangeable modules that give users the free-
dom to design, upgrade and assemble their own smartphone.
Ahead of the game is Google with its Ara project. Together
with Ari Reichental’s 3D Systems and its high-speed 3D printer
they are close to solving real, on-demand manufacturing. You
decide the look and components in Google’s webshop. 3D
Systems printer produced the parts, which are then sent to you
for assembly.
The first-generation Ara phones are expected to be launched
in Q3 2015. You can follow the project’s progress at:
projectara.com.
FOTOFINANCIALTIMES
3ON-SITE MANUFACTURING IN OUTER SPACE
When equipment fails on the international space station,
ISS, the last thing you want to do is wait for parts to arrive from
earth. A 3D printer that can produce tools and components in a
zero-gravity environment is on its way to solving this problem.
The printer is called Zero G, developed by Made in Space, to-
gether with NASA to manage the extreme conditions of space.
Initial testing saw the printer manage to print a ring spanner
and a number of components.
The company’s motto “The Sky is No Longer the Limit for 3D
Printing” not only describes the advances of the technology
itself, but also summarizes everything happening in additive
manufacturing right now.
2A HUMAN KIDNEY
A patient is admitted to hospital in acute need of a new
kidney. There is no donor available, but the surgeon uses the
patient’s own cells in the hospital’s 3D printer. A few hours later
the transplant is complete. This is a future scenario that’s fast
approaching. Experiments using human cells as 3D printer ma-
terial is becoming more advanced. Chalmers in Göteborg has
already tried out a bio-printer, which produced ears and is now
working on cartilage for arthritis patients.
More complex organs, like kidneys and hearts, lay ahead. How-
ever, a number of researchers believe that printed organs should
be able to be transplanted into humans within the next decade.
Three 3D manufactured
products of the future
28 FUTURE BY SEMCON
29. clear is that it’s taken a giant leap
forwards.
“Some in the industry believe
that 3D printing will take over
completely, but a closer look at
developments reveals that it’s a
complementary technology. The
advantages will be incredible in
some areas, while in others tradi-
tional forms of manufacture are
far superior, not least from a cost
perspective,” says Joakim Karlsson
at SP.
He uses aviation and med-
tech as examples of industries
where additive manufacturing has
already made a breakthrough. He
believes that 3D printers in the
automotive industry will continue
playing an important role in proto-
type production and for individual
stages.
“Automotive manufacturers will
probably be pinning their hopes
on 3D printing, but they produce
such high volumes that there is no
real incentive for large-scale 3D
activities.”
Joakim also points out that 3D
printing is aimed just as much at
consumers as to industry. Home
printers are becoming sufficiently
good and cheap that we will soon
be able to print out things like new
mobile phone shells and spare parts
from home.
MANY DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERS
are now starting to experiment
using new materials. Plastics and all
sorts of metals are most common,
but med-tech researchers are
also starting to try out biological
material with the aim of developing
organs for transplant. Success-
ful trials using artificial urinary
bladders have already been done,
and it’s now only a question of time
before 3D manufacturing uses stem
cells to solve the world’s human
organ shortage. ✖
Med-tech is one of the industries where additive manufacturing has already broken
ground. Fully customizing an object is a factor that has driven developments.
PHOTOGETTYIMAGES
FUTURE BY SEMCON 29
30. QA
Mario Herger on gamification
I
f your company works with
GPS navigation then one of
the fundamental aspects is
that users can trust that the
proposed roads actually exist
and are drivable. You can
either solve this by actually
spending a huge amount of resources
driving and inspecting the road network,
which is an almost impossible task if you
want to provide global coverage. Or you
can follow the users and see what roads
they drive. If their cars get to their desti-
nations then others will too.
The problem is that some roads are
used less than others, and the question
is then how to get car owners to take
the less travelled route that you want to
verify. You can either ask them, or do like
Waze, the world’s biggest joint-based
traffic and navigation app.
Waze’s solution is to make the map into
a game and set out small virtual rewards
at the locations you want to check.
If you drive the long way round, there-
by verifying that the street actually exists 7
Atworkwework.You can
have fun inyourspare
time. Or? Gamingguru
MarioHergersays that
gaming mechanisms used
correctlycan build brands,
improve products and
increase internal efficiency.TEXT KARIN AASE PHOTO ERIC MILLETTE
30 FUTURE BY SEMCON
31. Mario
Herger
Works as: Gamification consultant.
Lives in: Originally from Vienna,
but has lived in San José, California
for many years. Hobbies: Collecting
French and Belgian comics, collecting
books, drawing satirical art, playing
folk music. “I’ve actually created
the world’s largest website
devoted to folkdance.”
FUTURE BY SEMCON 31
32. and is drivable then your app will make
a sound, determining that you have been
awarded a virtual sweet.
And best of all – it works. Grown up
people with cars and driving licences
drive the long way around to get small
digital rewards. The method is known as
gamification and is becoming increas-
ingly popular, according to gamification
consultant Mario Herger.
“Gamification doesn’t always mean
creating a game, but use mechanisms
from computer and online games to solve
problems and to involve people,” he says.
“By creating something fun and creating a
value for the user you affect his or her be-
haviour so that it in turn creates value for
your company. And those who understand
these principles and incorporate them
into their business will have a lot to gain.”
How can companies use gamification
to strengthen their brand?
“Look in your wallet – you’ve probably
got a few customer cards linked to some
kind of loyalty scheme. Most people don’t
think about it, but this is also a form of
competition. I had a customer card with
United Airlines for many years, which is a
really bad airline. But because I had that
card where every journey gave me points,
which raised my customer level, gave me
the option of swapping points for things
or free trips, then I still chose to travel
with United. And they are not alone, you
see these schemes everywhere, from the
grocery store to the petrol station and
also children’s clothing. They all make
sure that you tie yourself in to the brand
by using gaming mechanisms where you
amass points, get to new levels and get
rewards.”
How can I use gamification for internal
purposes?
“Most companies, in some way or
another, want to control their employees’
behaviour, such as getting them to fill in
their time cards on time or make more
sales calls. Using gaming techniques then
is one of the simplest ways of motivating
them to actually do it. A few years ago I
came in contact with a consultancy firm
in Vienna, full of clever, high-performing,
serious people. Its problem was that only
30 per cent of the consultants filled in
their time cards on time, which negatively
affected the company’s cash flow. The
company then introduced a system where
employees got a smiley when they filled
in their report. The earlier they did it the
happier the character, and if they were
1
Identify your
problem. Find out if
it’s a matter of
behaviour, such as
employees often getting to
work late (can be solved
using gamification) or
something else, such as
the wrong hardware
(cannot be solved with
gamification).
2
Learn about
gamification. The
mistake many make
is thinking “how hard can it
be?” and they start some
kind of competition built
around competing against
one another, but that won’t
necessarily provide them
with the results they are
looking for. Using knowl-
edge you can make the
processes more effective
and thereby improve the
chances of achieving your
aims.
3
Design your game.
Remember, it
doesn’t necessarily
have to be digital. I know a
company that boosted
sales radically by giving
salesmen pieces of Lego
for every new deal they
signed. The salesmen
began competing to see
who could build the
best-looking Lego
construction and they
started selling like
madmen to get the pieces
of Lego they needed.
4
Follow up! Make a
note of how
employees react and
modify the design if it isn’t
working as you had hoped.
You can also develop the
game in line with employ-
ees developing and more
taking part in the game.
QA
Mario Herger on gamification
Gamification – step by step
late then they got a sad face. After that 90
per cent of consultants filled in their time
cards on time.”
What makes this work?
“It’s about motivation. Most people
have some work duties that are boring,
routine or even that they simply don’t like
doing, such as filling in reports or calling
new customers. When you introduce
gaming mechanisms into these tasks then
you change them. Games, such as Angry
Birds, might be repetitive, but they are
never boring. You get constant feed-
back, while at work you might only get
feedback once a year. But it’s also about
looking at things differently, such as pro-
motion or failure.”
What do you mean by that?
“In a game you never expect to beat
a boss at the first attempt, but try again
and again until you have become good
enough to do it. There is no shame in fail-
ing at the first attempt. In reality on the
other hand we find it very difficult getting
back up after failing on the first attempt.
Like with sales for example. Many people
find it terribly difficult contacting cus-
tomers and use a “no” as a reason for not
trying again. But there are also companies
32 FUTURE BY SEMCON
33. “GAMES CAN BE
REPETITIVE, BUT
THEY ARE NEVER
BORING. YOU GET
CONSTANT FEED
BACK, WHILE AT
WORK YOU MIGHT
ONLY GET FEEDBACK
ONCE A YEAR.”that have built up sales games where their
employees sell to fictitious customers.
And that’s where advancement comes in.”
How do games tie in with clear career
paths?
“A typical computer game will start at
level one with simple commands and
tasks so you learn how it works and
quickly notice that you’re advancing. It’s
clear to you what and how you do things
and you don’t need a manual to under-
stand what’s expected of you and you get
immediate feedback, which means you
see it as fun. It’s also very clear to you
what you need to do to advance to the
next level, while at most places of work it
is not so clear what is expected of you to
advance in your career.”
Is it such a good idea to increase
competition between employees by
introducing gaming mechanisms?
“This is a common misconception.
Gaming is not actually about competition
but about cooperation. A survey showed
four types of personality among gamers:
people who wanted to win at any cost,
people who wanted status symbols, peo-
ple who wanted to explore and people
who just wanted to have fun with their
friends. Most people believe that people
who just “want to win” are the most com-
mon type, but they constituted a mere
1 per cent of players. Most, 80 per cent,
played for social reasons.”
Are there occasions where you
shouldn’t use gamification?
“Like any method it can be misused.
You need to know your employees very
well and know what motivates them to
get good results. There was a hotel com-
plex here in California for example that,
a few years ago, decided to improve the
efficiency of its cleaning staff by setting
up a TV screen in staff rooms where
everyone could see how quickly they
worked. The company thought it had cre-
ated a competition that would stimulate
them, but it had the opposite effect. These
women were not interested in a career,
they were only interested in working so
they could put food on the table for their
children. When management started this
competition the cleaning staff became
worried, thought they would lose their
jobs, didn’t dare take breaks to go to the
toilet and overall became so stressed and
frustrated. The company didn’t under-
stand what motivated its staff, created
competition and a poor working atmos-
phere. You need to remember that games
are only effective as long as people think
its fun. Used in the right way you can
really affect people’s behaviour for the
better.” ✖
FUTURE BY SEMCON 33
34. How it works
Oculus Rift
OCULUS RIFT was introduced on the crowd-
funding site, Kickstarter in August 2012. 24
hours later it passed the collection goal of USD
250,000. The end figure was ten times that, USD
2.4 million, and the hype was explosive. The
company was bought by Facebook in 2014 for
an unbelievable USD 2 billion dollars – despite
there not even being a finished product.
So what is Oculus Rift? Since the birth of the
PC and computer games, software and pro-
cessor speeds have skyrocketed. But how we
integrate with computers and the environments
they create has hardly changed at all. Screen,
keyboard, mouse, joystick… It’s here in the
borderland between computers and man that
Rift is expected to rewrite the map with a vast
spectrum of applications.
Virtual reality (VR) has been a hot topic since
the 90s, but technology hasn’t quite been ma-
ture enough. Oculus VR has focused on creating
a broader field of vision, and, most importantly,
less of a delay in visual feedback, through better
screens with reduced response times and better
tracking of main movements. Faster, more
exact head-tracking reactions and razor sharp
images are crucial for the VR experience to feel
real and for the notorious “travelsickness” to
disappear.
Exactly what performance the hardware
will deliver is not yet clear. The latest devel-
opment kit has OLED screens and relatively
low 960 x 1080 pixel definition per eye, an
update frequency of up to 75 Hz and a response
time of 2 ms. The screens deliver a 100 degree
field of vision and a powerful stereoscopic 3D
experience with depth, scale and parallax (the
difference in experience of an object depending
on where you observe it) that no other product
has been close to earlier in a commercial VR
headset. The crucial positioning and measuring
of head movements takes place with the help of
gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers
with an update frequency of 1000 hz.
The finished version is expected to hone this
performance even further, and the combination
of the broader field of vision, fast head tracking
and stereoscopic 3D from lightning fast screens
will offer the ability to transform second-hand
information into first-hand information.
Oculus Rift has been dubbed the holy grail of
gaming, and the time that we seriously take the
step into computer games is close. ✖
MANY HAVE TRIED, NONE HAVE SUCCEEDED – SO FAR. VIRTUAL
REALITY HAS BEEN A DEVELOPER’S DREAM FOR MANY YEARS.
CAN OCULUS RIFT BE THE INVENTION THAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE
TO ENTER OTHER WORLDS?
TEXT FREDRIK HULDT PHOTO GETTY IMAGES ILLUSTRATION SPOON
VIRTUAL
REALITY IS
ALMOST HERE
34 FUTURE BY SEMCON
35. 1
2
3
Why Oculus
Rift works
When the Rift is launched enthusiasts the world over
are hoping that Oculus VR has created a new “iPhone”,
that is to say a revolutionary product that revitalizes a
stagnant area of technology, just like Apple did in 2007.
Doubters say that Rift looks just like any other out-dat-
ed VR headset project. Like a pair of overgrown skiing
goggles. The difference is in the performance of the
hardware and how it’s designed.
1. SENSORS
”Low latency head-tracking” is the big thing about the
Rift. Previous VR headsets have caused users to feel
very travelsick because the virtual world shown on the
screens reacted too slowly to users’ head movements.
Rift has lots of sensors – gyroscopes, accelerometers
and magnetometers – that measure head movements
and update positioning data 1000 times a second.
This gives Rift faster, more exact head-tracking
than ever before.
2. SCREENS
Poor screens are a major contribu-
tory factor why people experience
simulator sickness. Rift’s (DK2)
most recent development kit has
OLED screens instead of old
LCD. The updating frequency is
75 Hz (as opposed to 60 Hz in
DK1) and the user gets a 100
degree field of vision. But
the biggest difference is
the extremely low pixel
response time of 2
ms, which minimizes
motion blurredness
on screen. Definition
is still relatively low,
960 x 1080 pixels per eye,
but is expected to improve in
the finished version.
3. SOFTWARE
Clear improvement in hard-
ware performance throughout
will open major potential for
program developers. They are
currently working around the
clock in software labs around
the world to create virtual
reality experiences that use
Oculus Rift’s properties to the
full.
Bigger field of vision and
depth, improved image speed,
razor sharp images, unparal-
leled precision and a minimum
of motion blurredness. The
condi-tions for a real quantum
leap for the wonderful world of
computer games. Count on gaming
experiences that nobody has ever
seen the like of before.
FUTURE BY SEMCON 35
36. Semcon Brains
TEXT OLLE RÅDE, JOHAN JARNEVING ULRICH W. SCHAMARI
PHOTOS FREDDY BILLQVIST, LARS BECH, MATTIAS BARDÅ CHRISTIAN SCHMIDT
36 FUTURE BY SEMCON
37. PERNILLA DAWS IS a project leader
at Semcon’s front office for product
information in Lund, Sweden and has a
passion for intercultural communication.
This is a quality she uses when working
with the back office in Budapest, Hunga-
ry, where Lynda Herczeg leads her team
for a customer in the pharmaceutical
industry. We met up for a chat about how
they work together using the FOBO mod-
el, which means the assignment is carried
out where Semcon has the best expertise
and available resources. The back office
carries out most of the work and the front
office takes responsibility for project co-
ordination and customer interaction.
How does Semcon’s FOBO solu-
tion benefit customers?
“It’s cost-effective, flexible and ensures
the work top quality. It also helps that
we work with people from different
backgrounds, naturally providing many
different perspectives.”
What areas do you work in?
“At the Lund office we are working with
a major pharmaceutical company and a
company in the packaging industry. We
help them understand what they need in
order to achieve the objectives they have
for their information products.”
“Our back office in Hungary provides
expertise in areas such as illustration,
e-learning, and schematics and works
with a number of Semcon’s front offices
around the world.”
What’s it like working together like
this?
“Both work processes and work teams
are constantly developing and grow-
ing. When we started working with the
customer in Lund four years ago our
assignment was a simple one, but over
time we have built up trust and now
have more, larger assignments, as well as
working faster. It’s a good sign that we’ve
succeeded in becoming more efficient at
what we do.” ✖
Collaboration
experts
Semcon Sweden
+ Semcon Hungary
FUTURE BY SEMCON 37
38. Semcon Brains
Plastics
expert
Morten Nielsen,
Semcon Sweden
MORTEN NIELSEN IS a
technical engineer and plas-
tics specialist. He develops
products for everything from
cars to hospital equipment
and is motivated by finding
solutions that neither he,
nor the customer, thought
possible
How do customers
benefit from your work?
“Plastic is a very inno-
vative material. If you use
its full potential then it’s
possible to develop excel-
lent quality prod-ucts at a
reasonable cost. It’s a tough
challenge, and with my ex-
pertise I guarantee attractive
solutions, both from a tech-
nical and financial aspect.”
What industries do you
work with?
“Just about all. There are
lots of growth industries at
the moment and industries
are in need of the innovative
use of plastics. This includes
the automotive industry,
pharmaceutical industry, en-
ergy sector and the security
industry.
What characterizes a
good plastics expert?
“It’s about being able to provide
something of value for the customer.
Someone might have come up with a way
of making plastic electrically conductive
for instance. It’s my job then to see how
our customers can benefit from that new
technology. Another example might be
helping an automotive manufacturer
reduce the weight of a car by 5 per cent by
swapping certain components for plastic
ones. This saves a lot of money for manu-
facturers and the customer is kept happy.”
How eco-friendly is plastic?
“The environmental aspect should
not be underestimated, especially as
CSR is becoming more important for our
customers. Many plastic components
nowadays are easy to recycle and there
are many interesting possibilities. It’s also
possible to create plastic products from
non-fossil fuel based materials, which
has become more common in recent
years.” ✖
38 FUTURE BY SEMCON
39. THE EXACT TERM for the job Beate Bätge was
trained for is a “vehicle saddler”. But that says
little about what she actually does at Semcon.
What she does do is develop and designs proto
types for vehicles’ interior components for
companies like Daimler, BMW, Porsche, Audi,
VW and other leading manufacturers.
What does your job involve?
“When developing a seat for instance, I work
off sketches and drawings to make the seat
padding. I fabricate foam parts for seats and
backrests and come up with cutting patterns.
Carpeting the floorwell, sills and boot is also one
of my jobs, as is the covering for support ele-
ments, such as pillar trim, dashboard, central
console and the door cards.”
Describe your work process?
“I consult with my Semcon team leader
about what assignments I’ve been allocat-
ed. I’m given the scope to make my own
decisions as to how exactly to complete
the assignment. For a vehicle seat for
instance I often just get design spec-
ifications, and then I have to think it
all out myself, such as how the seat
will be assembled, how the different
components fit together and what
profiles and fastenings to choose.”
What do you like most about your
job?
“Because we work for different
automotive manufacturers my
work duties vary tremendously. I
can therefore make full use of my
skills when creating something. I
find that my expertise is very much
appreciated, and working as part of
a team is a lot of fun.” ✖
Seat-
expert
Beate Bätge,
Semcon Germany
FUTURE BY SEMCON 39
40. Lightweight
expert
Fredrik Stig,
Semcon Sweden
THE IMPORTANCE OF losing weight
should not be underestimated,
especially as automotive manufac-
turers around the world need to cut
fuel consumption – without compro-
mising on safety and strength. Semcon
is helping with this, and has designated
Light as one of its four prioritized inno-
vation areas. Fredrik Stig is the calcula-
tions engineer leading this endeavour.
“Lightweight is more than just shedding
weight, it’s about how much performance
you can exploit from a material in relation
to its weight. If you can also add more
functions to a unit you can also make the
construction lighter, much like when the
smartphone replaced the mobile phone, mp3
player, wallet and watch,” he says.
He has been at Semcon since 2012 and
prior to that was taking his doctorate at KTH’s
department for lightweight constructions.
How will composite materials influence
vehicles in the future?
“A great deal. If we look at the aviation industry
for example, they were early pioneers in the use
of lightweight materials, quite simply because they
can afford the cost of losing weight, around EUR
500 per kg saved. The Automotive industry spends
a maximum of EUR 7 per kg saved, but governments
are introducing stricter emissions regulations, which is
shifting the limit of when saving weight becomes prof-
itable, meaning investments in performance enhancing
materials is increasing. The market for composites is
growing by 10-20 per cent every year.”
How long will it be before composite cars are
commonplace?
“BMW has its i3, which is already in production and the
entire automotive industry is working tirelessly to cut prices
and increase productivity. A figure that keeps cropping up
is that production cycles must be cut to 90 seconds before
composites can seriously make inroads.”
What other industries are using your solutions?
“Anyone wanting extreme strength and rigidity in relation
to weight. Everything that moves in other words, but we are
also working with other industries, like the medtech industry.
An increasing number of application areas are discovering the
benefits of high-performance lightweight constructions.” ✖
Semcon Brains
40 FUTURE BY SEMCON
41. TWO YEARS AGO Future by Semcon
wrote about the Tripbuddy, a caravan
developed by British engineer Bill Davies.
He had really been looking forward to a
camping holiday, but because his children
had vehemently protested that caravans
weren’t cool enough he decided to do
something about it. If the children didn’t
want to go camping in the caravans that
were available on the market then he
would have to build one that was cool
enough, even for the most hard to please
teenagers.
He developed a prototype, which was
a composite body with a window shaped
like a pair of sunglasses and a rear end
that was one large fold-down door. Three
young engineers from Semcon helped Bill
work out the details, and the concept was
launched in October 2012.
The Tripbuddy is now available on
three continents and in three different
versions, and so far around 100 hand-
built Tripbuddies have been supplied, all
with their exclusive features.
“We have a wide range of customers.
What they all have in common is that
they like the fact that we offer the option
of getting their Tripbuddy customized to
their exact needs,” says Bill.
“We have however had to change our
prices somewhat because we found that
customers were expecting to pay much
more for this type of handmade quality.”
But it’s not just customers that like
Tripbuddy. The popular British TV
program Gadget Man voted the product
“the caravan for the 21st century” and
camping magazines from South Korea,
Poland and the US have written a number
of articles about it too.
“The plan now is to try and break the
speed record for a towed vehicle, some-
thing we are planning to do next year. We
will then expand and develop the concept
with more versions, including developing
a campervan version of the Tripbuddy,”
he says. ✖
What happened next?
Future following up
34 FUTURE BY SEMCON 1.2013
FUTURE BY SEMCON 1.2013 35
Inspired by racing cars, aeroplanes andluxury yachts, the entrepreneur BillDavis has developed his version of adream caravan – the prize-winningTripbuddy. Three young engineersfrom Semcon assisted him.TEXT GITTAN CEDERVALL PHOTO TRIPBUDDY CHRIS GLOAG
T
he journey towards the prize-winning caravanTripbuddy started when Bill Davis tried to tempthis family on a camping holiday.
“They were less than enthusiastic about theprospect of living in a‘beige box’! Cries of‘uncool’couldbe heard reverberating about the house every time Imentioned the word‘caravan’.”Instead of feeling defeated, Bill decided to see it as achallenge to redefine the entire caravan concept – fromconstruction and living area to design and image. How couldthe caravan concept attract new target groups and get moreto take to the roads? Bill Davis has a background as an en-gineer in the automotive industry and it was a naturalstarting point to start using methods and tools nor-mally used to develop cars, boats and aeroplanes.“The one piece composite body, the ergo-nomic details, the aerodynamics and thewhole vehicle dynamics have been devel-oped using the latest computer-aided
technologies, such as CATIA, MSc
Patran, Nastran and ADAMS. We used scale modelsand wind tunnel tests to develop the aerodynamicsand ensured that Tripbuddy met all the caravan safetystandards and requirements,”explains Bill.
THE INSPIRATION FOR the design, both for the exteriorand interior, was drawn from iconic products includ-ing 1960’s campers and luxury modern yachts. Theglazing is produced by a company more accustomed to
producing glazing systems for racing cars and aeroplanes, andthe whole interior with its hard-wearing, functional designand its teak floor comes from a luxury yacht. One of themost unique functions of the Tripbuddy is the easily-accessible back door, which also acts as a roof to theinbuilt awning.
The plan was to launch the Tripbuddy atthe 2012 British Motorhome and CaravanShow. Beforehand it was voted“BestCamping Trailer of 2012”in the USA,but it had fallen behind schedule
A CARAVAN OF
THE FUTURE
BillDavis
FounderandCEO,Tripbuddy
IN 2012 SEMCON HELPED ENGINEER BILL DAVIES TO DEVELOP
HIS DREAM, A CARAVAN LIKE NO OTHER. TODAY, THREE YEARS
ON, THE COMPANY’S BIGGEST PROBLEM IS THAT CUSTOMERS
THINK THE PRODUCT IS TOO CHEAP.
TEXT KARIN AASE PHOTO CHRIS GLOAG
The caravan for the 21st
century
– with quality that pays
Article in Future
issue 1/2013.
FUTURE BY SEMCON 41
42. Does the name Linus
Thorvalds sound familiar?
If not then his creation,
Linux, might. Despite the
Finland-Swedish program-
mer playing in the same
league as Steve Jobs and
Bill Gates, he is somewhat
of a hidden talent to most
people. In technical cir-
cles and the open-source
movement he is however
legendary.
TO TEACH HIMSELF programming he
created his own operative system at the
start of the 90s. He linked himself to what
was known as the GNU project for open-
source coding. Linux soon became the
favourite with many technology nerds,
with increasing numbers of people con-
tributing to its development. Thorvalds
now only represents a few per cent of
the system’s core, symptomatic of open
source coding. He does however own the
brand name and works for his creation,
but development is in the hands of the
users.
And there are many of them. Goog-
le’s Android is built on Linux, and even
large chunks of Apple’s operative system
has used codes and functions from the
project. Linus Thorvalds is convinced that
more companies will realize that open
source coding is the way forward.
Linux and other open software have
many followers, and it’s far from just un-
derground developers that have realized
its greatness. Apart from Google Android,
there are a range of major corporations
and authorities that believe in openness.
The White House’s website was built
using Drupal’s open environment.
The price is obviously a contributory
factor. The cost of licence-free software is
naturally less than for protected software.
But there are many commercial open-
source code players, and it’s the dynam-
ics and possibilities that are attractive.
One of the main advantages of free,
open software is security. To many it
might sound a bit contradictory that it’s
safer to let every Tom, Dick and Harry
fiddle with the software than closing it off
to just the company’s experts. But just like
our Finnish friend has demonstrated with
his “Linus Law”: the more eyes that check
and test, the quicker and safer bugs can
be fixed. With a visible code you can also
see and safeguard functions yourself.
Other visible benefits of open source
coding include freedom, flexibility and
compatibility.
Users can govern themselves and cus-
tomize software according to their own
needs. We often don’t need to rewrite
software from the ground up, but just
access it to make simple modifications,
enabling the company to get its own
optimal system. Do that with a licenced
program and see what happens.
Freedom also means you get every
specialized forum on the internet in
support – you won’t find more dedicated
help than that. It’s not just anybody that’s
getting involved with open programming.
When computer scientists from Lund
analysed Android’s core it discovered that
many of the improvements were made by
developers at Apple.
Are there any drawbacks with open
source coding then? That probably de-
pends on who you ask. But openness in
itself means that everyone is able to see
and decide. The drawback possibly is that
you need a certain level of skill to feel at
home with the freedom of options offered
by the programs. ✖
For and against
Source code
Open vs closed source
code – the way forward?
IS THE ROAD TO THE FUTURE OPEN OR IS IT TRAVELLING THROUGH A WELL-PROTECTED
TUNNEL? THE BATTLE BETWEEN OPEN SOURCE CODES AND CLOSED DEVELOPMENT
DATES BACK TO THE 60S, BUT THE LANDSCAPE HAS CHANGED. FUTURE HAS TESTED
BOTH PHILOSOPHIES AND ANALYZED THE FORS AND AGAINSTS. TEXT JOHAN JARNEVING
“THERE ARE MANY
COMMERCIAL OPEN-
SOURCE CODE PLAY-
ERS, AND IT’S THE
DYNAMICS AND POS-
SIBILITIES THAT ARE
ATTRACTIVE.”
Open source – freedom to develop
42 FUTURE BY SEMCON
43. Why would we mere mor-
tal users enter into the
inner workings of the pro-
grams and jeopardize and
destroy vital information
and major investments?
Better to buy our way out.
Pay for the programs that
the company needs, get a
telephone number in the
event of any problems and
a counterparty to blame if
things go terribly wrong.
OPEN-SOURCE CODES for us are like
tinkering with our cars. It’s nothing we
want to do or even can do. A hotrod
might look cool and deliver performance,
but for most of us a brand new Volvo is a
safer bet.
Choosing licenced, commercial soft-
ware with closed source coding is an
obvious choice for many companies and
consumers, with good reason.
One is assurance. Software represents
the majority of any company’s IT invest-
ments, and they then want a counter-
party to be there to provide customized
support.
Another is pure convenience. You
choose packaged software because you
don’t want to fix bugs yourself – or be in
a debt of gratitude to an internet forum
because you never contribute.
User-friendliness is another reason for
choosing commercial software. They are
developed with amateurs in mind, while
open software is developed by experts for
experts. The interface is easy for them,
but not that obvious for people who want
to just surf the internet, write or make a
presentation.
There are of course more highly devel-
oped options with open source coding,
but among the common office programs
Microsoft Office is the global standard.
Most people can work in them and they
facilitate cooperation between organi-
zations.
In many cases the commercial soft-
ware is tied in with the hardware, with
Apple as the torchbearer. The programs
are developed to work not just with
a computer, but in a number of units:
smartphone, tablet and watch. If you mix
in open programs then you will dis-turb
the flow, at your own risk.
As an increasing number of users now
work using cloud services and subscribe
to programs as a service instead of
installing a product in their computers, it
looks as though closed source coding is
becoming the most popular choice. Even
programs open for downloading pull
down the curtain for their inner workings
when in a cloud.
The wall between open and closed
has begun to crack. Android is open but
commercial with Google as a supplier.
Apple is expert at locking in users into
its systems, but their programmers make
mutual use of the open development
environment. Many advocates for open
source coding work on Mac computers
and are showing that the way forward is
two-way and the central line is mostly
not an unbroken line. ✖
“SOFTWARE
REPRESENTS THE
MAJORITY OF ANY
COMPANY’S IT
INVESTMENTS, AND
THEY THEN WANT A
COUNTERPARTY TO BE
THERE TO PROVIDE
CUSTOMIZED
SUPPORT.”
“Everything in the world is speeding up
and it is impossible, or at least very dif-
ficult, to be good at everything and find
time to develop products at this lightning
speed. Open development is the way
forward,” says Johan Kristensson, who is
leading the SMART Embedded Network
research at Semcon.
By being open to influences and
integrating with the world around us we
become part of a dynamic environment.
It’s give and take. When you no longer
singlehandedly look after development
you get a leverage effect and can reach
levels that you would not otherwise
achieve alone.
It’s a balancing act. In direct customer
projects the development is often more
closed, mainly due to confidentiality
reasons. But open development flows as a
driving force in all projects. ✖
EXPERT’S OPINION
“Open development is the way forward”
Closed source – simplicity for common users
Johan Kristensson, Semcon.
FUTURE BY SEMCON 43
44. THE INTERNET OF THINGS
THE INTERNET OF THINGS is entering society at
lightening speed. Within 5 years 25 billion units
will be connected. IBM is investing USD 3 billion
in starting a department solely for the Internet of
Things (IoT). The internet in itself can grow to a
thousand times its current size. Vinnova in Sweden
has formulated a national agenda for safeguarding
the country’s competitive strength when the internet
changes everything again.
The current distinction between a digital and
physical reality will be history. Microscopic sensors
and computers are being integrated into industrial
robots, vehicles, training shoes, milk cartons, fridges,
pillows, clothes, pets and us. Everything around us
can be connected and managed in the virtual world.
The milk carton example that sends a signal to the
shop when its time to refill has been tried before, but
it might now be reality. Just like autonomous cars and
automatic diagnostics tools.
Getting things to talk to each other and exchange
information was one of the basic concepts of the
real internet pioneers. The IoT is a natural develop-
ment and that this breakthrough is happening now
is because processors are becoming more energy
efficient. Microprocessors and mobile connectivity
are the technical prerequisites for IoT, but for the
technology to become reality requires many players,
companies and authorities to start cooperating and
agreeing on standards.
Will IoT mean that our gadgets get their own
consciousness? Not really, but they will act as if they
are aware of their existence, their surroundings and
their task. They will be able to help us do things that
we find difficult remembering, like watering the
plants, looking in blind spots or going to our doctor’s
appointment.
THE INTERNET IS MOVING INTO ALL OUR GADGETS. THOSE
WHO KEEP UP AND EXPLOIT THE OPPORTUNITIES WILL HAVE
AN ADVANTAGE OVER THE COMPETITION.
CONNECTIVITY IS MAKING AN IMPACT ON SOCIETY. A COMPUTER IN EVERY
HOME BECAME A MORE ADVANCED COMPUTER IN EVERY HAND, AND IS
NOW A TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER IN EVERYTHING WE SEE. WE ARE
BECOMING MORE MOBILE, ALWAYS CONNECTED. FUTURE LISTS SEVEN
NODES IN THE CONNECTED FUTURE. TEXT JOHAN JARNEVING ILLUSTRATION STUART KINLOUGH
7 WAYS TO
CONNECT FOR
THE FUTURE
The list
Connectivity
44 FUTURE BY SEMCON
46. PERSONAL
INTEGRITY
A DANGER WITH THE INTERNET OF
THINGS IS THAT OUR LIVES WILL
BE MAPPED OUT MORE. IT WILL BE
IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER HOW TO
SAFEGUARD USERS’ INTEGRITY.
“PRIVACY IS DEAD, get over it” was a much-repeated
statement from the early internet. If we leave traces
behind us through the use of web readers in our com-
puters, GPS in our cars and smart phones in our hand,
what data will we leave behind us when the internet is
em-bedded in everything?
The risk increases with more data, but it’s not clear
if personal integrity will be lost with the internet
of things. One of the points of integrated micro
computers is the possibility of personal settings. Your
smart fridge will be programmed according to your
eating habits and household budget. Technology is
embedded and can be used to safeguard privacy from
the start.
3PORTABLE
HEALTH
A BRACELET THAT measures the number of steps you
take and your heart rate, which keeps a diary of your
blood pressure, sleep and exercise habits. The first
products with close-contact technology are noth-
ing new, but they are far more than just a fad. The
potential is huge, with most interest being shown by
the health service. Early diagnoses and preventative
healthcare mean doctors can do wonders for public
health. And you don’t need to wear a bracelet like you
did in 2014, the technology will be inside you.
46 FUTURE BY SEMCON
47. 4 PRODUCTS
WILL BE
SERVICES
A FEW YEARS AGO, Adobe, the software developer
behind Photoshop, stopped supplying its software as
products. No more CDs. Instead users pay monthly
and work in clouds. Picture editing is a service, not
a product. A direct result of faster and cheaper con-
nectivity and a development that affects the entire
industry. Revenues will be in services in the connected
future.
5ALTERED
ECOSYSTEM
FOR BILLIONS OF CONNECTED things to work symbi-
otically they need a common ecosystem in the form
of a software interface. APIs that can combine data
from different sources and interpret between units.
For development to really get going, and at a reasona-
ble cost, the industry needs to find a standard.
6THE ART OF
GETTING PAID
THAT THE CONNECTED world will provide untold op-
portunities for smarter traffic, more efficient health-
care and virtual entertainment is obvious. But where is
the shop in the Internet of Things? Constructing and
running the infrastructure is a source of income. At the
application level it is all about doing something with
all the data and creating a benefit for users by com-
bining information and technology.
7CHEAPER
TECHNOLOGY
THE CONNECTED WORLD will really take off when
technology that ties in products with each other drop
in price and can save energy. This task now looks pos-
sible with updated Bluetooth with additional Smart.
Modern Bluetooth can handle mesh networks and is
the last value-for-money link for global connectivity.
FUTURE BY SEMCON 47
