News The Interface
News The Interface Drives Design Changes Outer looks and inner beauty come together in Siemens’ innovations Principal Designer Gerhard Nüssler and his team of engineers at Siemens- Electrogeräte register up to 50 patents a year. Here, he explains why design and technology are inseparable for the German super-brand… [ Interview by Richard Barnes ] At Siemens, an appliance's design is not simply driven by aesthetic form, but is also closely linked with technology, which is where many design ideas originate. Conversely, many technical innovations cannot become reality without a new design. For example, it would not make sense to control the 48 inductors on our induction cooktops using traditional knobs. The technological development called for a design innovation — in this case a TFT display underneath the 4mm ceramic glass plate with a totally new user navigation system. What’s changing in the way products are designed today at Siemens? Control systems. Ten years ago, washing machines usually had a single rotary knob and ovens had two. The functions were imprinted all the way round, and the design input consisted simply of defining the style, size and colour — a relatively swift task. But now, even mid-range appliances have complex displays and premium appliances boast high-resolution, coloured TFT displays. Today, the configuration of the interface has an enormous influence on appliance design, not only on the control dialogue but also on the proportions of the unit's surface. How difficult is it to integrate new concepts such as touch user interface and connectivity? It’s extremely difficult, because we find ourselves facing a range of totally new challenges. For example, in the home-appliances sector, displays of the sort familiar to people from cars, satnavs or mobiles need to last as long as the appliance itself. However, a display averages an operating time of only 4,000 hours over the entire life cycle of a passenger car. The car spends the majority of its time in the garage, while ovens require the same technology 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — that's 8,760 hours in a single year. Gerhard Nüssler Principal Designer, Siemens “(...) the configuration of the interface has an enormous influence on appliance design (...)” Hall 1.1 Stand 101 The Connected Home Major appliances gain in intelligence and user-friendliness Dr Claudia Häpp Project Leader, Home Connect, at BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte [ by Richard Barnes ] The market for home appliances is being driven by several factors, including design, userfriendliness, energy and water efficiency — and, increasingly, the ‘smartness’ of the machine. In Germany, Siemens is testing a number of new concepts, some of which are already seeing the light of day. Dr Claudia Häpp, Project Leader, Home Connect, at BSH (Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte), said research shows that customers are looking for better ways to interact with their appliances: “People are looking for appliances that can work intelligently and in a connected way. While energy efficiency is important — as is good design — our aim is to bring new and intelligent technologies that offer more convenience.” An online survey by Germany’s Psyma has confirmed that remote monitoring is high on the consumer’s priority list when it comes to convenience and security. Digital user manuals are also increasingly popular. There are three core areas for the connected household: home appliances, heating and energy management, and multimedia. For Psyma’s 2,000 respondents, the most important segment was home appliances (31%), followed by air-conditioning and energymanagement systems (30%) and connected multimedia (27%). “We believe it's more relevant than ever to offer connected appliances because some parts of the control infrastructure, like tablet PCs and smartphones, are now very common,” Dr Häpp said. “Everybody's using apps, so why not have an app to control or monitor an appliance?” She cited a Siemens-designed app that allows the consumer to obtain an overview of all their appliances, including coffee makers, washers, dryers, ovens, induction hobs, fridges and dishwashers. “With this feature, if the washing machine tells you it has a problem, the issue can be analysed and solved without calling customer service. Future plans will also allow service teams to intervene remotely if a machine breaks down,” Dr Häpp added. Hall 1.1 Stand 101 10
News Wall-To-Wall Excellence Vogel's celebrates 40 years of redefining the wall mount Founded in 1973 as a maker of loudspeaker stands, Vogel's then went on to set new standards in the way that TVs are mounted. In the Nineties — a key decade for the company — it began to introduce design elements into the mounts. Innovations included the Evolution range, which hides the cables, and was, aesthetically speaking, a milestone. We asked CEO Gerdi Vogels to explain today's evolution. As TVs become lighter, flatter and more like a painting on the wall, the quality of the mount design is becoming of ever-greater importance. We believe that every product has to be a complete package, with even the tiniest details absolutely right. That attitude is reflected in our unique online tool called the TV Mount Advisor, which in just a few steps shows the best mount for any TV. Its database incorporates more than 10,000 screens. What plans do you have for the next few years? The fact that many people now watch TV on tablet devices is an area of great opportunity for Vogels, because it gives us the chance to add something to the experience. We believe that we have done with the RingO range of tablet mounts. In addition to our ultra-thin THIN range, there is our new WALL range. These series’ swivel mounts are specifically designed to keep the screen as close to the wall as possible via a by Vogels patented magnetic system. They also feature a smart mechanism that ensures the TV is absolutely straight, even after mounting. Looking to next year, we will be introducing a new, as yet unnamed range in which the emphasis is very much on design. Hall 25 Stand 142 Gerdi Vogels CEO, Vogel's “The fact that many people now watch TV on tablets is an area of great opportunity for Vogel's” Pret a Portable Celly can dress up your devices in the latest cool Italian style Sabrina Biagini Export Manager, Celly Fifteen years after starting business in Europe’s fashion capital Milan, Celly continues to bring Italian style to phones and tablets. With accessories ranging from chargers to covers, the company’s aspirational brand partners include Lamborghini and Juventus. IFA sees the launch of Celly’s new GLAMme collection — possibly its most purely fashion-focused range yet — and the Celly 24 range of accessories, aimed at professional users. “Celly 24 is an elegant and discreet collection distinguished by a combination of eco-leather and high-tech textile in the darker colours associated with business,” said Sabrina Biagini, the company’s Export Manager. Biagini added: “Celly’s new collections are dedicated to people who treat their device as a precious and intimate part of their life and like to dress it up, as well as protect it.” Meanwhile, the company continues to design products for the very latest generation of smart devices, meaning that Celly is ready with an accessory almost as soon as a new product hits the market. Hall 9 Stand 305 www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Wednesday 11 th September 2013 11
