NEWS Building a
NEWS Building a connected community Panasonic collaborates on smart-future living in Berlin The Future Living Berlin housing project will be a window into the way the smart homes of the future can facilitate a connected community. Panasonic is integral to the exciting enterprise. Panasonic has embarked on an unprecedented collaboration with the city of Berlin to leverage its growing smart technology expertise in the creation of a flagship housing development that is due to open in September 2019. More than just a consumer electronics company, Panasonic’s broader mission is “smart, safe and sustainable ways of living and working”, said Laurent Abadie, chairman and CEO of Panasonic Europe, during the company’s IFA 2018 opening press conference. Panasonic is therefore making massive R&D investments to develop smart, sustainable technologies that will help run whole cities. The Japanese tech giant has already created its pioneering smart city in Fujisawa, near Tokyo, which houses around 3,000 people; but is now looking to develop smaller smart living developments in established European cities, for example Lyon in France, and in the US, for example Denver. In this spirit, Panasonic is collaborating with a number of other companies to create Future Living Berlin as a model for the interconnected urban spaces of the future. Within a building complex of 89 apartments, 10 shops and a convention area, Panasonic is contributing a coherent ecosystem of photovoltaic panels, air to water heat pumps – which will be produced in Panasonic’s Czech Republic factory from October – and AV products. Based on the company’s advanced smart home technology, Panasonic is the first TV manufacturer to integrate its Smart TVs into the selected home automation platform, digitalSTROM. Panasonic OLED TVs, for example, are among many IoT-enabled devices in the smart home that can now be seamlessly connected to the benefit of a wide range of residents. Older people in ageing European societies, for example, will be able to to turn on their lights, TV, air conditioning and so on with one voice command – or alternatively turn them off. The process will be facilitated by Panasonic through the integration of its smart speaker, the GA10, which will further enable personalised entertainment and comfort scenarios, as well as make the home more secure. The new residential area in Berlin will also be outfitted with Panasonic solar panels that are coupled with energy storage batteries provided by the city of Berlin. Air source heat pumps are another innovation that significantly increase heating efficiency – and power bill savings – when operated via Panasonic’s newly developed software platform. “We have made strides in developing the integration of energy and heating in the home with energy management systems (EMS) using renewable energy, something that’s being tested out in Berlin,” Laurent Abadie noted at his IFA opening address. He described the platform as a “kind of brain that will significantly leverage the energy that is created, managed and used in apartment buildings.” “This incentivises building owners and tenants to benefit from self-produced energy,” he added. Additionally at the Future Living Berlin site now under construction in the southeast of the city in Aldershof, online services will be included intelligently to support residents in their individual daily routines. Time, brightness and presence can be analysed to provide light always in the right quantity and quality. Moreover, acoustic or optical signals will operate as automated security mechanisms that prevent dangerous situations for residents who have restricted sight or hearing. The fundamental idea underlining the smart, sustainable housing project is the concept of Universal Design, meaning the apartments are created for every kind of resident, including those who rent – and not only high-income condominium owners. “The inspiration is an ageing society, but also the fact that the environment is changing so we want to be more energy conscious, we want to be more conscious about our carbon footprint and climate change,” said Nataša Prvanov, Panasonic’s public relations manager, corporate communications. “It’s just the beginning,” she added about a Future Living Berlin project that is sure to become a model for Panasonic’s smart-home innovations globally Panasonic smart home with GA10 speaker in action at the IFA stand 6
NEWS © Messe Berlin GmbH. © Messe Berlin GmbH. Fitbit presenting Alta HR @ IFA Fitness & Activity zone HoMedics @ IFA Fitness & Activity zone The IFA fitness and activity zone reflected a growth in the desire for personal health monitoring. Manufacturers of health and wellness products reported good business at IFA. As consumers receive more health information from news outlets and other online sources, so they are increasingly receptive to technology that helps them to keep track of their health – from weight to blood pressure to sleep patterns. Connectivity is central to many of the new health monitoring products on the market; machines that gather data from the body communicate with apps that can analyse that information – which in turn can be acted upon by the user or transmitted to a physician. Chinese internet health company Picooc is a supplier of body-fat scales. The Picooc smart digital body scales can give accurate measurement of weight, fat, muscles, BMI, BMR, water, bone mass, protein and biological age – all of which is relayed to the user’s smartphone or tablet via an app. A body analytics scale, it tracks and measures changes in the body – and general health – from which the user can make appropriate and relevant lifestyle changes. A feature on Fitbit’s IFA stand was the Fitbit Alta HR, a heartrate wristband that enables users to track physical activity as well as sleep, and that gives regular smartphone notifications and reminders. The Alta HR offers continuous heart rate and calorie-burn monitoring, and gauges the intensity of the www.ifa-international.org user’s workout, giving instant access to statistics. It also tracks how long the user sleeps and time spent in light, deep and REM sleep, and features a silent alarm for a peaceful awakening. The app can be used to set goals and track trends, and there is a social media element too, where users can add friends, share photos and find information specially curated for them according to their workout and health history. Bellabeat launched the Leaf Chakra at IFA, a “blend of nature and technology” that is a combination of hypoallergenic stainless steel and a natural crystal stone, targeted at women and designed to “remind us of our connection to Earth”. Worn as a piece of jewellery, the Leaf Chakra contains a number of movement sensors and runs 24/7, monitoring a range of health-related issues while the user is both awake and asleep. Wirelessly synced with the Bellabeat app, it helps with breathing and meditation exercises; monitors activity levels and sleep quality; tracks the number of steps taken; shows ovulation, premenstrual and period days; and offers notifications and reminders based on stated goals. The QardioArm wireless blood pressure monitor measures systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as heart rate and heartbeat. It is FDA-approved and is clinically validated to meet both US and European standards. The monitor works wirelessly with the Qardio app, which can be set up by touching a smart phone or tablet to your monitor. Readings are stored automatically in Qardio’s secure cloud and users can see trends, charts and averages on the smartphone screen. Other Qardio products at IFA include the QardioBase, a wireless scale and body analyser that includes a pregnancy mode and features auto-recognition for up to eight users. The QardioCore is a wireless monitor that continuously records EKG data along with heart rate, HRV, skin temperature, respiratory rate and activity readings – all without the need for wires or patches. All the Qardio products on show at IFA can connect to the Qardio app that gives users access to health data and insights into the health of their heart. For parents who are struggling to get their children to clean their teeth, the Grush toothbrush makes cleaning teeth fun for children. Connected by Bluetooth to a smartphone or tablet, Grush uses fun and games and clever rewards, to motivate children to brush their teeth. Grush also generates meaningful data that can be used for analysis and retargeting, giving dentists a clear idea of what has happened to their patients’ teeth between visits. Grush applies patented technology to detect every movement during brushing and knows the exact position of the brush while it is being used. Grush guides children to brush for two minutes, twice a day, covering every surface of every tooth The connected route to wellness Health and wellbeing: consumers take control CONNECTIVITY IS CENTRAL TO MANY OF THE NEW HEALTH MONITORING PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET IFA International • Friday 14 th September 2018 7
