Housing connect
THE PROVEN METHOD OF CO-DESIGN THROUGH USE
The Habitat Connect programme is based on the scientific approach of co-design through use.
This method was developed by the Innovation team of the FCBA’s Furniture Division in order to offer products that meet real needs to all audiences.
According to a study (1), 80% of French people think that connected objects (IoT) represent the future, with high expectations in areas related to better living: comfort, safety and health. It is from this observation that FCBA has imagined the Habitat Connect programme with 15 partners. They have developed 9 connected solutions to improve users' living comfort. 1 – OpinionWay survey for La Poste, 2 December 2016
The partners of the Habitat Connect partners
Secondary partners
Additional partners
A creative and collaborative approach
Habitat Connect’s ambition is to improve the daily life of the inhabitants by increasing their living comfort. It was necessary to integrate them into the design process in order to respond to their real needs.
The design programme, based on the principle of “Innovation through use”, took place over 2 years, from the end of 2015 to the end of 2017. The development of the products was based on the user-centred co-design methodology which includes 5 phases.
ELABORATION OF USAGE SCENARIOS
“Collection of usage data, personae, prospective scenarios”
This preliminary phase, which was essential for identifying consumer needs, enabled a community of users to be formed. 226 usage situations were collected and analysed during workshops. 9 themes were determined: Working at home, Presence management, Security, Health, Preparing meals, Energy management, Planning, From bed to wake-up and Entertainment.
CREATION OF PRODUCT CONCEPTS
“Creativity sessions, workshops”
Based on the data analysis, 62 product and service concepts were devised by the partners during workshops held at FCBA. They were then submitted to the votes of the partner companies and users. Finally, 23 projects were shortlisted to be developed by the programme partners and by service providers specialising in IoT.
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT
“Specifications, visit to CEA Tech, definition of technologies
Each concept was confronted with the constraints of technical realities and presented to IoT (Internet of Things) experts to find technical solutions for functionalizing connected everyday furniture. Of the 23 projects selected in phase 2, 16 were selected and projected in a first virtual demonstrator model to validate the concepts with the partners.
PROTOTYPING AND USE TESTS
“Realization of functional prototypes”
Mock-ups and prototypes were created both virtually and physically. The experimentation and user testing stage took place in the FCBA Living Lab in focus groups by the ergonomists of the Innovation team. After observing the handling and manipulation by the users, the FCBA ergonomists recommended improvements to be made to the products.
VALORISATION BY A DEMONSTRATOR
The modified products were manufactured by the manufacturers and presented in a BOOA demonstration house installed in the FCBA exhibition area. This demonstrator can be visited by appointment. It shows the solutions developed and allows the life scenes programmed on the connected system developed for the Habitat Connect programme to be tested and developed.
The connected products are displayed in operation in a 100m² demonstrator, produced by BOOA (a brand of the Burger company) and installed at FCBA. It recreates a living space with a structure of wood-frame partitions.
To control the products, the demonstrator is equipped with a connected solution developed by OVERKIZ: the Habitat Connect system, comprising a cloud, an application and a box, can communicate with connected products using IO, RTS, Enocean and Z-Wave protocols.
Designed for each room in the home (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, etc.), these products all have independent connected functions and some can be controlled by a home automation system: Smart home!
Connected products for comfort
Piloter ses produits connectes
Benefits: Creation of scenarios and interactions with connected products
Description :
The Habitat Connect system has been developed by OVERKIZ for FCBA in order to allow the control of connected products for private individuals. It consists of an application, a cloud and a RAILDIN box that can be integrated into an electrical panel. It can be used to control a large number of objects, create complex usage scenarios and interact with other connected systems such as those of Philips hue, Somfy and Nod-on…
Website: www.overkiz.com
Benefits : Security
Description :
The KID PROTECT SYSTEM project is an illustration of the research being carried out by the industrialist WM88 to warn when a vulnerable person gets too close to a risk area. In the case of the solution presented in the demonstrator, detection sensors trigger an audible alert with a light signal relayed to a smartphone via the application. At the same time, the device can cut off the power supply to the hot plate.
Website : www.wm88.fr
Detecting the proximity of a child in a risk area
Detecting a water leak under the sink
Benefit : Security
Description :
The SOL STOP FUITE project is a water leak detection system for bathroom and kitchen furniture. The detected leak is signalled by sending an SMS, which prevents the furniture from being damaged. The sensor is integrated into an aluminium damp-proof coating applied to the bottom of the furniture. The system, combined with the Habitat Connect box, will automatically close the water valve.
Website : www.wm88.fr
Benefits : Well-being, Visual comfort, Safety, Child safety
Description :
This connected illuminated door from Righini has been designed to meet the needs of circulation and access to rooms in the home in the dark or at night. The presence of a line of light makes it easier to find your way around in the dark and to hold the door handle, thus limiting the risk of falling or being bumped.
Website : www.righini.com
Supporting night-time travel
Managing the lighting environment in your room
Benefits : Well-being, Visual comfort
Description :
With the SHIVA concept, furniture serves daily needs by managing connected lighting. The user can associate the lighting so that it interacts with the bed, the chest of drawers, the bedside lamps, the ceiling lamp, etc. Lighting also becomes a means of waking up and going to bed smoothly, with gradual switching on according to the programmed time.
Website : www.meubles-celio.fr
Benefit : Thermal comfort, Energy saving, Health
Description :
This cupboard door incorporates an invisible and innovative heating system. It simulates the effects of the sun’s rays on our skin. A true radiant heater, it eliminates the need for a radiator and saves space in small rooms while offering the functions of a towel warmer and mirror. The temperature is controlled from a connected module and managed by a programmable wireless thermostat.
Website : www.sifisa.tm.fr
Space-saving heating
Improving air quality in the home
Benefit : Health, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Description :
This connected piece of furniture, with its sober lines, is also an air purifier capable of filtering fine particles, chemical pollutants (VOCs including formaldehydes), odours and biological pollutants (viruses, mites, pollen etc.). Made of solid oak, it includes the solution developed by AIR SERENITY. This innovative cold plasma air treatment system has been patented in partnership with the École Polytechnique and the CNRS.
Website : www.hellin.fr
Benefit : Productivity
Description:
Designed for the home, COSY CHAIR can also be used in all professional spaces. It consists of modular benches, a coffee table and a piece of furniture. This multifunctional connected workspace is equipped with a video projector, speakers and induction and USB charging facilities. Sliding padded doors serve as a backrest and support for the benches, and reveal clever storage spaces.
Website : www.eurosit.fr
Working differently from home
Improve the quality of your sleep
Benefit : Health, Well-being, Visual Comfort
Description :
This mattress has two sensors that detect presence and adjust comfort. They allow sleep analysis to improve the quality of rest, from bedtime to the moment you wake up. Thanks to the information collected, the application gives advice to the user and can trigger lighting scenarios at bedtime and upon rising. MORPHE@ is available in 140 x 190 or 160 x 200 cm. Communication between the sensors and the application is via Bluetooth.
Website : www.maliterie.com
The project was initiated by : The FCBA furniture innovation team
FCBA supports entrepreneurs and players in the Forest, Cellulose, Wood Construction and Furniture sectors in their development and their projects. Technological innovation and transfer are at the heart of its missions, to enable companies to be constantly competitive. Its main activities are consultancy, testing, training, certification and research for each sector.
The Furniture cluster has an innovation team that supports manufacturers in their product innovation process thanks to its skills in ergonomics, design, eco-design and materials. It uses an innovation methodology, co-design by use, which aims to integrate the user throughout the development of the product.
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