“SPACE10 and IKEA are doers and constantly looking for new ways to create a better everyday life” – By, Mr. Tony Gjerlufsen, Head of Technology, SPACE10

1. What is the motivation behind the Everyday Experiments platform?

 EverydayExperiments.com is a web-based platform that launched on June 17^th, 2020. It showcases a series of digital and explorative experiments created by some of the most innovative technology and design studios. Each experiment explores how today’s technology can pioneers new ways of interacting with the spaces we live in.

The reason for sharing these early-stage experiments and innovations with the public is to trigger conversations among the design- and tech-savvy community. The exploratory nature of the platform enables an active involvement of other designers and developers in the creative process to receive feedback and exchange ideas at an early stage.

That is what Everyday Experiments is about, designers and technologists coming together to play, share their work, exchange ideas, engage in discussions and inspire each other on how advanced technology can create a better everyday life at home.

2. What variety of experiments are being demonstrated on the platform?

The experiments are first and foremost about exploring how new technologies can be used to create a better everyday life at home. They are guided by different themes – Design, Perception, Control, Capture or Play – and created using various technologies and platforms, such as Spatial Intelligence, VR, occlusion, GAN or Edge Computing.

Imagine a light bulb warning you about high levels of air pollution outside or blinds that open and close based on sunset and sunrise. One of the experiments allows you to design your own machine learning-generated chair in a virtual reality environment by simply communicating with your hands. Or what if technology would be more mindful of your private space and automatically blur sensitive personal information when using Augmented Reality apps? With the help of today’s technology it is possible to not only redefine the way we live at home but most importantly to make life better and more enjoyable.

3. How can/will technology redefine the way we live at home?

 Technology is part of almost every aspect of today’s daily life and a driving force for innovation. SPACE10 and IKEA are doers and constantly looking for new ways to create a better everyday life, wherever people feel at home. This also includes exploring new emerging technologies to pave the way for a new way of living: Imagine a light bulb warning you about high levels of air pollution outside or blinds that open and close based on sunset and sunrise. With the help of today’s technology it is possible to not only redefine the way we live at home but most importantly to make life better and more enjoyable.

4. What are the technologies used in these experiments?

In general, the underlying technology powering the experiments come from a cross section of three clusters of technology: Emerging interactive interfaces, such as AR, VR, gestures, voice interfaces. The second cluster is artificial intelligence, namely machine learning, GANs or visual intelligence. And there is the internet of things (smart bulbs, curtains, …). Together they span much of what could be seen as tomorrow’s digital life at home.

5. Were any of these experiments conducted in India?

We envision Everyday Experiments as a global platform. We are still at a very early stage and as it continues to unfold beyond the initial batch of experiment collaborations, we aim to reach out to design studios and technology companies across the globe to collaborate on new experiments.

6. Does IKEA plan to launch any of the experiments, if they prove to be a hit?How do you gauge it as a hit?

We are still in an early exploration phase, therefore no decisions have been made yet. Above all, Everyday Experiments is a playground for creative technologists and forward-thinking designers to exchange ideas and showcase early stages of their important work. For us and them a successful project would demonstrate to the people how innovations can affect their quality of life. This is something that might not always convert into commercial assets but rather meet the objective of driving technological change and developing new meaningful solutions that can make the everyday extraordinary.

7. How do you find and select the studios and partners you are working with?

At SPACE10 we prioritise a collaborative approach and our ever-growing network of forward-thinking specialists and creatives is spanned across the world. Sometimes we get approached by a designer, other times we meet inspiring people through collaborative projects or at design events, talks or workshops. The selection process is simple, meaning there is no “selection”. We always strive to surround ourselves with people who are smarter than us – wherever they are located and in whichever field they work. What matters is that they follow the same mission: to enable a better everyday life for the people and the planet.

8. Reason for releasing this project during the Corona pandemic, did COVID-19 affect the project or its design at all? 

Although the experiments were already underway before the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, the projects now have an even higher relevance. We feel that people are showing more sensitivity regarding their home. What the current situation very clearly brought to everyone’s attention is, that home is not just the place we live in but a place of work and education, a place where we play with our children and digitally connect with the world. With the Everyday Experiment series we hope to address people’s needs in educating themselves about the possible changes that technology can bring to their lives as it adapts to the everyday.

9. Are the experiments aiming to solve any problems for society related to Coronavirus?

All of the experiments are focusing on creating a better life at home. Although Coronavirus was not in sight when the idea for the platform was conceived, the current situation makes home even more relevant for the people and some of the experiments seem to address needs that people expressed lately.

10. What is SPACE10’s role in relation to IKEA?

SPACE10 is a research and design lab, set up to support IKEA in gaining new perspectives, discover new opportunities and, above all else, find new ways of fulfilling their vision of creating a better everyday life for the many people.