As we integrate technology more and more closely into our lives, it is hard to imagine how we can expect things to develop in the years ahead. There are numerous concept designers who spend their lives trying to do just that by identifying the next big thing. What follows is a quick round up of some of the brightest and not so bright ideas currently doing the rounds for our future bedrooms. We have spoken to a children’s bedroom specialist at www.roomtogrow.co.uk and they have shared their views with us.
Transparent TV
The transparent TV has been designed by Michael Friebe. This spectacular piece of design places a crystal clear TV screen at the end of your bed or an a wall in your bedroom so that when it is not in use it does not interfere with the design aesthetics you have employed. Sadly destined for the “also ran” folder this machine uses technology that is already out of date. The latest screen technology is flexible AMOLED which will allow designers to create screens that can display across curves and be folded around corners.
Floor Plan Light Switch
The floor plan light switch is a clever idea that combines the floor plan for your house with a light switch. Elegantly designed with a touch sensitive surface you can easily turn on the lighting in any room in the house from the bedroom with one single touch. Designer Taewon Hwang, the man behind the flat pack mouse to fit in your laptop case, has designed the switch with panels that light up which means that with one single glance you can see which lights you have left on before you go to bed.
Self Sterilizing Door Handle
With recent concerns being raised by the medical profession about anti-biotic resistant bugs it looks as though our children face an uncertain future where infection control is concerned. One designer, Choi Bomi has come up with a simple idea that may well be worth revisiting as levels of resistance to antibiotics increase. His simple idea, and aren’t the best ones always simple, is to combine an ultra violet light into a door handle. The light shines on the handle and the UV properties continually sterilise the handle every time it is touched. If you think about how often you see those little pumps of sanitising hand gel around, it seems quite probable that this is a gadget coming to a bedroom door near you quite soon.
iQ Alarm Clock
What is wrong with the alarm clock? How perfect is that little snooze button? The reality is that for many people it is just too easy to reach out and thump the button to turn of the intrusive alarm. How about an alarm clock that woke you up with an alarm that could only be turned off if you answered a series of short questions correctly? The clock connects, via the internet, to a seemingly endless number of trivia questions with four possible answers. You have to select the correct answer to a number of questions to silence the alarm. The idea is that by the time you answer the last question you are fully wake and in no need of a snooze button.
LED Ceiling
Bedroom lighting is a matter of personal taste but it is a shame that once purchased we are stuck with the same display, no matter how our moods change. So thought Asian designer Seo Dong-Hun, who has created a ceiling light that is perfect for a bedroom. It is made of a made of a matrix of individual LEDS, each one is activated individually by light received from a hand held pen. This means that you can create a light in whatever shape you feel simply by using the light pen to activate the LEDs. Imagine the artistic creativity you can unleash. Seo Dong-Hun is currently working on a version two of his product that uses colour LEDs to create a full colour ceiling of your choice.
