Why are people designing human like robots? Why don’t we roboticize our spaces, especially our homes and workspaces. Personally, I think smart homes have more potential than robots. We need to figure out how to use technology to maximize human potential, before we start making robots that cannot possibly do what the human body can do.
The problem most seniors and disabled people face, is that their homes are too big, too cluttered, poorly designed and cheaply built. I designed several homes for disabled people and seniors and the difference was enormous. As we used to say, form follows function.
For example, one client, a single father of three toddlers, was in a wheelchair and needed help just to take care of himself. Once we figured out how to make the house work for him, he was able to take care of himself, and raise his three children alone, from toddlers to adulthood. He worked from a home office, and still did all the baby bathing, dressing, cooking, shopping, laundry, etc. If we’d had the technology available today, we could have done so, so, so much more.
Old and disabled people cannot bend over, without falling over, or lift things above their shoulders, so they need everything accessible between their shoulders and hips. They need drawers instead of shelves. Imagine a home where you push buttons and drawers slide out, then back in place. Beds that fold up by themselves. Delivery people who unload groceries onto a conveyor belt that transports them into the home kitchen. Functional workspaces for people with canes, walkers, or wheelchairs. Windows that open and close, lights that turn on and off and water temperature, air conditioning and heat all controlled by voice commands. Instead of robots, turn homes into robots – and control levers, linkages, and mechanical controls with technology.
I also worked for Herman Miller on office concepts. Again, form followed function. We ended up with a circular footprint less than 4-foot diameter, that enabled a worker to sit at a desk and reach reference materials, phones, keyboards, screens, pinboards, lighting etc without getting out of their chair. These small footprints also made it possible to provide sound, air, lighting, technology, and temperature control for personal preference. People said their workspaces felt like bodily extensions, as though they were the brains of robots. By reducing the individual workspace size, we gained large areas for collaborative work. Workers moved in and out of these spaces as needed – and constantly too – without interrupting anyone.
In my opinion, technology is too focused on entertainment, media, and marketing/sales – instead of solving real world problems, needs and aspirations. Instead of form following function and increasing human capacities, designers are reducing human capacities, by forcing us to follow technology – and marketing trends. As a result, we are buying technology, instead of solutions to our problems.
Take appliances – reducing the size of refrigerators, stoves, ovens, washing machines, dryers and dish washers and adding smart technology has huge potential. Why do we still need a washer and dryer – instead of one appliance? We need smaller, much higher quality homes, more outdoor space and less time spent on basic tasks, like laundry, eating and fetching supplies.
Uh oh, I got carried away, didn’t I? I will say, I really enjoy your work Mr. Thompson and end my comment.
