LOSC, sub-project: Sony's smart office system becomes living lab at IKDC
In autumn 2020, Nimway — Sony's smart office system — will be installed at the Ingvar Kamprad Design Centre at LTH. The system is intended to be used partly as the office system it is, but also as a platform for various research projects at IKDC. By connecting different sensors, completely new solutions can be created by the creative students. The collaboration is part of the large flow and mobility project Lund Open Sensing City.
Finanisär
Nimway is a smart solution for digitizing and streamlining office environments with the user as a starting point.
- When the system was created, the team was based on their own experiences with activity-based workplaces, says Magnus Persson, Product and Research Manager at Nimway. It can be frustrating for employees to find meeting rooms, a workplace, or an individual seat to participate in video conferencing. We asked ourselves how we can make this easier and safer and at the same time reduce stress factors.
Nimway makes use of indoor positioning of mobile phones and mapping of the indoor environment. Over time, several functions have been added and now it is possible to interact with reservation panels outside rooms and with digital overview maps. The app can help the user find gyms and coffee places but also free workplaces, for example in quiet environments in real time. The service can communicate with the employee's calendar to find appointments through notifications on big-screen displays. The app can also provide an alert when you need to get away to arrive on time for a meeting or help report errors. In addition, the system can provide the employer with information about which furniture is preferred or which workplaces are used the most.
In the Lund Open Sensing City project, Sony will install Nimway in autumn 2020 at Ingvar Kamprad Design Centre, IKDC. The system will be used by both staff and students to improve their working environment.
“We will use Nimway as a research platform where we can test connecting different sensors to the existing system,” says Fredrik Nilsson, Head of Department of Design Sciences at IKDC.
One possibility is particle sensors that could measure the spread of infection, other possibilities include switching on sensors that measure light, noise, carbon dioxide and heat.
“For example, we could simulate whether it is possible to use motion sensors to see if there are people left in the premises in the event of a fire. Other examples include how you can use VR and AR to describe the premises to visitors -- or connect to a system that can help the visually impaired navigate the building. We can also examine our work environment in different ways,” says Fredrik Nilsson.
