3. VIALATTEA
Product System
[2022]
Interdisciplinary workshop at Politecnico di Milano under the supervision of Roberto Sironi. Vialattea is a home automation system composed of two elements that, through the Internet of Things, aim to support the healthcare sector and the daily lives of individuals with cognitive disorders and their caregivers.
The system's workflow is simple, consisting of a few key elements designed to ease the issue. When the assisted person gets out of bed, the sensor placed under the mattress detects the weight shift and communicates with the central Hub, turning on the Satellite lights. When the assisted person returns to bed, the pressure sensor sends a signal to the central hub, gradually dimming the lights.
When active, the Hub emits a gentle light pulse with very few lumens to avoid being intrusive. As long as the hub emits a pulse, it indicates that the assisted person is in bed. This way, the caregiver, who remains alert throughout the night, can feel reassured upon waking up. An empathetic feedback mechanism designed to provide reassurance.
To avoid interaction with the assisted person, the Satellites have no affordance elements and feature finishes that blend seamlessly with the wall they are attached to.