Salone del Mobile Milano, one of the world's largest annual furnishing trade fairs, was held in Milan in late April. During the Salone, exhibitions were held outside of the trade fair venue by various companies including IT firms, automakers, home appliance manufacturers and design studios, in addition to home furnishing firms. Such exhibitions are collectively called the Fuori Salone and they are a big draw for visitors. Interior products that incorporate cutting-edge technology were especially interesting.
Electronics giant Sony Corp. exhibited its products at the trade fair for the first time in eight years, under the theme of "Hidden Senses."
Their exhibit featured living room wall panels made using liquid crystal displays that enable users to change the color of the panels to mimic marble or wood finishes. The feature allows people to decorate their homes according to the atmosphere of the room or their feelings. The exhibit also included a lamp with motion-detection that only illuminates areas where it detects movement. Such a feature would allow, for example, people to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without disturbing their family's sleep.
"Technology is needed to assist people's activities in their daily life. We'd like to devise technology that can be used inconspicuously rather than create conspicuous devices," said Hirotaka Tako of the Sony Creative Center.
IT giant Google's exhibit focused on software. A furnished white room included a Google Home smart speaker beside a gray sofa. The speaker, whose color was similar to that of the sofa, looked like an interior feature rather than an innovative device. Li Edelkoort, one of the world's foremost trend forecasters, teamed up with Google to create the exhibit.
Asahi Glass Co. unveiled sound-generating glass that functions as a speaker, emitting such sounds as birdsong and flowing water. The product is still in the research and development stage but is expected to be used in a wide range of applications, including windows, lamps and mirrors.
The Italian edition of interior design magazine Elle Decor configured a room geared toward the internet-savvy demographic of millennials -- those who reached young adulthood at the turn of the 21st century. The room included a smart speaker and a large bed with an overhead projector screen. The design gave visitors a peek into the envisaged world of a generation that has come of age in the internet era.
According to Yasuo Tan, a professor at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the introduction of technology into living spaces began in the 1980s, but due to the advancement of artificial intelligence-driven devices and the emergence of cloud services, the use of technology in homes is accelerating.
For technology to become established in our homes, Tan said: "It will be difficult [for developers] to overturn preexisting ideas about technology. It is important to adapt living spaces in such a way that children through to senior citizens will be able to make use of them comfortably."
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