IntelliTable: Inclusively-designed intelligent furniture with robotic capabilities

未来的家庭将把机器人技术集成到许多日常设备和物品中，扩展它们的功能、易用性和可定制性。一类重要的对象将是具有嵌入式智能和驱动能力的家具。“智能家具”对每个人都有用，尤其是对行动不便的人。智能家具的创造将把最先进的机器人技术从实验室带到家庭、医疗保健和商业市场。在这个项目中，我们将开发和准备市场的一个例子，这类新的设备-智能表。这将是一个时尚和优雅的通用悬臂表能够移动本身，或在用户控制下，在室内环境。智能表将支持人们过上独立和富有成效的生活，特别是当他们变老时。智能桌的开发将强调高质量的包容性设计、安全和直观的功能、可负担性和环境可持续性。该项目将由塞巴斯蒂安康兰协会，一个既定的和世界领先的设计中小企业，与谢菲尔德大学的谢菲尔德机器人中心合作。

Future homes will integrate robotic technology into many everyday devices and objects; expanding their functionality, ease-of-use, and customisability. An important class of objects will be items of furniture that have embedded intelligence and actuation capabilities. ‘Intelligent furniture’ will be useful to everyone but particularly to people with limited mobility. The creation of intelligent furniture will bring state-of-the-art robotic technologies out of the lab and into the domestic, healthcare and business markets. In this project we will develop and prepare for market an exemplar of this new class of device—the IntelliTable. This will be a stylish and elegant universal cantilever table able to move around by itself, or under user control, in an indoor environment. The IntelliTable will support people in living independent and productive lives, particularly as they grow older. Development of the IntelliTable will emphasize high-quality inclusive design, safe and intuitive functionality, affordability and environmental sustainability. The project will be led by Sebastian Conran Associates, an established and world-leading design SME, in collaboration with the Sheffield Centre for Robotics at the University of Sheffield.