SMART FURNITURE SENSOR


The development of the Smart Furniture Sensor started with the Enriched Office project at Schiphol. These spaces were designed to increase well-being at work. Govert Flint wanted to know if happiness can be measured to understand the impact of the designs. Timothy Algera did a graduation project on the subject and discovered Heart Rate Variability is a good parameter to indicate stress and started to research how it can be measured from the seat. Engineer Tonn van Bussel discovered a technique to measure such signals from the seat. Eventually a sensor was developed that can measure the following:

  • movement
  • heart beats
  • breath
  • stress

CREDITS:Tonn van Bussel
Timothy Algera
Govert Flint
Pranav Balasubramanian

-> Smart Furniture Sensor at Dutch Design Week exhibition, 2018

MOVEMENT & HEART BEAT


For Dutch Design Week a test set-up was designed to show people a few basic applications of the sensor. On the left, people could see their own heart beat after sitting still for a couple of seconds. 

-> Smart Furniture Sensor at Dutch Design Week exhibition, 2018

IAM


Timothy Algera and Govert Flint have further worked on a pilot to test the application of using the Smart Furniture Sensor to give people insight in their own stress developments. 

People get a burnout when they are not listening to their own bodies. With the I AM application, people can see with what activities or at what times people experience stress. Stress is not a problem, but when people take too long to get back into a normal state, people can develop a burnout. By showing people their stress levels, the application asks people what they feel when they are stressed. The vision behind the application is to make people into their own best sensors using their own bodies. 

-> Smart Furniture Sensor tested in the office. 

MEDIA


In 2018 Govert Flint was invited by VPRO Toekomstbouwers to tell about the Smart Furniture Sensor

-> VPRO De Toekomstbouwers