09
October
2019
|
00:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Trendsetting design concepts for household appliances

Summary

• Good opportunities for the use of polycarbonate

The private home in times of digitalization and Artificial Intelligence

The future is called smart home – with the increasing networking of appliances and progressive automation, digitization has also arrived at home. At the K 2019 trade fair from October 16 to 23 in Düsseldorf, Covestro will present five trend-setting design concepts and prototypes for next-generation household appliances.

"The Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence are driving the design of living spaces in the future," says Jonas Michels, Senior Design Strategist, Competence Lead Brand and responsible for Design Strategy at designaffairs. "We believe that future home products will become more automated, personalized, humanized, integrated and interactive than ever before."

To better cope with these trends, designers and manufacturers need a reliable and versatile material partner, such as Covestro, who is exploring lifestyle and home appliance development and supporting partners in the implementation of innovation. "We meet these challenges by jointly designing and developing advanced product concepts. The close collaboration between Covestro and designaffairs will make our visionary designs a reality," says Jonas Michels.

Design trends up to 2024

"We are exploring how the design of home products will change over the next few years, so we can speak the same design language as our customers and offer material solutions that fit the future trends and requirements," says Dr. Andreas Brandt, Vice President Marketing for Electronics, Electrical, Appliances in the Polycarbonates segment at Covestro. "Covestro is a leader in the development of lightweight, flame-retardant and impact-resistant engineering materials based on polycarbonate. We are committed to driving digitization within future homes and contributing to a more sustainable and connected future."

Material solutions must balance aesthetics and functionality to provide greater design freedom in creating sustainable products. They have to facilitate CMF design (CMF means color, material, surface) to achieve the desired look and feel. Additional requirements are related to connectivity, smarter interfaces and automation features. Sustainable materials must meet higher product safety standards and be easy to maintain. Finally, products or their components should be reusable at the end of their useful life.

From the IoT control unit to the multifunctional work area

At K 2019, Covestro will be presenting trendsetting design concepts, cosmetic models and relevant material solutions for these devices at Booth A 75 in Hall 6:

  • Intuitive IoT control device (Internet of Things) with personalized access control and tangible user experience.
  • Cord-free air care: a portable air treatment unit with rechargeable Li-Ion battery and motion sensor; the high degree of standardization and modularization enables the use of recycled material as well as the reuse of product components.
  • Intelligent skin care unit with sensor and light treatment functions and refillable cream cartridge to eliminate the need for disposable packs.
  • “Cargo Bot" cleaning robot powered by Artificial Intelligence with additional transport functions that connect to an intelligent community and intelligent logistics.
  • Multifunctional modular work zone that enables effective work-at-home and co-work activities that fit seamlessly into the interior design of the home and offer a high degree of adaptability.
Boilerplate

About Covestro:

With 2018 sales of EUR 14.6 billion, Covestro is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,800 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2018.
 

Forward-looking statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro’s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.