| | ‘Daylight’ - a hotel scenario for the future. The hotel industry is dominated by large chains that provided consistent service, but often lack a personal touch. Luckily, the rise of private, theme-oriented hotels is ushering in a new age of hospitality, one in which guests control virtually every aspect of their stay. New applications of technology will empower customers and provide them with better, more comfortable surroundings in which to relax and re-energize after a long journey. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if travel across time zones was stimulating, rather than draining, fun rather than tiresome? Imagine what it would be like if your hotel was not just a temporary roof over your head, but a journey of the senses. Imagine being able to stimulate your senses with sound, light and imagery, day and night. Imagine a room whose very uniqueness leaves you refreshed, energized and ready for the new day.
Care for Guests
Anxiety and fatigue are major factors in business travel today. Travel stress is such a commonly recognized issue that airlines offer in-flight audio meditation programs. Physicians who specialize in treating travelers say that confusion about date and time, lapses of short-term memory and difficulty sleeping are common symptoms of jetlag. Couple this with the negative emotional impact that lengthy and frequent travel has on many business travelers and it is clear that the health and wellbeing of global travelers on a punishing business schedule is clearly at risk. The hospitality industry needs truly innovative solutions to offer guests the tools they need to customize the ambience, sensory experience and even health-promoting benefits that the hotel room of tomorrow can provide; a room that can be an intelligent oasis of relaxation and revitalization.
Daylight comprises a series of experiential moments designed to help business travelers and tourists alike relax, unwind and re-energize. Natural light is crucial to our wellbeing. ‘Daylight’ invites hotel guests to explore the properties of natural light and shade and create their ideal ambiance using a range of decorative virtual blinds and color gradients. And with ‘Daylight’, if you don’t like the view, you have the power to change it - the light therapy system uses white light to fight off the winter blues and blue light to reduce the effects of jetlag. Guests can enjoy these relaxing light therapy sessions in the comfort and privacy of their hotel rooms.
Key Details - System of 3 interrelated concepts
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Daylight Window with Personal Mood Setting -controlling natural and artificial light for a personalized room ambience and enhanced outside views
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Wake-up Transition - waking up with natural light and sound at a time of your choosing
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Alcove Light Therapy -Artificial light for countering jetlag and raising energy levels
Proposed commercial/consumer uses
A window which offers enhancement and control of the ambient and functional aspects of natural and artificial light. The elements in ‘Daylight’ can be used in many different scenarios such as:
Insight
When traveling across several time zones, your body clock goes out of sync, resulting in what is commonly known as jetlag. Individuals may experience symptoms including loss of appetite, headaches, fatigue, irregular sleep patterns and mild depression. A breakthrough in jetlag prevention emerged when researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University discovered a third light receptor in the retina that is directly connected to the body clock and which may influence mood and performance. This receptor was found to be more receptive to light at the blue end of the spectrum, so by following a carefully timed program of alternating light and darkness therapy at precisely the times the body clock is most responsive, people are able to adjust more quickly to new time zones. Instead of taking a week or more to adjust after an intercontinental journey, travelers can now fully adapt within just one or two days. With many research programs currently exploring ways to cure or avoid the effects of jetlag, this is the ideal time for airlines and hotels to start adding similar solutions to their service packages, thereby offering their customers the ultimate in rest and relaxation.
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Wouldn’t it make sense if your hotel room was much more than just a temporary roof over your head, but rather an oasis from your journey, a zone of relaxation and revitalization?
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A hotel space should offer a feeling of personal empowerment especially when so much of the travel experience cannot be controlled
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Taking the time to rest mind and body and to appreciate travel as more than just a way to conduct business in a global world
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| ‘Celebrating Pregnancy’ Concept |
| ‘Celebrating Pregnancy’ - a pregnancy scenario for the future
From conception to the moment of childbirth and beyond, bringing a child into the world is both a joy and a challenge. But while medical advances have made the experience safer than ever before, hospital environments have hardly changed. Mothers (and fathers) are often, as a result, treated like patients with an illness, rather than parents-to-be. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if prenatal care and fetal ultrasounds in particular were as comfortable as they are exciting? And what if the entire experience was one that could be shared with the entire family, including the experience of that first view of the baby? If a picture is worth a thousand words, a 4D virtual image with audio is priceless…
Care for the family
Philips looks to explore opportunities for focusing on the emotional, rather than the clinical elements of one of the landmark events in a pregnancy – the ultrasound scan. The Concept is based on exploring a comforting, yet professional, pregnancy facility where parents can experience their pregnancy in an informative, playful and personal way. Ultrasound scanning during pregnancy will offer parents the opportunity to get closer to their babies from their very first scan. Unlike traditional 2D imaging, which is often grainy and unrecognizable, 3D/4D technology allows parents to ‘see’ their baby in amazing detail, giving them a bonding experience that will last a lifetime. Another consideration, particularly for women choosing pregnancy later in life, is that higher risk pregnancies will require more close monitoring and check ups. In the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics, there is an overall trend towards later child bearing with the average age of mothers in child-birth having increased by 3 years since 1971 from 26.2 years to 29.1 years in 2000. Countering the risks of later childbirth are other demographic factors: older mothers tend to be better educated and have higher incomes. And with trends in the rise of life expectancy, older parents are likely to live to see their children reach adulthood, more so than a 25-year-old mother was a century ago. As more mature women choose to have children and as 3D ultrasound technology becomes more of a commodity, Philips presents a next generation look at fetal scanning.
Key Details - System of 4 interrelated concepts
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The Pregnancy Room is a cozy, soothing private space ideal for scanning sessions. The brightness of the warm, ambient lighting is reduced during the scan and subsequent fetus review, allowing both imaging specialist and parents to view and enjoy the 4-D Baby Visualization on the Presentation Bump in a pleasant, intimate atmosphere.
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The Seat and integrated Scanning Belt accommodates couples in privacy and comfort. Its curved double seat invites them to sit next to each other and share the experience. The integrated Scanning Belt enables fast, hygienic scanning.
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The Presentation Bump and 4-D Baby Visualization allows the imaging specialist to provide parents with a clear explanation of the information contained in the latest scan of their baby, as well as a seamless demonstration of how the fetus has grown, starting with the initial scan and ending with the latest, on a tummy-shaped wall. A delight for parents, it allows them to intuitively explore an enchanting, hyper-realistic 4-D representation of their baby (i.e. a 3D representation, plus the ability to move back and forth in time).
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The Bebescope is a wireless portable device onto which the regular scans, including the baby’s heartbeat, are uploaded so that they can be reviewed in the comfort of the parents’ home. By imitating the imaging specialist’s hand movements on the Presentation Bump, parents use the Bebescope to move backwards or forwards in time to view a recording of their baby’s growth, or simply rotate their ‘virtual’ baby in any direction for the view of their choice.
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The Control Tablet provides imaging specialists with an advanced, easy-use portable interface for operating the Celebrating Pregnancy system and assessing the state of fetal growth. Scanning and imaging procedures are activated using a touch screen, while the integrated algorithms automate routine examinations.
Proposed commercial/consumer uses
There is a need for comforting, yet professional pregnancy facilities where parents can experience their pregnancy in an informative, playful and personal way. The elements in ‘Celebrating Pregnancy’ can be used in many different scenarios such as:
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Medical treatments, such as heart scanning, where ultrasound technologies would currently be used
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Monitoring degenerative injuries or diseases via 4D visualization
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Monitoring sports injuries via 4D visualization, particularly in professional athletes
Insight
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Ultrasound scanning during pregnancy will be more focused on the emotional experience rather than the clinical
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3D ultrasound technology is becoming more common, therefore new types of pregnancy and delivery environments are emerging
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Later and higher risk pregnancy will require more close monitoring and check ups, so 4D monitoring can show changes and improvements to any potentially harmful conditions
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| 'Ambient Healing Space’ Concept |
| ‘Ambient Healing Space’ – a hospital scenario for the future
Wouldn’t it be amazing if, while in hospital, patients could relax, feel comfortable and focus on participating in their own care? Imagine providing patients with multi-purpose spaces where they can rest and feel comfortable talking to their families, fellow patients and medical staff. Imagine customizable healing spaces, even in shared patient rooms where patients can choose privacy or sociability, where medical information flows seamlessly from doctor to patient. Imagine a patient room that feels more like a hotel suite than an institutional unit, and where the focus is on comfort and service. Imagine placing patients in entertaining, non-confrontational environments that are tailored to their personal needs, and which put them in control of everything from lighting to audio.
Care for patients
When a patient is recovering from an illness, nothing feels better than being in one’s own home, near personal comforts, close to family and friends. Paradoxically, hospitals strive to be neutral spaces, preventing patients from adapting their surroundings to gain that sense of comfort. By using groundbreaking ambient lighting, graphics and communications systems, Philips will demonstrate a solution that enables patients to tailor their surroundings and bridge the gap between the hospital and the patient’s home by providing a customized environment designed around the patient’s physical and emotional needs for comfort and communication. Patients want to be informed and reassured at any moment during their hospital stay. And they are making choices as empowered consumers - demanding better service and a more collaborative relationship with their doctors. Such an innovative environment could enable doctors to communicate better during consultations and could help patients to better understand their diagnosis and treatment - and thus promote faster recovery and hopefully fewer repeat visits to hospital. ‘Ambient Healing Space’ explores ways to personalize hospital stays, making the experience more welcoming and more comfortable for patients, while providing healthcare professionals with a uniquely transparent, resource-rich environment in which to do their work.
Key Details - System of 6 interrelated concepts
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Transformable Patient Room with Two-Level Bed - Designed to suit both the needs of patients and care providers, the Transformable Patient Room and its Two-Level Bed switch seamlessly between ‘private mode’ and ‘clinical mode’ whenever medical personnel enter or leave the room, ensuring the space ‘feels clinical’ only during essential visits
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Interactive Room Divider and Patient Translation - This bi-functional screen provides patients with comfort and privacy by allowing them to personalize their space using a range of wallpaper-like patterns and personal messages. By translating detailed medical data into a highly visual, jargon-free format it also helps doctors help their patients understand their current medical condition and recovery prognosis
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Body Sensing Blanket - No wires, no cables. The Body Sensing Blanket lets patients move as freely in their hospital beds as they would at home, while simultaneously benefiting from non-stop, 24/7 monitoring during recovery. The Body Sensing Blanket’s embedded sensors regularly monitor a variety of vital signs and key bodily functions including heartbeat, temperature, hydration, blood pressure, etc.
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Integrated Wake-Up Light – In a very gradual transition from ‘night mode’ to ‘daytime mode’ the Integrated Wake-Up Light gently wakes the patient. The system works by analyzing the patient’s biorhythm to identify his or her ideal wake-up time. The room itself also reacts to the patient’s sleeping patterns by gradually brightening the overall room lighting when the patient wakes and reducing it when the patient dozes off
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Home Video Link - Situated at the pillow end of the bed, The Home Video Link allows patients to stay in touch with loved ones at any time of the day or night, thereby contributing to their sense or comfort and recovery
Proposed commercial/consumer uses
A transformable room designed around the patient’s needs – from personal to clinical, and from private to social. The elements in ‘Ambient Healing Space’ can be used in many different scenarios such as:
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Hotels
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Office space (adjustable lighting, video link)
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Beauty/Holistic treatment centers
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Dental offices
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Sports medicine facilities
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Elderly care homes
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The home
Insight
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Stress reduction is, of course, key to mental wellbeing and the healing process. Many factors can lead to patients feeling stressed, from anxiety about treatment to not feeling in control of your surroundings. The challenge is to create an environment that is fit for purpose, soothing to the patient and adaptable to different illnesses/circumstances for the most effective use of space
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A patient’s environment has an impact on the healing process and ability to feel relaxed and comfortable, yet hospitals often strive to be neutral spaces without offering any possibilities for its occupants to personalize their environment or make it more comfortable for their stay
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The US Census Bureau estimates that by 2050 the world population will have reached between 9.07 billion and 11 billion. And according to the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the elderly are going to outnumber the young for the first time in history
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More and more, patients are becoming more knowledgeable about healthcare matters and are taking action to find out about illnesses and treatments for themselves and their families often via the internet. Their demand for specific information and medical records will increase
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But care is also about emotion. Patients and their families want comfort and peace of mind, but cannot necessarily understand the intricacies of a given illness without medical training. A system that can show complex medical information in visual terms can help patients understand and become part of the healthcare process
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