AbstractsEngineering

Technological advancements in Photovoltaic (PV) technology has made possible for the PV cell implementation in variety of consumer products. The design of PV powered consumer electronic products is still immature due to low understanding about the technology, especially in low irradiance indoor environment where consumer products are often used. The faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft is investing in research which can aid in designing consumer products incorporating PV technology. Current on-going research at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering is about “Design Guideline for PV powered Consumer Products for Indoor Use“. Under this particular research a set of design guidelines are being developed which will aid designers in developing PV powered consumer products for use in the indoor environment. The following graduation project will serve a chance to the researchers to validate their guidelines by observing the design process. The graduation project is a design assignment commissioned by the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at the Technical University of Delft, Netherlands. The project first explored the opportunity to have a photovoltaic powered lighting product, which failed to match the project requirements. A reformulation of the project finally resulted an innovative product concept called ‘Displo’ which provides the user with a simple and easy way to bridge the gap between their digital and analogue life. Displo is a product which lets you present your digital content like pictures or notes in a physical form akin to print-outs or Post-Its. To do so Displo use Electrophoretic Ink display technology. Displo is powered using Photovoltaic (solar) technology. You do not need to replace the battery or fetch the charger every time the battery is low. Just place the Displo dock in a well-lit area - preferably near the window - and it will be ready to use when you want it.