Overview
Time: 1+years (project has been ongoing for ~2yrs)Team: Part of SFU team
Role: Interaction Designer (GUI team + Embedded Technologies team)
A collaborative project between Simon Fraser University (SFU), University of Waterloo, and Ryerson University to build a solar house for the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2009. The three universities make up "Team North" The Solar Decathlon is held every two years and this year there are 20 teams worldwide that have been shortlisted and are competing this October in Washington DC.
SFU's participation includes a team from the School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) working on the Adaptive Living Interface System (ALIS). The aim of ALIS is to facilitate solar-powered living by supporting informed energy use decisions, and by transparently integrating energy consciousness into the daily routines of the residents – both inside and outside of the home. ALIS allows residents to control North House, and provides feedback and incentives through a set of distributed interfaces. These functions are available throughout the home across different platforms that are tailored to their location and intended use. ALIS includes four interface components: i) the Ambient Canvas, ii) three Touch Control Panels, iii) a Desktop Web Application, and iv) an iPhone Application. Each of these components was designed to address the different needs of the resident. Together, the various ALIS components are designed to reduce the complexity of solar-powered living and to encourage net-zero living by ubiquitously supporting the resident in energy use decisions throughout their daily life.