Nok
2024Industry brief from
Project at Loughborough University
Handle
Handle is a connected door-handle concept for shared living, designed to make everyday invitations easier while respecting time alone. Developed in response to a Panasonic industry brief, it uses the doorway as a place to communicate availability, respond to plans and acknowledge a visit.
A circular display signals whether someone is free, focused or resting. A small sliding control lets visitors leave a “Delayed Knock”, recording their visit without an immediate interruption. The proposal connects these interactions with a phone app and a shared activity display.
Availability is visible before anyone knocks. Green signals openness to social plans, blue indicates focus and a purple moon marks rest. In focus and rest modes, visitors can slide the control to leave a record of their visit for the resident to check later.
Interviews with residents highlighted a reluctance to knock when someone might be busy or asleep. Sketches, CAD studies and physical form models explored how a display and sliding input could fit within a familiar door handle, refining proportions, grip and reach.
The wider system links the handle to a phone app and a display in the common area. Invitations can be sent to available housemates and accepted with a slide of the control; shared plans and notices remain visible in the spaces where people already meet.
Handle
2024