View | Technology & interior design: How IoT, AR & VR are changing the way we look at spaces

Have you watched Toy Story? That’s what interior designing looks like with the help of technology. It is fast, fun, and fascinating. From doorstep availability of essentials and apparels to advancement in high-end designing and medical science, cutting-edge technology has upgraded almost every aspect of human life in the 21st century. The ubiquitous internet has made it simple for anyone to learn, ideate, and implement concepts across the globe. IoT (Internet of Things), Augmented Reality (AR,) and Virtual Reality (VR) have been the game changers in making dreams come true.

For interior designers, the groundbreaking technical innovations have been a blessing in disguise. With the help of AR and VR, they can have a 98 percent closure rate when presenting their work to the client. While AR allows to place the virtual 3D models in the real environment to get an idea of what the space will look like after furnishing it, VR creates a made-up environment including products and everything else included in the project. Similarly, the role of IoT is to connect every dot to define the most intricate spaces.

Let us find out more:

First, let us understand how these technologies work. If you know the famous online game Pokémon Go, you will easily understand the concept of AR. It merges the real and virtual worlds to make the understanding and implementation easy in any project or given task. On the other hand, VR is a virtual environment or surrounding that makes you feel as if you are a part of it.

Pointing a smartphone at an image can give an entire virtual tour to the client. There are a lot of applications available with AR and VR further broadening the horizons for interior designers. It helps reduce the need for expensive and time-consuming property staging. It also helps marketers’ reach to get in touch with distant buyers. It gives a real representation of how the project will look in a 3D mode of representation that looks real. With the help of VR, one can explore every room or block of the interior and understand the direction of spaces to make any changes or suggestions. It is like you are walking in someone’s idea of your future home.

The Internet of Things connects everything around the space to the phone. One can operate it with fingertips. With smart lighting, people are connected to lights with Alexa or Google Assistant. You can change colours, dim them and set timing as per your requirement. Such applications are especially useful to kids and physically challenged people. There are IoT-enabled devices that maintain the indoor climate control and with the smart entertainment systems where the audio system can be seamlessly integrated into the home.

Simultaneously, to an interior designer, the IoT feature can connect everything without taking much effort. For example, if a client wishes to include a smart glass window, with the help of IoT, the interior designer can show various versions in the same glass window. He/she can show different colors, change clear to dark when exposed to ultraviolet light. In any of the cases, the window is controlled through remote control or smartphone application.