**4. Conclusion**

The aim of this chapter was to undertake a study about the influence of technology in the form of products that incorporate technology, using a standard methodology developed for this purpose. Examples of products and their shape changes over time were presented. Attempts to understand the extent to which these changes are consequences of the developments in technology were put forward, and the importance of technology as a determinant of the shape of products that incorporate technology was demonstrated based on three cases.

A review of the evolution of form, taking into account the technology of a selected range of consumer products that incorporate technology, with the aim of deconstructing archetypes that are fixed and propose new ideas was accomplished. In particular, a range of technologies that are foreseen for the future were considered, and these were also the subject of study in this contribution, and are expected to enable new designs and future forms for a great variety of products, which in some cases may be subject to a deconstruction of the archetype of the object's shape.

Selecting specific cases of products, from a historical perspective, one could see what have been the determinants of their shape, which led to the establishment of their archetypal form. A comparative methodology was developed, in order to hint at the role of technology as a determinant of the shape of products.

Understanding the importance of technology as a modelling influence for products' form, what role this has in the consumer society and what is its responsibility as a major element

necessitates creating a categorization that considers the many changes in technology

This categorization served throughout the study reported in this chapter to frame the kind of change that occurred in the product after another technology incorporated it. Thus, changes were classified according to variations that occurred during the passage of television sets by various technologies (CRT, LCD, LCD + LED, PDP and OLED), as well as the shape changes resulting from the passage of irons by various technologies (non-electric, electric power and the principle of energy harvesting - EH), and, finally the changes in the vacuum cleaner with the emergence of various technologies (mechanical - human strength,

Thus it is possible to characterize the changes that occur in the products that were studied,

1st type - change in the shape of the product caused by changing technology (appearance of a new technology or application of an existing technology but that was never used in this type of product) which leads to a visible shift in the product shape, yet the product as an

2nd type - product change, in situations where technology change is not reflected so much in changing the shape of the product, but is responsible for modification of performance and improved efficiency, keeping the product as an existing object and proceeding to surface shape change in order to signal the increased performance to consumers, and, finally, 3rd type - cessation of existence of the product as such, in situations where the change in technology leads to a deconstruction of the product as an object, leaving behind the

The aim of this chapter was to undertake a study about the influence of technology in the form of products that incorporate technology, using a standard methodology developed for this purpose. Examples of products and their shape changes over time were presented. Attempts to understand the extent to which these changes are consequences of the developments in technology were put forward, and the importance of technology as a determinant of the shape of products that incorporate technology was demonstrated based

A review of the evolution of form, taking into account the technology of a selected range of consumer products that incorporate technology, with the aim of deconstructing archetypes that are fixed and propose new ideas was accomplished. In particular, a range of technologies that are foreseen for the future were considered, and these were also the subject of study in this contribution, and are expected to enable new designs and future forms for a great variety of products, which in some cases may be subject to a

Selecting specific cases of products, from a historical perspective, one could see what have been the determinants of their shape, which led to the establishment of their archetypal form. A comparative methodology was developed, in order to hint at the role of technology

Understanding the importance of technology as a modelling influence for products' form, what role this has in the consumer society and what is its responsibility as a major element

products. This is a tripartite categorization, which is divided into three variations.

electrical - without Artificial Intelligence, robotics and MEMS).

archetypes and stereotypes hitherto associated with the product.

deconstruction of the archetype of the object's shape.

as a determinant of the shape of products.

within the following three categories:

object remains;

**4. Conclusion** 

on three cases.

in the deconstruction of the archetypes of form was also focused in this contribution. The influence of technology in the transformation of products was demonstrated, considering three distinct types of alterations caused by changes in technology, in a tripartite view.

Following the study of the technologies, which was methodologically structured, and concerned the technologies embedded in the three products in analysis, in the past and with a forward view (technology that is foreseen for the future), a scenario is proposed, with new designs for the products that have been studied (Figures 4, 5 and 6). It is emphasized that the product as a physical object may disappear or may be dissolved in the environment or building architecture, with the advent of emerging technologies and their new capabilities.

Fig. 4. Multiple applications of OLED technology in a living room (lighting, shading, dynamic wall art gallery, TV monitor).

In the case presented in Figure 4, dematerialization of a product (TV set) and its blending with architecture is enabled by the ultra-thin OLED technology. This technology also enables new applications, including, as depicted, lighting, shading and a dynamic wall art gallery. This case leads to question the role of industrial design in this foreseen evolution. Understanding people and their relation to artefacts, interaction design and concept creation (even if devoid of a three dimensional form) are bound to be design domains that industrial designers should focus on in supporting this kind of design endeavour.

The conceptual design presented for an energy self-sufficient travel iron (Figure 5), represents an archetypal leap from the traditional shape of this product, which caters to sustainability concerns. Independence of energy supply is bound to be another guiding theme to foster the creation by industrial designers of new product archetypes to perform functionality that had been tied to a fixed product concept.

Technology as a Determinant of Object Shape 19

emerging technologies selected will have a future in the market, or even a future in the product (or application) that has been studied. The fact that emerging technologies are still developing, makes their performance characteristics modifiable and changeable in a short time span. It is also noteworthy that the current concerns about environmental sustainability have led governments to constrain the free operation of markets which can alter the dynamics of competition for emerging technologies, seeking to accelerate the implementation of more sustainable alternatives, and restricting the widespread adoption of other technologies, which may discourage the implementation of some emerging

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Fig. 5. Energy self-sufficient travel iron.

Fig. 6. System for unloading and battery charge of robotic vacuum cleaner.

The conceptual design presented in Figure 6 represents an incremental shape evolution from one of the current shape archetypes for vacuum cleaners. As growing automation and convenience for consumers proceeds, industrial designers are also bound to play an important role in establishing links with past era designs, and as such provide consumers in this digital age, objects that enable reminiscing of past eras, with a shape that cues their functionality, providing a deliberate a link with traditional shapes.

There are limitations in the methodologies presented in this chapter, which will be alleviated if the prerequisites that are necessary for their effective use are met. The methodologies and categorization are only deemed suitable for application in products that incorporate technology for their operation. It is important for the deployment of these methodologies to have knowledge on emerging technologies and on the history of the product or devices that have been used for implementation of a particular functionality.

There are some historical cases of technologies that have failed, and that were put aside, because there was an arrest of the market by a technology already implemented. This happened for example with Sony's Beta video system, which was of higher quality than Philip's VHS (Video Home System), but the latter prevailed (despite the better quality of the Beta video system), because films existed in greater quantities in the VHS format, which led to the decrease of availability of films in Beta format. There is no guarantee that the three emerging technologies selected will have a future in the market, or even a future in the product (or application) that has been studied. The fact that emerging technologies are still developing, makes their performance characteristics modifiable and changeable in a short time span. It is also noteworthy that the current concerns about environmental sustainability have led governments to constrain the free operation of markets which can alter the dynamics of competition for emerging technologies, seeking to accelerate the implementation of more sustainable alternatives, and restricting the widespread adoption of other technologies, which may discourage the implementation of some emerging technologies.
