M-Smart, Midea’s Internet of Things “smart home” program, picked up two honours at the iF Product Design Awards at the end of January. Held in Germany, the iF is one of the top four design accolades in the world and this year honoured the M-Smart security set and the 2nd generation Bubble robot.
The M-Smart security set, containing a passive infrared detector and combustible gas detector, smoke detector and burglar alarm, is characterised by simplicity in both appearance and user experience. With a minimum of wiring and plugs to deal with upon installation, the whole process can be completed in half an hour.
It also boasts low power consumption, offering long battery life. As part of Midea’s M-Smart system, its items can be controlled on a smartphone along with all other products in the series.
Also among the winners was Midea’s 2nd-generation Bubble Robot, a voice robot whose design is inspired by a teru teru bōzu, a traditional Japanese doll and talisman which is believed to have magical powers to bring good weather. Its features include voice recognition, pattern recognition, and sensor identification technology. It is also part of the M-Smart system and can be controlled as such, forwarding Midea’s principle of improving lives through technology.
The iF Product Design Award
The iF Product Design Award was introduced in 1954 and is annually conferred by the iF International Forum Design. Today, this award is regarded as one of the most important design competitions worldwide and is recognized as a symbol of design excellence.
Spanning multiple disciplines, each year the iF attracts more than 5,500 entries from around 60 nations, which are judged by renowned experts, with the best of them receiving an iF seal of outstanding design quality.
