IGLOO

What it does

Igloo is an intelligent lamp connected to your home which is able to communicate the electricity consumption by varying the color of the light that spreads. Is the new simple smart object connected with your home that helps you to learn and reduce energy waste

Your inspiration

I started from the problem of detaching the circuit breaker. When the KW threshold is exceeded, the meter disconnects the electricity and the house remains without light. Most of the times the counter is placed in the basement or in uncomfortable places, outside the house. That’s why I thought of creating an instrument that could easily communicate to me when this was about to happen. Idea has evolved in wanting to communicate, not only the moment of maximum consumption but also to be aware of all live consumptions in our homes. In this way, you can save energy in a simple and intelligent way, just like it happens in the Igloo of the Eskimos.

How it works

A plug and play amperometric detector is positioned in the electrical panel of the house,it read live consumption with precision and it sends them to the Cloud that analyzes and sends data to the lamp that converts them into light.Thanks to the precision of the reading sensor, you can understand in detail, what type of appliance is on and what is being consumed. With the technology of machine learning, you can predict the consumption of the user and give advice about a better use of home devices and how to consume in a conscious manner.Through a connected App you can see details and tips on how to consume less and responsibly. The goal is to empower and give daily awareness of what is being consumed in our homes. With Igloo App the user can see details of live consumption, the electrical appliance statistics and how much is paying. The App sends an alert when the consumptions are very high and also some suggestions to help user reducing electrical waste.

Design process

Initially we started with a series of questionnaires regarding people's habits regarding the consumption and the interaction with devices at home. Thanks to the results, the first prototype has taken a definite shape, suitable to position itself in different rooms of the house. The first test was done by connecting a light bulb, a kettle and a hairdryer to a circuit made with Arduino, which communicated the values to the lamp that changed color. This was very helpful to notice the interests and opinions of the users. Then, the prototype was improved and implemented, by inserting a functioning amperometric sensor that could give true values on the consumption of the house. The design has been improved and the size reduced, with due to to the first prototype and the opinions of the first users. A strong point is based on the communication of a complex and not immediately quantifiable data as energy consumption, turning it into a simple color, intuitive and direct. For this reason, Igloo is attractive and usable by everyone, from adults to the little ones.

How it is different

Most of the sensors, for detecting electrical consumption on the market, are limited very often to give a digital data, which is too technical and not very understandable for people. From the interviews it appeared that most users of these systems are not able to understand the actual consumption of their own energy. IGLOO differs especially in this aspect, in fact it manages to communicate a complex and very technical data, with the simplest and most understandable way: colors and light.The blue color indicates consumption is regular,while when consumption increases the lamp will emanate different colors shades from yellow to red. IGLOO helps the user and empowers him to consume less energy, stimulating him with the psychology of the colors to want to improve his habits reducing costs and energy wastage.

Future plans

The next step is to close an emerging partnership with an important reality of National power supplier, in order to engineer and complete all product certifications. Then, the goal will be to propose the product internationally and at the same time develop further concepts related to the smart home and IOT projects.

Awards

We won the 1st prize as best startup at Call for Ideas "You dream, you believe" announced by ILLUMIA. In particular: Best project idea for Smart Home related to the world of energy consumption in the domestic field.