Open-Mirror connects to your iPhone or iPod and the music can be controlled by natural gestures even without touching the screen. That’s because the Open Mirror is set up with an advanced sensors based interface.

In the stand-by position the mirror is almost a full oval shape.The shape is divided in the lower part by a line of light that suggests the direction of the decomposition of the whole figure.

The sliding movement reveals the functions of the product. The docking station comes out and a different light start to illuminate the area where the sensors are active.

Open Mirror started basically with some experiments concerning gestural interfaces. Thanks to Arduino we had the opportunity to develop a such an interface relatively quickly. The results of that experimentation were pretty good - so we kept going. This leads us to the idea to use that interface in a stereo for the bathroom, that you can control without making it wet and ruining the electronics. Basically, That’s how Open Mirror came to life.

If you want to control the music in your bathroom, just walk up to the mirror and use gestures to change what’s playing. You can for example, just swipe beneath the mirror to change the song that’s playing or keep your hand steady in order to adjust the volume.

Basically, we started practicing DIY in order to make prototypes for our clients as our main work is product design. Around 10 years ago we bought a very basic 3D printer. After a while we had the chance to meet the Arduino PCB and his inventor M.Banzi as colleague teaching at university. At that point we started the idea to make hybrids of mechanical and electronic products using DIY but aiming to the final quality of other real products on the market far from the tons of experiments that you see online and frequently in exhibitions.

The fast process of experimentation using rapid prototyping techniques (FABLAB + ARDUINO) lead us to develop and test several phase prototypes, that led us to evolve the project quickly and very fast forward in the right direction.

Apart from hardware components, we developed an in-house electronic board and software. Our starting point was Arduino, a couple of cables, sensors and actuators and various code lines.

After the several prototypes, going back and forth with the interface, cell phone and Bluetooth compatibility and appropriate electronic components, we came up with our own Electronic board, with multi functional capabilities (light, sound, various inputs and outputs). In this way we could ensure a stable platform, the necessary capabilities, the quality and the price that we want.

Our main interest was to bring a digitally crafted product, made by us in our Fablab, easily customizable and upgrade able. We wanted to give the possibility to the user to get directly from us on our webpage, give them the opportunity to buy from the electronic board alone, the ready to assemble mirror KIT or the Finished product. We consider also to offered via design web-shops interested in this kind of products.

Our projects are based their impact on three ideas: open design, digital manufacturing, natural interface. In all of these three fields we add some valued in the global state of the art. Physical computing gives a new approach to the discipline of HCI (human computer interaction). People are more skilled in moving their bodies or hands in the space than grasping mouse or keyboards or touching displays. Natural gesture is a way of giving input that humans already know by their common experience.

All components are manufaturable using the more common machinery available in a Fab Lab. Technical drawings, 3Ds, software, etc. are available for free downloading from our web site. We are fascinated by the idea that there are other modes of producing things. DIY and Open-Source offers us a way to design and release completely new and different products. We don’t need to go ‘big scale’ and use industrial fabrication, but instead we can choose to do low volume fabrication runs and offer customizable products. It also allows us to experiment with different price points: You can get the fully assembled Open Mirror in our store, but you’ll also be able to get the self-assemble kit for a lower price. Or you just download the schematics and build it on your own - completely free. I think this is a great way to allow for diversity and customizability in your products: People who want to have an individual product can simply build it on their own.