Polabox

Decomputation, Royal College of Art

Role: Researcher and Designer

Collaborator: Christian Pecher

Skills: prototyping, field research, interviewing, product design

Inspired by the concept of telepresence (technologies referring to systems that allow a person to feel that they are present in a situation other than where they are physically present), Polabox allows the user to print photos sent from anywhere in the world with just one tap of a button.

The Polabox prototype was designed for elderly patients in care homes to be more connected to their loved ones. Through visiting with the elderly in London care homes, we found that a common desire was to see the sights and places their families were visiting and traveling. Physical photos were prominently displayed across rooms and were precious mementos for many.

To address this, we designed Polabox to use technology that instantly prints photos it is sent with a push of the button. Families can remotely send a photo to the Polabox, which then lights up. Once it is lit, the button can be pushed and the photo will be printed.