Latest news with #PassiveLogic
Associated Press
04-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Yutong Zhang's Transformative Journey in UI/UX Design for Robotics in Smart Elderly Care Solutions
03/04/2025, Pasadena, California // KISS PR Brand Story PressWire // Los Angeles, CA -As robots and automation increasingly influence our daily lives, the significance of user interface and experience (UI/UX) design has become paramount. Yutong Zhang is a visionary UI/UX designerreshaping how individuals engage with advanced technologies. Her work spans from developing intuitive interfaces for engineers implementing innovative building systems to designing user-friendly experiments for robots in elderly care, exemplifying the value of human-centered design in robotics. Yutong has played a crucial role in several innovative projects at Futronics and PassiveLogic, focusing on creating thoughtful and compelling user experiences. Her design philosophy emphasizes usability, empathy, and a profound understanding of user needs. As a Junior UI/UX Designer at PassiveLogic, she led design initiatives for building automation systems that have gained traction among prominent companies like Prologis and NVIDIA. At Futronics, Yutong contributed significantly to developing upper limb rehabilitation devices, prioritizing ease of use and empathy for vulnerable user groups. Her academic background is equally noteworthy. Yutong earned a Bachelor of Science in Interaction Design with distinction from the ArtCenter College of Design. She refined her expertise through a collaborative program at Tsinghua University, focusing on product development for aging populations. Her talent and commitment have earned her multiple prestigious accolades, including the RedDot Design Award and iF Design Award. In a recent interview, Yutong shared her insights on her design philosophy, the challenges of UI design for robotics, and her vision for the future of UI/UX in this dynamic field. Empathy is central to her approach; she believes understanding users' needs and experiences is crucial, whether designing innovative building systems or elderly care robots. For building automation, she emphasizes simplicity and efficiency for non-technical users, while in elderly care, accessibility and encouragement take precedence. Yutong addresses the challenges of creating user-friendly robots for non-technical users by bridging the gap between complex technologies and everyday interactions. She strives to develop intuitive designs that reduce cognitive load and utilize clear visual cues and straightforward controls to enhance user engagement. This focus is significant in elderly care, where a comforting interface can elevate the user experience significantly. Her designs reflect empathy through soft colors, straightforward typography, and inclusive language. She ensures that her interfaces accommodate various abilities, fostering user confidence instead of frustration. When integrating complex technologies like AI-driven predictive maintenance, Yutong simplifies complexity while retaining functionality, presenting information in an easily digestible format. Customization is another key aspect of Yutong's design philosophy. She incorporates role-based features to meet diverse user needs, such as designing dashboards in building automation that offer simplified views for non-technical users while providing detailed options for engineers. In her work with elderly care robots, she includes customization that adjusts task difficulty based on users' physical conditions and rehabilitation progress. Accessibility is fundamental to Yutong's approach. She integrates features like text-to-speech for visually impaired users, large touch targets for individuals with limited dexterity, and high-contrast color schemes to ensure her designs are inclusive and cater to a broad audience. As Yutong reflects on the trends influencing UI/UX design in robotics and automation, she notes the increasing integration of AI and machine learning, which allows for more adaptive and personalized user interfaces. The rise of voice-first interfaces is also notable, particularly for users with limited mobility or vision, while the emphasis on accessibility and inclusivity continues to grow. Yutong has recognized the importance of balancing user needs with business and technical constraints throughout her journey. Effective team communication and collaboration are essential for developing creative solutions that enhance user experience while meeting business objectives. Yutong Zhang's UI/UX design journey shows her commitment to enhancing human interaction with technology. Her focus on empathy, accessibility, and innovative design has redefined user experience possibilities in robotics and automation. As she continues to explore new horizons, Yutong remains dedicated to making technology more approachable, effective, and meaningful for all users. Her recent nomination for the UX Design Award for her competent elderly care solution further highlights her significant impact in the field.
Associated Press
05-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
PassiveLogic's Sense Nano Wins AHR Innovation Award for Breakthrough Building Sensor
SALT LAKE CITY, UT, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PassiveLogic, creator of the first platform for generative autonomy in buildings, announced today that its Sense Nano™ sensor has been awarded the 2025 AHR Innovation Award in the Tools and Instruments category. The AHR Innovation Awards, co-sponsored by the AHR Expo, ASHRAE, and AHRI, recognize the most inventive and original products, systems, and technologies showcased at the annual AHR Expo. Winners are selected by a panel of third-party ASHRAE member judges who evaluate all entries based on innovative design, creativity, application, value, and market impact. This recognition underscores the Sense Nano's significant contribution to advancing building technology and reshaping the HVACR industry. The Sense Nano stands out as the world's first truly wireless sensor, a breakthrough that promises to revolutionize how buildings are designed, constructed, and operated. This groundbreaking device harvests energy from its environment, eliminating the need for wires or batteries. This innovative approach to power not only simplifies installation but also allows for unprecedented flexibility in sensor placement, opening up new possibilities for comprehensive building monitoring and control. Measuring less than 2" in diameter, the Sense Nano's sleek, architecturally sensitive design houses seven distinct sensors: air temperature, radiant temperature, humidity, air pressure, light levels, occupant location services, and—when wired—indoor air quality. Its CNC machined aircraft alloy aluminum housing ensures durability while maintaining an elegant aesthetic that integrates seamlessly into any environment. The Sense Nano's compact size belies its powerful capabilities, providing a wealth of data crucial for creating truly intelligent and responsive building environments. The installation process of the Sense Nano is as innovative as its design. Using the companion Quantum Lens mobile application, the sensor's location is automatically recognized, enabling rapid deployment and seamless integration into the building's real-time digital twin. This streamlined process significantly reduces installation time and complexity, making it easier than ever to upgrade existing buildings with cutting-edge sensing technology. 'The Sense Nano represents a breakthrough in sensor technology, enabling us to push the boundaries of what's possible in autonomous buildings,' said Troy Harvey, CEO of PassiveLogic. 'This innovation enhances our ability to create truly human-centric environments that adapt and respond to occupants' needs in real-time. By providing high-fidelity data across multiple environmental parameters, the Sense Nano further enriches our autonomous systems, allowing buildings to become active participants in enhancing comfort, efficiency, and sustainability.' As a key component of PassiveLogic's ecosystem, the Sense Nano plays a vital role in enabling truly autonomous buildings. By providing constant high-fidelity data, it empowers the Hive Autonomous Platform to make intelligent control decisions and optimize building performance, creating environments that learn, adapt, and optimize themselves. This synergy between advanced sensing technology and artificial intelligence marks a significant step forward in the evolution of the build world, moving beyond simple automation to true autonomy. This AHR Innovation Award adds to the Sense Nano's growing list of accolades. In 2024, it received the prestigious Red Dot Design Award for Product Design, recognizing its outstanding aesthetic and functional design. Additionally, the Nano is a key component of PassiveLogic's Hive Autonomous Platform, which won the iF DESIGN AWARD also in 2024, further validating the company's commitment to excellence in both form and function. Experience the award-winning Sense Nano firsthand at AHR Expo 2025. Visit PassiveLogic at booths 1391 & 1191 to see live demos and discover how this innovative technology is revolutionizing building autonomy. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with the Sense Nano, explore its capabilities, and learn how it integrates with PassiveLogic's broader ecosystem to create truly autonomous buildings. About PassiveLogic PassiveLogic enables autonomy for controlled systems and unlocks collaboration between teams to manage those systems. PassiveLogic has reimagined how we design, build, operate, maintain, and manage infrastructural robots, whose current technology has remained unchanged for decades. By using revolutionary physics-based Quantum digital twins and leveraging the world's fastest AI compiler to simulate future-forward controls, PassiveLogic empowers users to easily create their own generative digital twins in minutes to launch autonomous control. This control optimizes for energy use, equipment longevity, and occupant comfort levels in real time for the system's lifetime. Autonomous control lays the foundation for decarbonization at scale and enables truly smart, connected cities. PassiveLogic is backed by leading investors including NVIDIA, Brookfield Growth, Addition, Keyframe Capital, noa (formerly A/O Proptech), RET Ventures, and Era Ventures.
