ruwido_ruwido 22/04/2015 08:18 Page 1
ruwido turns a new leaf
for remotes
The remote control specialist
has set new standards in
design and function as it
brings the thinnest device
ever made to market.
the user’s behaviour.”
So, the right blend for optimum control
and attractiveness is voice and haptic
interaction. “It is essential that we continue
to identify the interaction mechanisms that
have already been proven to work, while
adapting and enhancing them to meet the
evolving needs of today’s TV landscape.”
Getting the elusive blend of these elements
right is what ruwido calls ‘emotional product
architecture’ and it is developed through
intensive consumer research and laboratory
testing.
hree years ago, all the talk was
of gesture control for the TV,
and two years ago, many said
the remote would be replaced by
smart devices. But five years ago,
ruwido conducted behavioural
research to predict what kind of
developments the consumer would
welcome. “That kind of scientific
research is our insurance,” explains
Ferdinand Maier, CEO of ruwido. “It
told us that voice was acceptable for
certain functions but gesture is not,
and that is how it has worked out.”
Today eighty per cent of our products
include a microphone for voice control – but
only as an additional method of searching
for content within our multimodal input
devices. It is natural that when you are
looking for something that you ask for it –
‘let me see films starring Leonardo Di
Caprio’ – for example. But not when
navigating or when controlling functions; no
one wants to sit in their living room telling
the TV ‘next, next, next’ or, ‘volume up, up,
up.’”
“As well as search, the other thing voice
is very useful for is identification, so voice
biometrics can identify the user within the
family and present the appropriate
personalised options, options the UI is
constantly ‘learning’ how to improve from
T
“design is
soul”
ruwido doesn’t believe smart phones will
ever replace the remote control as the phone
is an essentially private device while the
remote is inevitably public with multiple
users. But it did want to create the same
emotional appeal like the slim, smooth
aesthetic of the smart phone and combine it
with simple but highly effective and
naturalistic control.
The latest product of this intensive
process is leaf. The name, very simply,
comes from the form factor – it is the
slimmest consumer electronics device
available at just 2.97 millimetres deep. It is
the ultimate example of what the company
calls its ‘thinsizing’ philosophy. “Thinsizing,“
says Maier, “is about removing the mass of
inputs and technologies consumers have to
deal with and focusing on how users want to
interact in and with their TV environment.”
leaf is fabricated from aluminium and
carbon composite and, despite its profile
ruwido reaps awards
ruwido is focused on creating input
devices that touch emotions and are a
joy to own and a joy to use. The
adherence to this philosophy and deep
commitment to quality has enabled the
company to excel in the development of
“Our product solutions have to be
effective, efficient and create user
satisfaction. We see the fact that we have
received more than 25 awards and
nominations within the last two years as
a validation of our unique approach and
new interaction techniques and user
experience excellence.
recognition of our dedication to design,
new technologies, materials, construction
12 TVE@TV Connect
and utility,” says Ferdinand Maier, CEO.
“Among the awards received are the
prestigious red dot design award,
German Design Award, iF design award,
Good Design Award as well as the label
shortlisted for the TV Connect Industry
Awards, each of them judged by an
independent jury of experts.”