Layer and Deutsche Telekom bring sci-fi style to domestic devices

‘Near-future’ tech is intended to hover on our peripheral vision, indicating what’s just around the corner and influencing future decisions about which devices and eco-systems we adopt. Benjamin Hubert and his consultancy Layer are no strangers to working on the bleeding edge of industrial design, giving shape to freshly minted visions and helping companies craft and present new services.

From Nio to Moroso, Bang & Olufsen to Airbus, as well as start-ups like Croft, Resonate and Nolii, Layer has become the go-to industrial design studio for visionary thinking (and recently won a Wallpaper* Design Award 2024 for Earth Rated’s sustainable dog toys)

Concept T: three near-future home devices

The latest suite of concepts to come out of the London-based studio was developed in collaboration with Deutsche Telekom (owner of T-Mobile) and launched at the 2024 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. ‘Concept T’ explores the ways in which Deutsche Telekom’s data services might evolve over the next few years, drawing together sculpture, functionalism and playfulness.

First up is a modular router system, Concept Level, comprising four elements, a display unit, a mesh repeater, a WiFi sensor and a computational element. Each is rendered as a geometric form, and can be arranged in any order, or updated independently. The agency describes it as ‘challenging the conventional language of high-tech devices’, by creating something that can be proudly placed on display, rather than hidden behind the sofa.

Next up is Concept View, ‘the new face of connectivity’. The View is billed as the very first ‘holographic home hub’, a three-dimensional video telephone of the future that combines a virtual assistant with holographic display technology. This isn’t just the sneaky application of augmented reality; the technology actually exists and uses Deutsche Telekom’s network to allow face-to-face communication that goes far beyond the Zoom call. 

The dome-like device can also be used to display three-dimensional imagery, with onboard depth cameras that scan whatever you need to display on your call.

Finally, there’s Concept Buddy. Home robots might be nothing new, but Buddy is one of the first to go all-out on AI integration. Capable of displaying information – be it media, calls, reminders or simply an expressive face – on its screen, the wheeled device is intended to be a mobile home companion that adapts to your routines.

Initially, this kind of device will be targeted at users who need a sensor-rich device to monitor them when another human isn’t available; think of it as a watchdog blended with the ethos of a nurse, monitoring everything from medication intake to plant hygiene and air-quality levels, as well as taking care of calls and messages.

Hubert and his team have been working on the Concept T suite for the past 18 months, collaborating closely with Deutsche Telekom’s own Design and Customer Experience department. ‘[These] aren’t just concepts but functional prototypes and we have had to be extremely cross-disciplinary within the Layer team to deliver,’ he says. ‘Our technologists, engineers, digital and physical designers, and communications experts have worked together to create an immersive installation that is a showcase for the possible future of home connectivity.’

Layer, layerdesign.com, @layer_design, @benjaminhubert

Deutsche Telekom, Telekom.com