In 2019, the project partners Spek Design, Uni Siegen, Häfele SE & Co Kg, Tennagels GmbH, IOX GmbH, Nyris GmbH, and Hochschule Düsseldorf came together to develop an ‘intelligent’ table for the research program for human-technology interaction ‘Intelligente, vernetzte Gegenstände für den Alltag‘ (Intelligent, Networked Objects for Everyday Life).
As the table is the place where people come together and engage with each other regularly, it is often considered the heart of the private living space in the west. In this case, the table serves as infrastructure to enable various applications with the goal of fostering connections between participants. WeHub, the interactive table projector, serves to support shared, cross-generational communication between participants by projecting visual media, recognizing different objects visually and using external smart devices, for example to control lighting. It is controlled by a set of haptic, tangible modules that trigger ‘social apps’ designed to strengthen the social bonds between users and the WeHub Smartphone App that allows for input and control of complex content.
The ‘Dinnertable Communicator’ was specifically developed as a consumer product that is distinct from daylight projectors in the workplace: By using high quality materials like oak wood and bronze, WeHub integrates itself seamlessly into home spaces and can enjoy similar acceptance on the dinner table as flowers or decor objects. The Jury of the Focus Open 2023 praised both its design and the vision of creating a shared digital togetherness that is opposed to the digital isolation of smartphones.
After the project was officially completed in 2022, it was nominated for the UX Design Awards 2022 and won the Focus Open 2023 Special Mention Design Price. Furthermore, it has been featured in BM Issue 03/2023 and InteriorFashion Issue 04/2024.