Jelle Saldien professor

Research Jelle Saldien

Research team

Expertise

The research in Interaction Design and Smart Products, powered by an expertise in facilitating a Sandbox Culture and "technology brokering", represents a holistic approach to understanding and improving the interactions between humans and technology. This research focuses on both the physical and digital aspects of future products as they are perceived by users. Central to this approach is the development of new prototyping methods and interfaces in Product Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). The emphasis is on creating engaging user experiences, particularly for smart products within a circular economy, where sustainability and adaptability are key. The Sandbox Culture within this research area strongly connects with the startup culture and Lean Innovation principles. This culture promotes an environment of experimentation and rapid iteration, characteristic of startups and lean innovation processes. The idea of 'fail fast, learn fast', prevalent in startups, is also embraced in the Sandbox Culture. This metaphorical sandbox allows for risk-free exploration, encouraging innovation and creative thinking. In this approach, technology brokering plays a significant role, identifying problems and seeking creative technological solutions. This aligns with the Lean Startup methodology, where minimum viable products (MVPs) are developed to quickly learn from user feedback and make iterative improvements. The research focuses on early stakeholder involvement to ensure product innovation meets real-world needs and expectations. Information interface design is another key area, focusing on making information accessible and understandable to users. Furthermore, the design of open modular systems for smart products in a circular economy is explored, aiming at enhancing product flexibility, customization, and sustainability. This comprehensive research approach aims to not only advance the field of interaction design and smart product development but also to foster an environment of continuous learning and innovation.

IDLab - Internet and Data Lab 01/01/2021 - 31/12/2026

Abstract

The IOF consortium IDLab is composed of academic supervisors at the IDLab Research Group, a UAntwerp research group with members from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Applied Engineering. IDLab develops innovative digital solutions in the area of two main research lines: (1) Internet technologies, focusing on wireless networking and Internet of Things (IoT), and (2) Data science, focussing on distributed intelligence and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The mission of the IDLab consortium is to be the number one research and innovation partner in Flanders and leading partner worldwide, in the above research areas, especially applied in a city and its metropolitan surroundings (industry, ports & roads). To realize its mission, IDLab looks at integrated solutions from an application and technology perspective. From an application point of view, we explicitly provide solutions for all stakeholders in metropolitan areas aiming to cross-fertilize these applications. From a technological point of view, our research includes hardware prototyping, connectivity and AI, enabling us to provide a complete integrated solution to our industrial partners from sensor to software. Over the past years, IDLab has been connecting the city and its surroundings with sensors and actuators. It is time to (1) reliably and efficiently connect the data in an integrated way to (2) turn them into knowledgeable insights and intelligent actions. This perfectly matches with our two main research lines that we want to extensively valorise the upcoming years. The IDLab consortium has a unique position in the Flemish eco-system to realize this mission as it is strategically placed across different research and innovation stakeholders: (1) IDLab is a research group embedded in the Strategic Research Centre imec, a leading research institute in the domain of nano-electronics, and more recently through groups such as IDLab, in the domain of digital technology. (2) IDLab has a strategic link with IDLab Ghent, a research group at Ghent University. While each group has its own research activities, we define a common strategy and for the Flemish ecosystem, we are perceived as the leading partner in the research we are performing. (3) IDLab is the co-founder of The Beacon, an Antwerp-based eco-system on innovation where start-ups, scale ups, etc. that work on IoT and AI solutions for the city, logistics, mobility and industry 4.0 come together. (4) Within the valorisation at UAntwerp, IDLab contributes to the valorisation within the domain 'Metropolitanism, Smart City and Mobility'. To realize our valorisation targets, IDLab will define four valorisation programs: VP1: Emerging technologies for next-generation IoT; VP2: Human-like artificial Intelligence; VP3: Learning at the edge; VP4: Deterministic communication networks. Each of these valorisation programs is led by one of the (co-)promoters of the IDLab consortium, and every program is composed of two or three innovation lines. This way, the IDLab research will be translated into a clear program offer towards our (industrial) partners, allowing us to build a tailored offer. Each valorisation program will contribute to the different IOF objectives, but in a differentiated manner. Based on our current experience, some valorisation programs are focusing more on local partners, while others are mainly targeting international and EU funded research projects.

Researcher(s)

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

  • Research Project