Four technologies may change the furniture industry in the future

Nowadays, advances in technology and the Internet make changes happen faster and faster, and furniture keeps up with the trend, whether in design or manufacturing, or even product sales. Below we outline some of the technologies that have had an impact on the furniture industry.

3D printing

The use of 3D printing has become more widespread than we thought. These increasingly inexpensive printers basically work by pouring and bonding fine particles layer by layer. The materials used for the particles can be plastic, ceramic, glass, metal, or even concrete. It belongs to a kind of additive manufacturing, which transfers the 3D model (CAD drawing or 3D modeling) generated on the computer to reality, and uses a precise amount of material to create a shape that cannot be manufactured manually.

The use of 3D printing has been extended from industrial design to the reproduction of archaeological artifacts, and promising research projects are trying to print artificial organs, tissues, and prostheses. When used on furniture, there is also a wealth of options. You can just print connection points for shelves or benches, or make complete furniture.

Augmented Reality

Whether it’s filters on Instagram or interactive games, augmented reality is no longer just a promise of the future, but has entered our daily lives. Especially through the mobile phones we carry every day, as well as the cameras and sensors on them, this technology allows us to superimpose virtual objects into the real environment. As far as furniture is concerned, the most important use of augmented reality applications is to place the desired object in the real space, to give a better perception of size, color, and look and feel of the environment after placement.

Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the digital interconnection between everyday objects, the Internet and themselves. Household appliances, vehicles, public equipment, and other objects equipped with sensors and connected to the network collect and transmit data. This allows two things to be achieved: one, these objects can be controlled remotely via a mobile phone or computer; second, these objects themselves can be used as Internet access providers. Now we may ask ourselves: Why do I need furniture networking? But there is no doubt that one day we will ask: how do we live without it?

Artificial intelligence

When we turn on Netflix and lie on the sofa, the artificial intelligence of this application is already working and recommends movies and series that may be of interest to us. Or when we want to know the fastest route to a certain place, the map application uses a variety of algorithms to give a qualified response, even on the road. The term artificial intelligence is used to describe the ability of a machine or system to make inferences, find meaning, generalize, and learn from experience.

Perhaps someone will make up for the desolate scene of machines replacing humans from these rapid changes, but humans' role in defining parameters, goals, and giving science and technology in the right direction is still indispensable. Can a machine really understand all the needs of users? How can a computer understand concepts such as ergonomics or the texture of wood fibers? There is no doubt that in the future, computers and humans will cooperate to make more sober choices, use resources more intelligently, and give people a better quality of life.