Academic | XR Design
2025
Intelligent Assistant for Advanced Home Appliances
Using Mixed Reality Google gemini glasses inspiration for advanced electronic appliances assistance. Making it easy for everyone to use the electronic devices to its most efficiency.
Modern home appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, and microwave ovens often contain dense, unclear, or overly technical text labels that many people find difficult to interpret.
Users frequently struggle with understanding program names, deciphering symbols, or choosing correct settings. As appliances become more feature-rich, their interfaces remain static and text-heavy, causing persistent usability barriers. These often rely on small, ambiguous labels and cryptic icons to represent functions (e.g., for washing machine "Delicate", "Cotton", "Eco 40–60"). These labels can be:
Key Observations
What led us to this?
Users currently rely on static paper manuals (which are text-heavy, confusing, and non-interactive) or search for specific model videos on YouTube. However, YouTube videos lack interactive, step-by-step guidance tailored to the user's exact physical context. As a result, users fail to unlock the appliance's maximum efficiency.
Ideation
HOW MIGHT WE?
To frame the design opportunity, the goal is explored across three dimensions - the needs and challenges of the user, the possibilities offered by XR and AI, and the experience we want to create.
GOALS
Solution
Gemini, from the first step to the last
Redesigning every appliance isn’t realistic. But the person standing in front of one can be supported.
The project leverages XR to create a dynamic interface layer on top of an existing static appliance interface. This creates opportunities such as:
Simplification : Replacing static jargon labels with simple descriptions (“Clothes with stains → Auto Wash Mode”)
Adaptation : Personalized preferences (e.g., “Always choose Eco mode unless specified”)
The Visual Identity
A small design system for a glanceable view
Interfaces in mixed reality sit on top of the real world, so they must be clear without getting in the way. We designed a compact system for Gemini’s guidance, taking inspiration from the Gemini glasses interface.
Process
Prototype & final output
To test whether the flow felt natural, we built a rough prototype. We designed the UI in Figma, created the environment in Blender, and added the interactions in Unity. We recorded it on a Meta Quest 3S and put the final video together in After Effects.
With limited time and tooling, the goal was to bringing the idea to life. It shows Gemini guiding a wash from start to finish: opening the lid, adding clothes, choosing the cycle, tracking the time, and setting a reminder.
Final Video :
Future Scope
This is just the beginning
We had one week, and the goal was to present the concept. The prototype shows how the experience would feel, but there is much more to build.
What comes next?
Identify fabric type via camera and recommend optimal wash cycles.
Predict mistakes (e.g., overloading or incompatible settings) before they happen.
Creating universal XR instruction overlay for all type of appliances like microwave, dishwashers etc.
Enable multi-user support.
Larger font overlays for users with visual impairment.
Offer XR-enhanced digital manuals.
