Design Week Awards 2015 – the Best of Show Winner

SAM Labs UI
by SAM Labs and Map Project Office

Internet of Things toolkit SAM comprises a set of building blocks and software, and is aimed at people with little or no coding experience to help them create IoT-connected products.

SAM has been developed by London based start-up SAM Labs and was originally conceived in 2013. Since then, students at the Royal College of Art have used the toolkit to build responsive shoes that can spray paint and smart pillows that detect pressure. A London College of Fashion team also used it to create a shirt with an in-built fan and smart glasses for blind people.

Following a Kickstarter fundraising campaign, SAM is now shipping to consumers.

The SAM team worked with Map on product and interface design, and Marina Willer at Pentagram on branding.

Map’s work included developing a new design for the modular building blocks that now feature wrap-around, elastomer bands. The consultancy has also developed a new modular packaging system, which aims to protect and present the individual modules.

Each kit also has an accompanying set of printed components, which can be turned into different cardboard IoTconnected projects.

Map also worked with SAM on the user interface for the software element, with an aim of creating a “user-friendly, fun and engaging experience”.

During the project, SAM and Map worked together to “find ways of enhancing the user experience of the product through design”.