Gruppo Romani presents the first Smart Tiles, intelligent tiles capable of dialoguing with the most modern home automation systems. The Group, already a leader in the production of Made-in-Italy ceramic tiles, four years ago chose to commit to this ambitious project in which about 10 million euros have been invested, with funding from Mise (Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy) for its consistency with the logic of investment in research and sustainable development and with the involvement of technical partners such as Sacmi, Iprel, CNR, Trebax and Studio-IOT.
The Smart Tiles integrate, in a special housing on the back of the tile, a micro electronic board with MEMS (micro electromechanical system) sensors, capable of sending the data collected to a cloud. The sensorised tile, in addition to guaranteeing the technical characteristics envisaged by UNI EN 14411 standards and the aesthetic quality that distinguishes the Romani Group’s production, allows for the integrated monitoring of the programmed parameters. In the case of application in ventilated walls, for example, it will be possible to detect temperature, humidity, degree of dew, shocks or deformation induced by seismic events. Another type of sensor, installed in the case of floating floors, will be able to detect any overloads, monitor the flow of people, switch on perimeter alarms and dialogue with the lighting system to switch on lights at floor level.
It is clear, therefore, how this major innovation opens the door to the future of domotic design: the installation of Smart Tiles enables the monitoring of building structures, transforming the design of ceramic slabs into smart, intelligent elements capable of monitoring themselves and their surroundings.
As Giorgio Romani, President of the Romani Group, explains: “Today we are witnessing the 5.0 revolution, and this invention propels our Group towards the exploration of new application areas for ceramic slabs. The main application we have been working on is the cladding of ventilated walls of residential and commercial buildings. The innovative feature of transmitting the information of the most important structural and environmental parameters can open up interesting scenarios with a view to the safety and prevention of many buildings, constituting a valid solution, with high added value, currently unique in its kind.”
Gruppo Romani’s Smart Tiles will be produced in the 120×120 cm format, on demand and customised to the specific needs of the clients.
“For the success of this ambitious project,” concludes Paolo Romani, CEO of the Group, “I must thank the two co-inventors, our Industrial Director, Eng. Alessandro Berselli, as project manager, and Dr. Marco Bonvino of Studio IOT, who developed the microelectronics part, as well as of course our collaborators who took part in all the experimental, prototyping and testing phases.”
