SPHINX system
A prototype of the SPHINX made of plastic and foam board was provided for ergonomics evaluation and certification. The project leader was Dmitry Azrikan, Igor Lysenko, Alexey Kolotushkin, Marina Mikheeva, Elena Ruzova and Maria Kolotushkina also participated
In 1987, the Soviet magazine "Technical Aesthetics" published an article about the SPHINX radio complex, which still amazes with its design and idea. The concept was developed by VNIITE and demonstrated the ideas of consumer electronics for the near future.
The SPHINX set included spherical speakers and a more familiar stereo pair of flat speakers, as well as a large screen for sharing and a smaller display (with a resolution of 240 × 240). In addition - headphones, a hand-held remote control with a display, a large remote control with a telephone receiver, disks, a processor with three memory units.
Sergey Moiseev: “SPHINX stands for“super-functional integrated communication system”. In general, it was a concept of how a home TV and radio complex should look like in 2000. Moreover, a lot was described with amazing accuracy - Wi-Fi (then, however, it was believed that the communication of devices would go by radio frequencies), storage devices, and the creators of the project predicted that first there would be disks with moving parts, and then crystal ones. SPHINX devices were divided into three groups - wearable, home-related and transport-related. In these groups it is easy to recognize “smart bracelets” and watches, “smart home” and on-board computers of modern cars.
The aim of the SPHINX was to integrate into one complex. We are talking not only about a "smart home", but also about a problem more familiar to a Soviet person: if someone, say, wanted to expand the functionality of a tape recorder on his own, he would face great difficulties in terms of compatibility. There were also problems in ergonomics - often in appearance, the tape recorder and the TV did not fit each other at all.
All this was one of the concepts created at VNIITE within the framework of a general project to overcome "copying production". The forecasting department wanted to change the approach to design - to start designing for the future, trying to predict the future.
Promotional video:
Sphinx, by the way, is very similar to the concept of the Apple ecosystem that appeared around the same time - looked at it at Apple or not, I don't know. But American designers were definitely at the Interdesign seminar in 1985 in Yerevan."
Left - block with the central processor SPHINX. In the middle there are two variants of a large control panel. Blue - touch-sensitive, in the recess has an additional small hand control. White - pseudo-sensory, in the recess - a telephone receiver. To the right of the keyboard - a pair of "more - less" keys to adjust any parameters. Far right - small handheld transmitter with docked display
Quote from the article: “SPHINX - electronic equipment for the dwelling of the future. All work on receiving, recording, storing and distributing various types of information is carried out by a central apartment processor with a universal memory device. The latest research gives reason to hope for the emergence of such a universal carrier in the near future. It will replace (first supplement) gramophone records, audio and video tapes, current CDs, photographs and slides (still frames), printed texts, etc.”.
"Smart watches" and Soviet Google Glass
Sergey Moiseev: “In 1985, an international seminar“Interdesign”on the topic“The future of watches”was held in Yerevan. Moreover, not “Clock of the Future”, but “Future of Clock”, because the participants of the seminar were not sure that the clock would be preserved in the future. Interdesign is a seminar that brings together designers from all over the world, who, based on its results, issue concepts or prototypes that meet certain requirements. There were 14 people from the Soviet Union on it."
VNIITE invented a whole range of wearable devices, including "memory amplifiers, enhancers of the capabilities of the senses and identification means." There is no talk about fitness trackers, but the concept offers an audio recorder, a camera, a plastic card, electronic keys and a driver's license - all these devices are combined into compact monoblocks and are worn on the body
The creation of a universal radio complex was focused not only on consumer needs in the home, but also outside the home and in the car. Everything so that "family members are everywhere provided with information and communication." As conceived by the developers, information would be transmitted over the air, cable channels, optical fibers and telephone networks.
Quote from the article: “Wearable effectors, in some cases combined with processors and interfaces, will become clothing items and a special kind of jewelry, like watches, for example. Here unexpected solutions are possible: for example, sunglasses, at the user's command, simultaneously transforming into a display indicating the time or other necessary information (heart rate, body temperature or ambient air temperature)."
The on-board system in the car is filled with navigation, diagnostics and communication functions and, of course, entertainment. Particularly interesting is the idea of a heads-up display (projection of data onto the windshield), which is already being implemented in many cars today.
Sergey Moiseev: “The most breakthrough project of that seminar, I think, was the version of Azrikan's team. It provided for "replaceable cards" depending on the need: the usual "for every day", waterproof for athletes, submariners, pilots; The clock was supposed not only to show the time, but also to contain various functions-applications - to report news, measure human health. The same article describes "smart glasses", "smart bracelets", "smart rosary" and even a control ring on the finger associated with the bracelet (a great idea, which for some reason has not yet been implemented). And the collection contains a sketch of a tablet, and a sketch of a modern player, and a sketch of something like "Gameboy".
This kind of work is in short supply in Russia now. In our country, today the designer has become associated with drawing advertisements, logos, at least with web design. But a designer is, first of all, the creator of a new product, a good designer can determine the development of an entire industry for decades to come by his designs.
How Western companies are inspired by Soviet design
Sergey Moiseev: “There is interest in our developments mainly from foreign companies. For example, in Scandinavia, where industrial design is one of the main budget items, they do not even hide the fact that they are using Soviet developments.
I have a feeling that those who make a "smart home" today are 100% familiar with our work. And I think they even contacted those who participated in the development.
I'm sure Americans are familiar with our work. The Soviet school was strong in its methodological basis - Shchedrovitsky (the creator of the system-thought-activity methodology - Ed.) Had methods similar to what is today called "design thinking". They know this abroad. Moreover, I can say that the old methodological guidelines do not require strong revision. You can implement it even now."
What has happened at VNIITE for the last twenty years?
Sergei Moiseev: “Nothing particularly interesting happened in the early 2000s. The institute gradually became smaller, lost branches in other cities, the design center on Pushkin Square, and some people. Most importantly, the structure of the state has changed. The vertical, which was associated with the institute in the Soviet Union - almost all products manufactured in the USSR passed through VNIITE - disappeared. The design departments of VNIITE were closed, the task of the institute was mainly scientific work.
The team from the beginning of the 90s to the mid-2000s did not change in principle, and people do not have the ability to get younger. But in the mid-2000s, new shots began to arrive, and now such a mix or symbiosis has turned out. There are several employees of venerable age who will give odds to anyone."
What is VNIITE doing today?
Sergei Moiseev: “We have recently begun returning to international activities. Since 2014, the International Day of Industrial Design has been held every year again, and this year there were two of them at once - in Skolkovo and here. Today we carry out scientific work, government assignments, we conduct educational activities - we have an ergonomic laboratory, the theory and methodology department and the design department are being renewed, design work is being carried out directly with large enterprises.
In parallel, the archive is being digitized. There are texts, drawings, photographs, works on the theory and methodology of project activities. All this will be sorted and presented in the form of an electronic filing cabinet. Some of them will be made publicly available, some - in conditionally open access. Some developments are patented, others have subtleties with rights, so we probably won't be able to put everything out in the open.
The current large project of VNIITE is "Ergonomic Atlas". Since 1971, anthropometric indicators have not been measured in our country, and their physical parameters change over time. Atlas is already in the final stages of work, it will be released soon. This is an important thing, because now in Russia standards for clothing, labor protection standards, workplaces - all this corresponds to the measurements of 1971”.
