Francesca Tosi

Numerical stability of entropic versus positivity-enforcing lattice Boltzmann schemes

A preliminary study of the non-linear stability properties of entropic schemes versus positivity-enforcing (FIX-UP) schemes is presented for the case of two-dimensional cavity flow. It is shown that, although they operate on fairly distinct schedules, both methods achieve substantial stability enhancements over the standard single-time relaxation Lattice Boltzmann scheme.

Optimization Strategies for the Entropic Lattice Boltzmann Method

The entropic formulation of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) features enhanced numerical stability due to its compliance with the Boltzmann H-theorem. This stability comes at the price of some computational overhead, associated with the need of adjusting the local relaxation time of the standard LBM in such a way as to secure compliance with the H-theorem. In this paper, we discuss a number of possible optimization strategies to reduce the computational overhead of entropic LBMs.

Ergonomics and sustainability in the design of everyday use products

The relationship between Ergonomics and Design is a key element in the sustainability project, as well as in many other areas of experimental design. In the Design for Sustainability field, Ergonomics is a strategic factor for design culture innovation, providing designers with the necessary knowledge and skills regarding human characteristics and capabilities, as well as user needs and desires during use and interaction with products in work activities and everyday life. Ergonomics is also a strategic innovative factor in design development and manufacturing processes. In fact, ergonomics provides a methodological approach in user-product interaction evaluation processes through the use of participatory design and survey methods, user trials, direct observation, savings and resource conservation, etc.On the other hand, design offers solutions able to interpret user needs and expectations, at the same time suggesting new behaviors and lifestyles.In Design for Sustainability, the ergonomic and user-centered approach contributes greatly to lifestyles and innovative use of products--making it possible to understand and interpret real people needs and expectations in their everyday actions and behavior.New consumption patterns, new awareness of lifestyles, energy source consumption, purchasing methods and consumption style etc. can be supported by design innovation, responding to expressed and unexpressed user needs. With this in mind, the ergonomic approach represents the starting point for design choices and at the same time, a tool for assessing their appropriateness and effectiveness.

A COMPARISON OF SINGLE-TIME RELAXATION LATTICE BOLTZMANN SCHEMES WITH ENHANCED STABILITY

In the recent years the entropic version of the lattice Boltzmann method (ELB) has made proof of significantly enhanced numerical stability as compared to the standard single-time relaxation form of the lattice Boltzmann equation. In this paper, we compare ELB with a more empirical procedure, based on the idea of modifying the value of the relaxation time in such a way as to enforce the positivity of the kinetic distribution function (fix-up method). The stability enhancement due to ELB and fix-up are compared for the case a two-dimensional lid-driven cavity flow. It is shown that ELBM offers higher stability at a moderate price in terms of computational overhead. On the other hand, even the simple fix-up procedure can provide significant savings over the standard single-time relaxation method, virtually cost-free in terms of computational requirements.

Design and Smart Technologies for Physical Activity as Key Factors in Promoting Quality of Life and Social Inclusion

Technological innovations offer many opportunities for design in the context of wearable computers and smart objects and their interaction with user and with ubiquitous computing systems. These technologies can be used to make new products and services designed to collect, increase and share information, knowledge, and emotion, through platforms, which support higher social awareness. If applied to the field of wellness, they can interact among each other, with the network and with the person, to drive and assist people, including socially vulnerable groups, towards an active and dynamic life, and they can become a means for monitoring the state of the user’s wellbeing and health. The aim of the research was to use the strategies of Human Centred Design to identify innovative scenarios and solutions able to involve people in an increasingly active and healthy life, as a commitment towards oneself and as a social responsibility.

From “Liquid Kitchen” to “Shared Kitchen”: Human-Centred Design for Innovative Services of Social Inclusion in Food Consumption

The world population is progressively ageing with some clear social implications. People will live longer and also the family structure will change. The emerging socio-cultural trends are opening up great opportunities for innovation in the sphere of contemporary living. The need for a greater mobility and the nomadism now demanded by work, influence people’s lifestyles and consumption models. As regards to the home, flexibility, adaptability and versatility are the emerging characteristics, and these factors also affect the kitchen environment. In parallel to this, urban space experiences of participation and sharing are multiplying, and new social practices are spreading. These aspects are also connected to the way people prepare and consume food. The Kitchen 4.0 research project can be placed within this macro-context. It aims to define a design-orienting scenario which affects the way of preparing and consuming food through the definition of a kitchen-sharing service.

Experimenting new design languages in contemporary home design

The changes in society at the beginning of this millennium are giving rise to deep transformations in the behavioural trends and tastes of home users, as well as in their lifestyles and consumption patterns. This opens up a wide range of opportunities for innovation within the context of contemporary home design. Due to the emergence of new user profiles, new needs and models are coming to the attention of designers and manufacturing companies. Just think about the new needs resulting from the changing composition of households, new forms of cohabitation and the contemporary multi-ethnic society.

Wellness for all: Novel design scenarios and concepts of products-systems for an inclusive user experience in indoor physical activity

Today’s aging phenomena is bringing about important changes in the make-up of our population with consequential need for assistance and cures, thus substantially increasing the costs sustained by society. The policies of the European Community aim to maintain general health and to promote life styles capable of sustaining a level of self sufficiency and at the same time an “intelligent” process of aging, where one remains active and healthy for as long as possibile. The education to physical activity and to sports is a very important objective, which require the development of a conscious attitude of citizens towards their own health. With emphasis on the ergonomics of design and on methods of innovation, Human Centered Design designates likely scenarios in the near future and proposes possibile solutions which concentrate on needs and expectations, allowing one to maintain an active life, through wellness and prevention. This paper presents the results of the “Smart Running” workshop, promoted by the Laboratory of Ergonomics and Design (LED) of the University of Florence in collaboration with Technogym, a leading-edge company that develops fitness equipment for any physical activity. The projects represent innovative solutions for indoor running, particularly intent on involving an increasing number of participants.

Playgrounds for All: Practical strategies and guidelines for designing inclusive play areas for children

To date, outdoor game equipment and playground facilities worldwide are increasingly oriented towards a wide range of solutions in support to gaming activities for children of any age, independently from their motor, cognitive and social impairments. However, due to the complexity of variables interplaying between product demands and user capabilities, many efforts are still needed for making games and playgrounds as much as possible inclusive. The present work proposes a novel methodology useful to designers and other stakeholders for predicting the degree of user exclusion when performing play activities. User trials, focus groups, interviews together with the analysis of accessibility standards, disability descriptors by ICF, and Task Analysis were used for cross-correlating the required tasks with user capabilities. This led to creating an evaluation tool useful to get an immediate feedback and reliable information on the level of inclusiveness of any type of game equipment and user disability. It revealed to be also effective for assessing personal and environmental factors of interest and identifying design requirements.

Supporting Inclusive Approaches in Service Design with Netnography

This work is a part of a wider research about the inclusion in the Sharing-Based Services conceptual framework. The research presented in this paper was driven from a reflection on the ability of this kind of services to be inclusive. The main objective was discovering design domains for inclusive Sharing-Based Services detecting problems, needs and peculiar cases of online communities engaged in these services. For this reason, the netnography method was adopted to conduct a qualitative research with the aim to gain insights about inclusion and exclusion concepts on selected online forums related to platform in the Sharing-Based Services conceptual framework. The research insights were reported in the paper and they were used as a first reflection to conceptualize five design domains for inclusive services.