Dezeen spoke to Google's head of hardware design Ivy Ross, trend forecaster Li Edelkoort and The Future Laboratory co-founder Martin Raymond about how technology and lifestyle design can become more integrated.
Titled Soft Futures and hosted by Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, the talk explored what it will be like living with technology in the next 20 years and how hardware will become a part of the home.
The panel discussion took place at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan, and coincided with Google and Edelkoort's Softwear installation for Milan design week.
The exhibition, named after Edelkoort's 1998 forecast Softwear, presented a vision for how computer hardware could be more seamlessly integrated into workplaces and homes, through the introduction of elements such as textiles.
Edelkoort is one of the most influential figures in design and fashion. Originally from the Netherlands, the trend forecaster is now based between Paris and New York, and is an advisor to fashion companies and consumer brands around the world.
Ross is vice president of design for hardware at Google's design studio, which has launched a range of consumer products recently, including a hands-free camera called Clips and a pair of wireless headphones that double as a personal translator.
Martin Raymond is a co-founder of trend forecasting firm The Future Laboratory.