QUE

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  • 2016

  • Product
    Hardware and Building

Designed By:

  • Actron Air
  • Design + Industry Pty Ltd

Commissioned By:

Actron Air

Designed In:

Australia

We wanted the ability to not just control the elements but to also experience that control in a new and vibrant way.

That’s why we have re-designed, re-engineered and re-developed the hardware and interaction between you and your environment.

Introducing QUE. The new range of air-conditioning controllers by Actron Air.


  • CHALLENGE
  • SOLUTION
  • IMPACT
  • MORE
  • We couldn't resist making just one great controller, we had to create an entire family. This allowed us to offer something truly unique across the range. Something that only a family can offer; connection. QUE touch is the Master controller and the heart of the range. It is the central touch interactive controller for your entire home. QUE zone is a much simpler device that expands the system and enables you to control your individual rooms. QUE sense is a tiny thermostat that expands your system by adding more temperature readings around your home. Last but not least, the main controller is also Wi-Fi enabled, allowing it to be controlled from anywhere via our mobile App, QUE connect.

  • How you interact with the controllers vibrant and rich 720p touchscreen display is at the heart of the experience. Moving the interaction from just simply controlling the air-conditioner to a more rich environment where you can almost see and feel the elements is what we have set out to achieve. The result is a gorgeous interface that displays full screen images of the modes; heat, cool, fan and auto, in a way that is not just beautiful but also intuitive and natural. Swiping and touching controls feels seamless and natural as you adjust the temperature, view other zones or scroll through your usage history. Everything you ever wanted in an air-conditioning controller at your fingertips.

  • We know that keeping your fingers off the gorgeous display and experiencing the smooth interface is hard. But the fact of the matter is, and as ironic as it may seem, the controllers time is mostly spent just hanging around; literally. That is why we had to design a controller that looked as good as it feels. Using noble and attractive materials such as anodized aluminum and brushed stainless steel, we have ensured that the controller not only looks stunning but is also solidly built. From the laser etched graphics to the tiny machined air holes, we have made sure that even the finer details have been considered and designed. Something that you're proud to have hanging on your wall.

  • Driving the rich 256ppi, 1280x720 pixel display and processing the deep user interface requires the industries best technologies. That is why at the heart of the controller we have placed one of the most powerful and advanced processors used in smartphones; the A9 chip. The enormous boost in graphics performance and CPU power allowed us to create one of the most visually smooth and stunning interfaces ever experience on a wall controller. However, all this power came at a cost. Heat generated from the chip might be fine for a smartphone but it is detrimental for a thermostat. Our engineers had to cleverly isolate and direct heat away from critical areas to make sure we got the best, accurate reading.

    Working in the industry for over 30 years, we have come to realise that all the technology and interaction boils down to one thing; connection. Connection to our controller, connection to our home and connection to our environment. Our solution is twofold. Firstly, we have created the capacity for each zone controller and sensor to be powered remotely and connected wirelessly to the main controller. This allows us to have a quick and easy installation without the need to punch out holes in the wall and rout cables. Secondly, we have designed the main controller to be a Wi-Fi enabled IoT device. As a result you can view and control your air-conditioner from our mobile App no matter where you are.

    Over the last few years, multi-touch interfaces with high density pixel screens have opened up huge possibilities in interactions that were just not possible with segmented LCD displays and hard buttons. Taking advantage of these technologies we were able to make even the most daunting tasks like 7-day scheduling or timer functions a seamless process. Even data heavy features such as the complete usage history is visually simple and navigationally easy to scroll through. This gives you a complete breakdown of your homes temperature throughout the day as it heats or cools. For technicians, we have even added a technical system dashboard with key graphic indicators to make servicing and diagnostics easy.