The most incredible things are often hidden in the center of a big city, inside a courtyard where the future is being born. In fact, you have to know the DI Works headquarters in Milan to find it. Yet its innovation is revolutionizing the development of high-end products, so much so that – entering the open space where everything happens – the names of large companies stand out as partners, some of which however are obscured by top secret. Which makes this story even more fascinating.
DI Works is therefore an Italian company that integrates information, technologies and materials to provide advanced solutions for some of the largest international brands active in strategic sectors such as fashion/luxury, automotive, robotics and consumer electronics: «The impossible does not exist here – says Marco Rosetti, the company’s CEO -. Or rather: only once were we unable to transform the idea into a final result, but there are limits that cannot be overcome. For now…” On the other hand: the company was born from the experience of Design Innovation and BTS Group, which boast a history of over 25 years and a transformation in step with the times. Founded in 1998, Design Innovation first became BTSDI in 2016 and then DI Works just this year thanks to the acquisition by i2d, a digital startup focused on developing artificial intelligence applications for research and development, with BTS Group remaining minority shareholder. A crucial evolution to further strengthen the technological offer and the ability to respond to the needs of the international market.
The what-happens-in-there approach combines product development, technology scouting and process innovation consultancy. A laboratory, in practice, which supports customers in the generation of new products, optimizes the support chain and experiments with new technologies with an innovative study of materials that reaches the most extreme miniaturization: «For example – Rosetti continues – I have some hearing problems, I make use of these glasses that I wear in which we have inserted sensors in the temples: the result is that by looking at a person I can isolate their voice and hear clearly what they say.” Just an example, obviously, of everything that is on the tables of the laboratory-company, such as the special material to be used on high-end cars to make the walls of the dashboard become a hidden screen: «Whoever spends a lot on a car must have highly technological experience.”
DI Works obviously makes extensive use of artificial intelligence, also thanks to advanced proprietary technologies such as InsightGPT (a software that collects and analyzes feedback from end users in real time, transforming it into valuable advice for a continuous design process) and RD+, the platform which allows you to quickly intercept emerging trends and new market needs. All this translates into YouFeed, a solution that allows end customers to record vocal evaluations immediately after the experience of using the product and quickly shares them thanks to a series of physical and digital access points, designed specifically to facilitate feedback spontaneous. A support that guarantees a competitive advantage for the companies that use them. And all this has led to the development of over 300 projects developed in 10 years thanks to the team of 15 professionals and partnerships with companies of the caliber of Essilor Luxottica, Iqos, DalBello, La Marzocco and indeed the main brands in the fashion/luxury sector.
«We have transformed the perception of design, focusing on the functional aspect of the product and integrating connectable and AI-based solutions», explains the CEO again during the tour between the tables, accompanied by the Design Engineer Michele Bancale, “mind” of the solutions which also aim, as it should, at sustainability. And so here appear wearable products, augmented reality screens, a robotic device for wrist rehabilitation, connected clothing for safety on construction sites, rather than smart tags for accident prevention.
The future, in short, which in reality is already present in that courtyard so hidden as to resemble those garages that made the history of technology: «Tomorrow belongs to those who have the courage to face new horizons: we do not accept working with those who do not accept the risk.” And having said that, we already know how this story will end.