Press Release
Hdl Automation Co., Ltd. Receives the Silver A' Design Award for Xelent Modular Switch Panel in Smart Living and Home Automation Design
Hdl Automation Co., Ltd. recognized for smart living and home automation design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Smart Living and Home Automation Design category for Xelent Modular Switch Panel by Hdl Automation Co., Ltd.. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Regarding Xelent Modular Switch Panel
Xelent is a modular switch panel for smart homes. The panel combines a 2.8 mm ultra thin frame with a patented magnetic snap fit system, so the surface sits flush with the wall within plus or minus 0.2 mm. A modular 31.7 mm grid supports 4, 6 or 8 key layouts for different rooms. A time of flight sensor detects users from 10 to 100 cm and supports proactive control instead of passive response. A temperature algorithm forecasts changes and pre-adjusts heating and cooling. The eye care lighting system raises brightness gradually over three seconds.
About Hdl Automation Co., Ltd.
HDL Automation is a leading global provider of smart living solutions, founded by a visionary university professor who developed the first Chinese digital dimming controller in the 1980s. Today, we have a far-reaching presence, operating in more than 106 countries and regions, where we cater to the needs of five hundred thousand discerning smart home enthusiasts worldwide. At HDL Automation, our mission is to create healthy living spaces with smart products. We're dedicated to infusing everyday living spaces with innovative technology to enhance well-being, making homes not just smarter but genuinely healthier places to thrive.
Award Record
This recognition makes Hdl Automation Co., Ltd. a winner of 5 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2024 - 2025 and the 2025 - 2026 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Smart Living and Home Automation Design Award
The A' Smart Living Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good designs for smart living by leading brands and manufacturers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to smart living designers, home automation experts, industrial design studios and smart home brands from all countries. Typical entries include smart thermostats, automated lighting systems, intelligent security cameras, robotic vacuum cleaners, smart door locks and voice-activated assistants. The awarded smart living solution designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/smart-living
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/174021
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/174021
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!174021
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/363386
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.hdlautomation.com/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Xelent Modular Switch Panel
- Function
- Modular Switch Panel
- Category
- Smart Living and Home Automation Design
- Discipline
- Product Design
- Industry
- Electronics & Appliances and Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Black, Silver, White Smoke and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Hdl Automation Co., Ltd.
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #174021
Credits
- Team
- Jin Huang, Wenbin Chen, Daying Gao, Dongchang Li, Xiujuan Chen
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Xelent merges technologies with architectural aesthetics via 3 core innovations, a 2.8 mm ultra thin embedded design, proactive intelligent interaction, and a sustainable modular structure—reshaping the future of spatial interaction. A patented magnetic snap fit system allows it to sit flush with the wall with a deviation of plus and minus 0.2 mm. A dual orientation design creates spatial order. With HDL algorithm and AI scene engine, it anticipates user actions for smart, seamless interaction.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the future vision of device free smart living, the panel is designed to blend seamlessly into the space, becoming a natural extension of the environment rather than a visual intrusion. It also responds to the growing expectations of users for smarter interaction by shifting from traditional passive responses to proactive behavior prediction, with the goal of creating a more user friendly, convenient, comfortable, and intelligent environment.
- Research
- Xelent introduces the notion of the seamless evolution of wall mounted switch panel, driving the seamless integration of switch panel into the wall. Built upon a modular structure and made from quality materials, it creates the next generation smart panels by merging architectural aesthetics with intuitive digital interaction, enabling panels to recede into the environment—achieving minimal visual disruption and maximum functional freedom, enhancing the intelligence and aesthetic of homes.
- Challenge
- The challenge lies in achieving the seamless integration of minimalist hardware and intelligent software. Xelent pioneers a 2.8 mm ultra thin embedded modular switch panel at the wall level and marks the shift from passive response to proactive prediction. It features a high precision TOF human detection system that accurately senses the distance between the user and the panel with an adjustable sensing range from 10 to 100 cm, ensuring an intuitive and convenient interaction.
- Realization and Technology
- With a patented magnetic snap fit system, Xelent integrates a 2.8 mm ultra thin frame with a universal mounting base. Its custom embedded backbox enables component recessing, allowing it to be at the wall level with a deviation of plus and minus 0.2 mm and making it a structural part of the wall itself. A modular 31.7 mm grid layout supports flexible 4, 6, or 8 key combinations, adapting to diverse scenarios, from multibutton control in kitchens to simple button mode in bedrooms.
- Operation and Interaction
- With selfdeveloped HDL temperature algorithm, it is able to sense temp fluctuation within plus or minus one degree Celsius and forecast temp trends in 15 minutes, enabling the preadjustment of HVAC systems. The eyecare lighting system uses a 3 second soft start algorithm to gradually increase brightness, ideal for bedrooms and rooms for children. With precision dot matrix lighting simulating screen breathing effects, the screen mimicking dynamic light offers an immersive interactive experience.
- Project Duration and Location
- Designed and developed in Guangzhou in March 2025, the product is expected to be launched in China in December 2025.
- Specifications
- product dimensions, 81 mm x 81 mm x 9 mm
- Keywords
- Household Modular Switch Panel, 2.8 mm Ultra Thin Embedded Design, Proactive Intelligent Interaction, Sustainable Modular Architecture, Multi Scenario Linkage
