In 2024, the smart home will be transformed. If you don’t believe me, consider how many of the devices in your home react to or can be managed by “Hey Alexa” or “Hey Siri.” Consider how many of those devices you had a year ago.
Smart home technology used to be primarily defined by the presence of one of the best smart speakers, some smart lights, and possibly a smart thermostat. Maybe some early adopters who went all out had a few extras. However, we have witnessed Matter’s gradual but steady progress, the rise of AI, and the constant overtaking of rival companies trying to make smart home devices better and cheaper than their competitors over the last year. We are truly on the brink of a revolution.
While it may not be as life-changing as the first time our great-grandparents turned on a light bulb, the march toward a smart, autonomous, and intuitively interactive home is rapidly accelerating. And 2024 could be a watershed moment, with more smart home items on the market, as well as those with universal compatibility, built-in artificial intelligence, and an emphasis on efficiency. There will also be robots.
The Matter Standard Can Ultimately Improve
For those of us who saw the Matter open source standard emerge in late 2022, it appeared to be a turning point in the field of smart home technology. This protocol, designed to break down boundaries between ecosystems, would allow you to purchase Matter-certified smart products that “work with Alexa” and use them in a different ecosystem. Although 500 companies collaborated on this new standard, it does not seem to have had the expected impact, at least among the general public.
While we can’t declare 2024 to be the Year of Matter, version 1.2 wasn’t released until October and provided compatibility support for nine additional categories, such as robotic vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, dishwashers, and refrigerators, to name a few. Added to this is the fact that as more new products are introduced, more will include this standard, so it will be as widespread as we had planned very soon.
For example, the SwitchBot K10 Plus, the first Matter-compatible robot vacuum cleaner, appeared in the final months of 2023, and Panasonic just launched a room air conditioner with the standard in December, although it appears to be available only in India. As time goes on, more products will be released with Matter.
The point is, whether it remains a trickle or becomes a torrent, Matter will start to matter more in 2024.
The next wave of smart appliances
Smart hubs and lighting are already well established, so while we can expect more as Amazon releases new versions of the Echo, like the new Echo Show 8, we can expect considerably more growth in other areas.
Air purifiers, dishwashers and other smart home appliances have already been introduced this year. LG, for example, has a number of home appliances that not only accept the ThinQ app, but can also connect that app to Alexa for hands-free control.
So, with one possible exception, 2024 may not necessarily bring us anything new. Instead, we’ll see greater use of smart home products in the kitchen, laundry room, and other places.
In fact, while companies typically stay quiet ahead of CES (which runs January 9-12 this year), we anticipate a surge in smart home appliance announcements at the upcoming convention. Consider the Pawport Pet Gate or Leafi’s Nova Smart Blinds, both of which are making their debut there.
Efficiency, efficiency and more efficiency
We’re actually already past the stage where manufacturers will release the first smart home version of a “dumb” device in 2024. Almost everything this side of a head-scratcher is now available as an app.
What we will see more of is the holistic notion of the Internet of Things (IoT) driven in a way that produces efficiency in the home. Certain equipment, such as smart lighting and thermostats, can already be automated on a schedule. Additionally, the ability to create routines across multiple smart devices on Apple HomeKit and Alexa has been available for some time.
However, there will be many more. You’ll be able to program the smart pet door and curtains mentioned above, for example, allowing you to create much more complex routines.
While there has been some speculation that AI is transforming these procedures into much more automated situations, no company has made any specific announcements. It just gives hints that your ecosystem should be able to adapt in real time to you in your area, like starting a routine at 4pm instead of 5pm since you got home an hour earlier.
Although LG has already introduced a robot based on its Zero Labor Home concept, the firm has yet to describe what this vision entails. We only know that the robot will move around your house independently, controlling the various smart home equipment, such as turning off a smart light in an empty room.
However, we already know that AI implementation for Alexa is on the way, so you’ll be able to design entire routines using voice commands without having to open the Alexa app. In terms of AI, you may have noticed that your preferred voice assistant already sounds more human, for better or worse.
Robotics is the way of the future
However, there is one area where it seems like we have finally reached the future. That’s your own robot. The days of dog-like robots being trampled by callous scientists are long gone.
While we’re not at Roy Batty’s level of cyborgs, personal companions like the Enabot Ebo X are now available to patrol your home. And, as noted in that bot’s review, ChatGPT is on the way to more intuitive interaction.
Of course, two main factors will influence how widely pet robots or companion robots are adopted. The first consideration is cost. The Enabot Ebo X, for example, costs $999 / £999 GBP / AU$1,699. The second consideration is how the AI is implemented. The user experience of Enabot Ebo X is a bit clunky, from setting it up to interacting with it. Interacting with it will probably be much more intuitive after a firmware update adds ChatGPT or some kind of AI feature.
Without AI, any robot is essentially a device on wheels with only one or two capabilities, whether it’s a security camera like the Ebo with Alexa) but will automatically return to your base station to clean your mops on a regular basis. Still, at the end of the day it’s just a self-contained vacuum cleaner.
Once AI is brought in, these robot companions will start appearing everywhere. Given the rapidity with which artificial intelligence has advanced, it is not difficult to predict that the year 2024 will be plagued by several launches of robots with increasing intelligence.
While we don’t know what robotics will look like in 2024, we do know that Amazon Astro, which was first revealed three years ago, will be a part of it, having recently launched publicly as Astro for Business. It’s only a matter of time before he gets home.
It all revolves around the price.
As smart home devices mature, prices will fall, as they do with all technology. Newer, cutting-edge technologies like companion robots may not do this, but being able to connect to a smart home ecosystem won’t add much to the overall cost of modern smart home devices.
For example, you can currently reach out to the Amazon Fire TV soundbar, which costs just under $120 (around £95). Alternatively, Govee now sells a full panel of curtain lights for $129.99/£159.99 (around AU$190). While not very cheap, it is reasonable to purchase a set of string lights that can be adjusted on the fly with your voice.
Just one more product to mention. We reviewed the Cosori Pro III Dual Blaze in June and were generally impressed by its smart capabilities, such as remote control and monitoring. Plus, the app supports smart home connectivity with Alexa and Google Assistant (although not in the UK for some reason), so you can not only receive notifications but also add time with your voice. More importantly, it costs less than most great air fryers, at $149.99/£179.99.
In essence, you won’t have to pay as much for smart home connectivity as you used to, due to the fact that the notion of the smart home and the devices that come with it have had some time to mature and grow.
Conclusion
The year 2024 will be a decisive moment for smart homes. Not because there are a lot of new products, robots notwithstanding, but because we are witnessing the incorporation of smart home devices in every room of the house. Plus, when Matter becomes more widely adopted, it will be easy to buy something that meets your needs without thinking about the ecosystem you have.
Artificial intelligence and the drive toward efficiency will play a big role, especially as every company wants to promise that they will “save X amount” through automation and routines. Most devices will almost certainly be less expensive.
2024 will be a great year for the world to embrace the smart home and make it more than just a playground for early adopters. Tell that to my dad and his only smart light bulb.
Categories: Technology
Source: vtt.edu.vn