Major CG Players Collaborate to Study Smart Homes
Underscoring the importance of collaboration in the smart home space, 10 companies -- Whirlpool Corporation, Bell Canada, Cisco, Direct Energy, HP, Legrand, Leviton, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Zensys as well as the Z-Wave Alliance -- are teaming up to conduct an in-depth study about the state and future of the smart home. The smart home is defined as a home where the systems (security, lighting, sensors, heating, air-conditioning, audio-video, etc.) are interconnected to allow the automatic or remote control of the home to save energy and improve comfort, safety and convenience for the homeowner.
Orly Cocco, future home innovation manager, Procter & Gamble, says, "We know that consumers today are constantly seeking ways to simplify their lives and we are very enthusiastic about the role the home and products in the home can play in making people's lives easier and more fulfilling."
The 2008 State of the Connected Home Market Study is being conducted under the auspices of the Internet Home Alliance Research Council, which is part of CABA, a not-for-profit industry association that promotes advanced technologies for the automation of homes and buildings in
The results of the study, which will conclude on May 30, 2008, are expected to be released to the public in January 2009. The study is being conducted by Zanthus, a market research-based consulting firm that serves high-tech companies.
The following are some of the potential applications that will be tested in the study:
--When the phone rings, the caller ID shows up on a television screen
-- The home's temperature can be controlled remotely, allowing the
homeowner to save on energy costs by adjusting the home's temperature
according to changing weather conditions
-- Multiple rooms in a home can be video-monitored via the Internet from
anywhere in the world
-- A homeowner can adjust the home's lighting remotely, allowing travelers
to give the home a "lived-in" feel