I was asked to look into topic relating to HVAC, sensors, AI, databases, and "future". Professor Mitchell posted a link from Ars Technica that summed up everything Google has done with the home automation in the last year, which honestly covers all of these topics. For starters, I had no idea that Google bought Nest a year ago, but that doesn't really surprise me since I think Google will probably turn into Skynet in a few years. What interested me though was how much capability Google's home automation division is getting. The Nest, as we discussed in class last week, is a fully automated "smart" thermostat that learns your behavior over time and adjusts itself accordingly. Nest (with Google's cash) also acquired Dropcam, a wifi-enabled home monitoring system. Kind of like a webcam but with the intention of security. The third major acquisition was Revolv, which was a home automation system that connected all the smart devices in a home together.
These acquisitions show Google's dedication to the idea of a smart home, that learns your behavior over time, and adjusts itself to you. The various systems inside this type of home gather information from a variety of sensors and modify a number of systems, from the simple light bulb (like smart LED bulbs that are wifi enabled) to the entire HVAC system (such as Nest). Google's purchase of Revolv indicates their desire to finally set a standard in smart home production, which they would then control. The ethics of such a scenario are still up in the air- would Google price this commodity at a reasonable value so the masses could enjoy them, or would they muscle out the competition and artificially inflate the prices to maximize their profits? Only time will tell.
Another aspect of this that no one really talks about is the data. Is all the information these systems collect (when you're at home, personal heating preferences, preferred lighting color, etc.) stored anywhere? And if it is, what is Google doing with it? I imagine it would only be a matter of time before they start selling this highly personal information to advertisers, who can then target people not just on when they are home, but on more subtle personality traits such as favorite color and physical comfort. Even if they don't sell this information, I imagine they still want to run analytics on it to make the product the best it can be. This means there's going to be a huge database containing the household data for millions of homes (in the event that this becomes standard, anyway). It's no secret that Google is great at databases, but I wonder how they'll approach this information and whether they will create an interface that allows customers to easily mine their own data.
In summary, I think that smart homes are the definitely making a lot of progress. I look forward to the developments in the field, although am skeptical about potential privacy issues and invasive advertisements. I hope to eventually live in a house like this, provided the negatives have been worked out.
Jonathan talked about the topics that were assigned to Group D. Specifically Nest and Revolv. These technologies are definitely very important for intelligent buildings. I would also think that Google would save the information and set them as default (preferences). Before reading this post I had no idea what Nest and Revolv were. These technologies are very important in high security buildings such as banks and governmental buildings. I hope Google can sell these technologies at a fair price so that more can have them in their houses.
ReplyDeleteI agree that current technology highly relies on database. The subtopics that our group have been assigned are all relevant to database. By using database, HVAC system are able to perform better. Also, sensors are generating data and integrating it into database. Finally, AI needs database to make its own judgement.
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