New Apple Patent Reveals Futuristic Automation Plans for Your Home
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A recent patent application discloses exciting plans Apple has for the home. The application describes an automated smart home system which learns a family’s routines so it can automatically trigger certain events.
For example, say you are the first person in your family to get home from work everyday. Your normal routine is to unlock and then walk through the door, turn the thermostat to 71 degrees, turn the lights in your living room and kitchen on and turn on the TV. Apple envisions a system which can automatically do all of those things the moment you pull into the driveway.
How will it work?
The system will work by tracking individual users through their connected devices. Leaks have all but confirmed Apple will include a dedicated HomeKit app in iOS 10, which will be released this fall. Most likely, HomeKit connected devices such as thermostats, lights, door locks and so on will be tracked and the system will keep record of how they are used. Overtime, it will begin automating the activities you do every day.
According to the patent, the system will also track user location with an iPhone or Apple Watch allowing it to activate the automated activity appropriately. This certainly seems like the logical trigger rather than using time itself, as you wouldn’t want your lights and TV to turn on when you aren’t home.
Like most other smart home systems on the market, which require a hub, Apple’s iteration will need something similar. The system will rely on a single local device the patent refers to as the coordinator. Although the patent wasn’t 100% clear, the Apple TV seems to be the most obvious device to perform the coordinator role. The coordinator will be responsible for facilitating communication between iPhones and Apple Watches with a network of HomeKit compatible accessories.
What seems to separate Apple’s vision from its competitors is nothing new. By maintaining a relative amount of control over the system, the company can create an experience significantly more seamless than anything else on the market. Currently, the way an Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and Mac all work in harmony is unparalleled. Bringing the same experience to the home would be incredible.
For instance, Apple plans to use the Apple Watch and iPhone’s onboard sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and other motion sensors to detect how a user’s device is moving. With this data, the system can decipher all sorts of activities like running, driving and sleeping. Understanding a device’s state allows the system to be more intelligent. When your Apple Watch begins moving in the morning, for example, the system will know you’re awake and can potentially turn on certain lights or could even make a cup of coffee automatically.
What about the rest of my family?
Creating a system to automate a household for one user is complicated enough. Throw in a few other family members and the problem gets worse.
The patent discusses the issue, and Apple plans to implement a system that studies accessory interactions for each member of the household. This information will be used to create appropriate automations in this more complex environment.
A potential, and impressive, use of this information is to understand what activities are performed when multiple family members are at home or even in a given room. This will be contrasted with activities individuals perform when they are at home or in a particular room alone.
This potential technology is certainly impressive. What type of home automation would like to see Apple include in this system? Let us know in the comments.
