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other appliances
This page considers other net-enabled domestic appliances
such as the internet washing machine and toaster. It also
highlights questions about the 'sentient home'.
It covers -
introduction
Lack of consumer demand and system integration problems
mean that using the fridge as a hub has been tacitly abandoned
by many manufacturers. Their peers have promoted standalone
devices such as the i-pot (a wireless-equipped electric
kettle capable of alerting a server whenever it is used)
or the all-singing all-dancing 'smart home', where the
resident can receive status via the net and issue instructions
to a server that controls central heating, opens the curtains
and waters the garden or family pet.
As with the i-fridge some proposals are solutions in search
of a question. Others pose major challenges regarding
investment and systems integration. In the next five years
the major application is likely to be the 'nanny cam'
- covert surveillance via the net of domestic staff, babysitters
and cheating spouses.
wired noodles
Recipients of the i-pot service in Japan can choose to
receive a daily email with the three most recent uses
of a particular pot, supposedly acting as an "early
warning system" about the health of the elderly ...
or merely signalling their demise when they fail to cook
noodles or make tea.
We can not help thinking that a phone call or even - horreur
- a visit would serve just as well (and would be somewhat
warmer) than promo claims that
seniors
who use the i-pot report feeling less alone, knowing
that somebody else is able to monitor them via the data
sent by the kettle.
The device's promoter Zojirushi leases out a pot for a
US$50 deposit and charges US$30 per month for connectivity.
As of September 2007 a mere 3,300 of the devices were
in use, lower than projections of several million.
internet toast
A connectivity tagline, for policymakers and vendors looking
beyond fibre to the node (fttn) and fibre to the home
(ftth), has been 'internet to the toaster'. That image,
not very surprisingly, has been grabbed by engineering
students who have prototyped internet toasters, coffee
pots, tea-makers, scales, rice-cookers and breadmakers.
It is unsurprising because those devices use low cost
off the shelf components: most engineering departments
for example can afford to buy a standard toaster or two,
for reassembly with the requisite degree of internet smartness.
That is similar to adaptation of model car kits and other
toys by robotics students: component availability and
cost rather than consumer demand determines what is prototyped.
Functionality is another matter. The outcome of tying
most kitchen appliances to the net has been low: proposals
have not escaped from the undergrad engineering lab or
technical college and there has been no indication of
strong consumer demand for devices that are, in fact,
not very smart and not very useful.
The much publicised internet toaster for example toasts
a blurry weather map on a slice of bread and could presumably
put simple messages such as 'happy birthday' or 'you're
fired'. In practice it would be more effective to display
the map or other information on a monitor, as an MMS
on a mobile phone or - as with texts - deliver the bad
news via a 'dear john'
site or face to face.
wired washers
In the US the New York Times embraced the dot
appliance vision in an article that claimed
The technology behind cleaning clothes has spun through
more than a few cycles over the last century, from clunky
hand-cranked machines to today's gleaming appliances
that can detect a load's size and even how much grime
is ground into the fabric.
Soon, those who delight in living the clean life could
be awash in an even newer twist.
Washers and dryers that link wirelessly to internet-connected
home networks are being tested by consumers who are
receiving updates on their dirty laundry via mobile
phones, computers and TV sets.
Messages not only indicate when a wash is complete but
also can warn that a lint filter is clogged or a load
is too large. Users can remotely command the machines
to fluff dry clothes or start a load from a distance
after being told - oops - they forgot to start the wash.
The
trial involves Whirlpool, Panasonic and Microsoft. It
relies on a wireless network, two TV tuners and Microsoft
Media Server software to send the details to devices across
the home network and beyond.
The
Times reported that
Peggy
Spencer, a 57-year-old teacher whose family is involved
in a trial of the system launched by the Internet Home
Alliance, hopes to use it to monitor the wash from the
comfort of a lounge chair - at her neighbourhood pool.
The technology test, dubbed Laundry Time, recently began
evaluating how three Atlanta families use the devices
over six weeks ...
It could be at least a year from the marketplace, depending
on how the pilot and other studies iron out. And company
executives said they haven't yet discussed how they'd
price such appliances if they actually release them.
Whirlpool says modifying its latest models won't be
tough if the company decides to offer the technology
to the masses.
An
Internet Home Alliance vice president burbled that
When you think about it, it's just laundry. It's not
exciting. But this isn't about technology. It's about
the emotional impact of the technology.
The shape of that "emotional impact" is unclear.
Will consumers be wowed by control? Status? Perhaps washers,
dryers, irons and similar domestic tools are destined
to be unloved - irrespective of whether they can double
as MP3 players - and indeed largely disregarded until
they go on the blink.
So far there appear to have been no commercial proposals
to integrate television monitors or web browsers into
washing machines and dryers.
nursery surveillance
Anxieties about the hired help (butlers sampling the beujolais,
cleaners making whoopee on the master bed), babysitters,
unruly teens, cheating spouses and even house-bound companion
animals have fostered adoption of covert and domestic
surveillance tools for use by homeowners rather than by
professional security
personnel.
Webcams secreted within a residence can be configured,
for example, to provide the owner with a continuous feed
on a password-restricted basis, to email periodic JPEGs
or to alert the viewer by SMS/email
if there is movement in a particular space (the owner
thence abandoning scrutiny of spreadsheets to observe
what is happing at home).
'Nannycams' to some extent represent a solution creating
a need, one that resonates with parents worried about
whether teens are inviting unauthorised friends into the
home or fretting that a child-minder (neighbour, sibling,
employee) is engaged in undetected abuse of an infant.
One vendor advises
Using
a hidden camera with the knowledge and consent of your
nanny can be an excellent way to assure the proper care
of your child and to connect with your family throughout
the day. ...The knowledge that she is being watched
should be enough to assure the proper care of your child.
Change the location of the cam frequently. If you have
problems with what you see on the cam, you can play
it for the nanny and discuss your concerns. Used properly
and respectfully, a cam can help build a stronger, more
successful relationship with your childcare provider.
... Never place cams in bathrooms or private bedrooms.
... Be aware that if your nanny becomes aware that she
has been monitored without her knowledge, this may end
or permanently damage your relationship.
A
competitor indicates
If
you're a working parent, a system that sends you a single
email (with a snapshot or video attachment) when the
child comes home after school could be reassuring and
not too intrusive on either of you
and
boasts
I
installed a number of internet cameras that send snapshots
up to my Web site at one-minute intervals. ... and it
didn't take long (after that) to fire the housekeeper:
The hours she worked were fewer than those she reported,
her rottweiler napped on the couch in the den, and she
actually swept stuff under the rug!
exotica
As the preceding paragraphs suggest, it is tempting for
manufacturers and researchers to apply connectivity to
a range of entities - from toasters and airconditioners
to potplants. 2008 thus saw promotion of the 'wi fi umbrella',
a device that keeps the rain off the user's head and allows
that person to transmit still images from an inbuilt digital
camera.
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