3 ways Nest Labs and the internet of things are about to make your life easier
Nest, the Google-owned smart home company, has revealed a whole host of tie-ups with household names such as Mercedes and Whirlpool to create the home of the future.
The partnerships will give developers access to Nest’s API- the code it designed for controlling household thermostats and smoke detectors- and other products such as cars and washing machines.
It’s a big step forward in creating a real internet of things, a network of connected devices controlled via smartphones, and an industry estimated to be worth £4.2 trillion by 2020.
Here are three ways Nest’s new programme could make your life a little better.
1.
Can’t sleep when you’re cold? Nest could detect what temperature you sleep best at and adjust it ready for when you hit the hay. A partnership with Jawbone, the maker of smart wristbands, means personal data already collected by the device such as sleeping patterns and mood can be used with the Nest API to control the temperature of your home without even thinking.
In theory, Jawbone and Nest could control your entire microclimate, identifying when you’re on your way home to make it toasty for your arrival. It could then switch off the heating when your body temperature rises.
The Nest partnership with Mercedes Benz could also do the same via GPS. It’s not only convenient, but could be a more efficient use of energy.
Later this year, the same concept will work with just a Google command or automatically using information from Google Now to locate you.
2.
It’s likely someone would let you know if your house is on fire, but rather than the fire brigade telling you all your earthly possessions have gone up in flames, Nest could alert you as soon the smoke detector starts bleeping.
This uses IFTTT, which stands for If This Then That. It’s a service that lets you create recipes based on different This’s and That’s. Now the service is connected to Nest, you can create a recipe that goes “If Nest Protect detects smoke, then text me”.
While Nest suggested setting it up to text a neighbour, the safer bet might be to send it to yourself and call 999 the instant its received.
3.
Your laundry will be ready when you are with Whirlpool’s smart washing machine. The famous white goods brand has already created a washing machine to work with Nest that can identify if you’re in the house or not, adjusting the washing cycle as appropriate to ensure your clothes are not sitting around in the damp getting creased.
With 5,000 developers already signed up to the programme, and Nest just dropping more than $500m on buying Dropcam, there are certainly other ways life may be improved in the future.