HTINews Editorial

Star Trek or Bust
Bob Hetherington, Editor HTI News

I love this business. It seems that every few days I find out about something new that blows away what I thought was the limit of expectation for a Home Automation system. Voice control is the latest and greatest and in my opinion the ultimate home automation interface. Having said that, I suppose next week someone will tell me about a thought control system. Yikes ... that would be scary. Somehow I don't think I want my house to know what I'm thinking. That could prove to be embarrassing ... especially when the system goes into "Romantic Mode" while I'm being introduced to my wife's cousin from Sweden.

Back to Voice Control (even that could be a problem if I'm not careful what I say to my Swedish cousin in law). I've had voice control on the back burner for several years because I just thought it was a dream that wouldn't be realized until we were chartering trips to the moon for our vacation. Lo and behold, we've jumped the gun. Announcements from IBM (voice enabled Home Director), HAL2000 (voice recognition software using telephone), HomeVoice (voice recognition software using room microphones), MASS (using Dragon Dictate speech dictation software - see our Feature Article in this issue) and others have signaled a jump in Home Automation technology to the next level.

I must admit, I'm skeptical about the practical application of this technology, (after all, I are an engineer), but the possibilities certainly tweak the imagination. James Hunter at Phoenix (MASS) gave me a demonstration over the phone that really caught my attention. He started yakking at his system and it was yakking back at him and doing carrying our orders just as fast (yes, I could hear it talk and it even sounded human). The wildest feature he has built in is the link to www.gist.com (complete TV listings on the internet). He would ask the system what show was on HBO, for example, and it would come back with the information (with details if he asked for it). Then he says ... OK go there ... and the TV turns to the correct channel. Presumably, this means you could talk to your system to set up your entertainment schedule for the week ... programming the VCR to record etc. if you aren't home at the time.

No big deal you say ... ha! Two incredible things are happening here. One is the use of simple voice commands to operate the system ... the other is that the system is actually linked to the largest database of information in the world (the internet). How about this one ... "Scotty (a good name for your system), if I get email from John Doe then find me, open up his website on the nearest TV and dial his number when I pick up the phone". Now we're talking about home automation becoming a tool which we can really use to enhance not only our lifestyle but our education and career. As with the personal computer, once it became a useful tool rather than just an entertainment gadget ... sales soared, prices dropped and the average consumer embraced it. Are we on the verge of a Home Automation revolution? Ask Scotty ...

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