Smart home kit enables remote, unobtrusive tracking of seniors
People Power has released Presence Care, a kit consisting of a gateway and five sensors, for $299, which can be self-installed in the home or apartment of seniors. Intelligence in the cloud quickly learns residents’ routines and alerts a circle of trusted family and friends if activities, such as frequent bathroom use, oversleeping, wandering, or even falls, are outside of the norm. Global News Wire
dis-rup-shun: Providing a simple, cost-effective system for keeping tabs on seniors is critical for keeping families who more frequently live far apart, close. Senior care is perhaps one of the most important uses of machine learning, as changes in sleep and bathroom habits correlate highly with illness, and addressing oncoming illness early can prevent hospital admissions. Hospital admissions in the U.S. for seniors cost an average of $10,000 and often precipitate a move to a higher level of residential care, ranging from $50,000 per year for independent living to $80,000 for assisted living. Expect significant use of sensor technologies and machine learning to keep families in closer touch with seniors.
Smart stove knobs prevent kitchen fires
By 2022, American households are expected to spend more than $63 billion on smart home products and services. One new product from Inirv is smart stove knobs that sense when a stove has been left on for longer than normal, and signals to others as well as shuts off the stove. The knobs can also be controlled through an app to remotely adjust cooking temperatures, or to turn on based on timer settings. The app can also be controlled through smart speakers such as Echo and Google Home. Hypepotamus
dis-rup-shun: The smart home industry is awash with gadgets that don’t make sense, but products that increase safety and convenience without requiring a complete replacement of expensive appliances is a winner. One can easily visualize a time when smart stove knobs could be required by building codes, and a time when smart knobs are included in all new stove models. Just like power windows or door locks on cars, in a few short years, many of today’s smart home innovations will be expected standards in 100% of new homes.
iPhone now blocks SPAM calls
A feature built into Apple’s latest iPhone software version, iOS 13.0, automatically blocks SPAM calls, or most any call that is unknown. For numbers that you have not recently called or that are not in your contacts list, calls are routed directly to voice mail. CNBC
dis-rup-shun: For people who have been using third party apps to block robot callers (I use Robokiller), the built-in app prevents one from having two voice mailboxes, as well as an additional annual fee, as Robokiller is $30 per year — a veritable fortune in a world of $.99 apps. Features like these keep us interested in the latest updates for our expensive phones, and help us justify spending $1000 on the latest and greatest. Expect high value features like this one to keep us interested in the newest phone models and software releases.
Sony PlayStation 5: faster, richer, better
Sony’s next console, the PS5, will feature solid state storage, eliminating a hard drive and increasing loading times. The device features better graphics capabilities, utilizing ray tracing technology, and a controller with rich haptic feedback, enabling you to feel the bumpy ground when you swerve your race car off the track. Wired
dis-rup-shun: Despite the evolution of computer and mobile gaming that has progressed as much if not more than any other technology since its humble origins, game enthusiasts love consoles. Apple’s and Google’s games services will engage many a business traveler or soccer mom, but enthusiasts want premium experiences that only consoles can provide. Despite efforts to grow the game market, the three big console makers understand the power of market segmentation (as well as the Cash Cow of the BCG brand matrix), and keep milking enthusiasts by providing ever greater console experiences.