Another day, another company throwing its hat into the smart-home ring. Mitsubishi recently announced its concept for a new smart home. Purely theoretical at this point, the company wants its line of appliances, cameras, sensors, and other devices to assess family members and make recommendations aimed at improving their health and happiness by tracking data about their physical and mental conditions.
Though it’s just a concept, Mitsubishi envisions cameras greeting family members at the door that would identify and verify their identities. When they touch the door handle, sensors would gather data on their body temperature and heart rate. The health information would then get displayed on the hallway, along with everyone’s family members. Hopefully you could pick and choose what you want to show up, as not everyone needs to know about Tommy’s tummy troubles.
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Other devices would also use the health information collected. Other sensors may detect weight, because the fridge will offer meal suggestions based on its contents and your “body data.” The recipe will then display on the countertop near the induction stove. The company also promises “outlet-free, non-contact power supply” will charge everything in the home.
Since 2012, Mitsubishi has been making smart air conditioners that sense when a person isn’t in a room and switch to lower power. But its new smart-home concept signals it wants to get more involved in the space, much like many other companies. While people may not be comfortable with the idea of their home monitoring their health at the present, by the time any of these ideas come to fruition, attitudes may have changed.
