Skip to main content

Mitsubishi wants its smart home to sense your health and mood

Mitsubishi Electric Smart Home
Image used with permission by copyright holder
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.

Recommended Videos

 Related: The new GE ChillHub fridge is so smart, it thinks it’s a computer

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.

Jenny McGrath
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…
Echo Spot vs. Echo Pop: Which Amazon device is better for your smart home?
The Echo Spot on a shelf.

The Echo Spot is a new smart alarm clock from Amazon, though it looks eerily similar to the existing Echo Pop. Both offer a similar, semi-ircle design -- though the Echo Spot is equipped with a touchscreen while the Pop is largely controlled via voice commands. There are a handful of other differences between the Echo Spot and Echo Pop, and since the Echo Spot is much more expensive than the Pop, you'll want to take a close look at both before opting for the fancy new gadget.

From pricing and design to sound quality and additional features, here's everything you need to know about the Echo Spot and Echo Pop.
Pricing and design

Read more
Echo Spot vs. Echo Dot (5th Gen): which is the better smart home companion?
The Echo Spot on a nightstand.

Amazon has officially revived the Echo Spot for 2024, with the device getting a new design and features to modernize the iconic smart alarm. It joins an ever-growing list of Amazon devices built around Alexa, the most notable of which is the popular Echo Dot (5th Gen). But what exactly is the difference between these two smart devices, and which is better for your home?

From pricing and design to sound quality and more, here's what you need to know about the Echo Spot and Echo Dot before making a purchase.
Pricing and design

Read more
The latest Philips smart lock can read your palm to open your front door
The Philips Palm Reader smart lock on a blue door.

Philips just launched a slew of new products, headlined by the Philips Home Access 5000 Series Palm Recognition Smart Lock. The device works not just with a physical key, PIN code, or Philips mobile app, but also with the built-in palm scanner -- making it one of the most futuristic smart locks of 2024.

According to Philips, the scanner works by tracking "unique palm vein patterns," making it nearly impossible to hack and offering families an ultra-secure way to lock their front door. Setup is just as easy as most other smart locks, thanks to built-in Wi-Fi so you can get up and running without the need for a secondary bridge. It also works with voice commands via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Read more