With more home thermostats, lights, locks and appliances linking to the Internet, automakers are working on plans to let you control them from your car.
BMW and Ford both announced at the consumer-electronics show in Las Vegas known as CES that they’re working on in-car apps that let drivers control smart home devices.
BMW says it’s working on apps that allow drivers to “precondition” their homes by setting the thermostat for the right temperature by the time they arrive home. The company also showed an i3 electric car linked to a home device that monitors routines, sets routes and starts car functions.
Ford announced that it’s working with Amazon to link cars to its Alexa personal assistant. Later this year, the company will offer a service with voice commands that can start a car from a home or turn off an alarm system and open the garage door as a driver gets close to home.
But who needs to call from a car when there’s “mom?” A small white plastic figure that resembles a Russian nesting doll offers a digital smile while it monitors if people it’s watching are taking their pills, drinking enough water or doing any of their daily routines. Silver Mother is being marketed to caretakers and family members wanting to keep an eye on elderly loved ones.
Along with alerting caretakers and family, founder Rafi Haladjian says the white “mother hub” will play the sound of running water if a person doesn’t drink enough water for the day. It will also call people on the phone to remind them to take their pills.
The system is being displayed at the CES show of gadgets in Las Vegas.
The hub and four sensors, which can be attached to anything including pill bottles, is sold for $290.
Associated Press
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
