Greetings,
This is likely to be of more interest for UK subscribers.
Seen this on the BCAB group and thought otheres may care to take a look.
I paste below the link, the text from the site.
http://home.bt.com/techgadgets/techfeatures/i-cant-talk-right-now-i-just-need-to-text-my-washing-machine-11363881068436
I can't talk right now, I just need to text my washing machine
Behold the future of laundry: What if your washing machine was connected to
the internet?
The answer is a prototype called Cloudwash. It's a working washing machine
that talks to the internet, and from there to you, wherever you happen to
be.
You can talk to your washing machine from your phone. It can send you an
alert when your wash is done - or you can load it up before you leave for
work, then start the wash cycle by remote control from the office during the
afternoon, so that everything's fresh for when you return.
There are buttons on the front of the machine that automatically order
replacement detergent and fabric conditioner from Amazon.
What's most interesting about Berg's experiment is that they used a normal
washing machine, and adapted it to talk to the network using extra hardware
they designed. Those extra widgets and microchips turn a dumb object into a
smart object.
Those widgets are what Berg's business is all about. It doesn't want to make
washing machines; it wants to make washing machines smarter.
The five-minute film explaining Cloudwash feels very natural, and doesn't
make the technology seem too weird.
So while it might seem a bit over-indulgent to want an internet-connected
washing machine today, this is probably where household goods are going
tomorrow (ish). Give it another five or ten years, and everyone will be
wondering how on earth they managed without smart washing machines, boilers,
and cookers.
Seen this on the BCAB group and thought otheres may care to take a look.
I paste below the link, the text from the site.
http://home.bt.com/techgadgets/techfeatures/i-cant-talk-right-now-i-just-need-to-text-my-washing-machine-11363881068436
I can't talk right now, I just need to text my washing machine
Behold the future of laundry: What if your washing machine was connected to
the internet?
The answer is a prototype called Cloudwash. It's a working washing machine
that talks to the internet, and from there to you, wherever you happen to
be.
You can talk to your washing machine from your phone. It can send you an
alert when your wash is done - or you can load it up before you leave for
work, then start the wash cycle by remote control from the office during the
afternoon, so that everything's fresh for when you return.
There are buttons on the front of the machine that automatically order
replacement detergent and fabric conditioner from Amazon.
What's most interesting about Berg's experiment is that they used a normal
washing machine, and adapted it to talk to the network using extra hardware
they designed. Those extra widgets and microchips turn a dumb object into a
smart object.
Those widgets are what Berg's business is all about. It doesn't want to make
washing machines; it wants to make washing machines smarter.
The five-minute film explaining Cloudwash feels very natural, and doesn't
make the technology seem too weird.
So while it might seem a bit over-indulgent to want an internet-connected
washing machine today, this is probably where household goods are going
tomorrow (ish). Give it another five or ten years, and everyone will be
wondering how on earth they managed without smart washing machines, boilers,
and cookers.
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