David Rose, CEO Ditto Labs at Le Web 2014
James TempertonSmart objects that blend fashion and our everyday lives
will kill off the internet of things in 2015, according to Cedric
Hutchings, CEO of Withings. The French company, best known for its
smart scales and sensor-packed watches, is now targeting fashion
over traditional tech in a bid to expand its business.
Speaking at Le Web 2014 in Paris, Hutchings said the smart
devices of the future would be integrated into "dumb" objects we
already take for granted: "Wearables need not to be
'dropables'. We have to fix the shortcomings of these devices
to appeal to more people," he said.
Examples of such un-droppable, useful objects were given by
David Rose, a researcher at MIT's media labs and CEO of Ditto Labs.
Rose said that umbrellas that flash a light when rain is forecast
and doorbells that ring differently when it is someone you know as
opposed to a stranger were examples of what he called "enchanted
objects".
Giving another example he said that engineers had been working
to create a wallet with a smart hinge that makes it more difficult
to open if the owner has spent too much of their monthly
budget.
But Hutchings had a word of caution for technology companies
looking to become lifestyle brands, especially when it isn't
immediately obvious what a smart or connected object does: "We are
still in a very innovation-driven market and a type of product that
people need to be educated about. It does not shout out, the
sophistication and the sensor part."
His view that smart devices will be better integrated into our
daily lives was shared by Stephane Marceau CEO of Omsignal. His
company, which makes smart clothing such as fitness tracking
shirts, has already partnered with Ralph Lauren to integrate sensor
technology into fashion.
"You've got to time this right. A lot of these technologies are
just about to come to maturity," he said. "Clothing is the most
universal behaviour. It is the one type of wearable form factor
that you've been wearing your whole life. Textile is a very
valuable form factor when it comes to wearable -- it is
malleable."
Don't
miss
He said that in the coming year technology and fashion would
become even closer, adding that the likes of Apple, Google and
Microsoft might have to take a backseat to companies with more
experience in the area:
"I think we're going to be talking a lot about the conversions
of the world of fashion and tech. Right now there's a difference
between these two worlds. If you're wearing something there is some
fashion in there. Our expectation is you'll go to the store, buy a
shirt, a bra and you won't even ask, it'll be a connected
object."
Source Article from http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-12/09/internet-of-things-le-web-2014 http://cdni.wired.co.uk/620x413/k_n/le%20web%20internet%20of%20things.jpeg
'Enchanted objects' will kill the internet of things in 2015
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