The thoughtful home

Internet guru Joakim Jardenberg has been helping to facilitate ASSA ABLOY’s digital transformation since 2016. He hopes that the next step will be “turning our smart home into a thoughtful home,” he says. “I want the technology to know everything about me and fulfill my needs before I realize there is a need.”

The smart home trend is growing as technology becomes more widely available and people begin letting Amazon and other players into their homes. Naturally, certain parts of the world are adopting smart home technology faster than others. 

“The US has some advantage as being the home of Amazon, a company that has really pushed forward in this area with services that lower friction and make everyday life easier,” says digital expert and investor, Joakim Jardenberg. “But today we should probably look to the East for inspiration and knowhow. Alibaba [Chinese multinational conglomerate] alone lists 194,794 products in the smart home category and emerging markets tend to leapfrog in implementing new tech.”

AI cameras has reportedly given a three-week heads up before a fall in the case of elderly but otherwise healthy individuals

Just the tip of the service iceberg

Energy savings and remote access are some of the big advantages that come with smart home technology and they are driving many of the purchases today. The technology has made an array of new services possible, such as being able to provide home access remotely to dog walkers, cleaning staff, Airbnb guests, or even enable in-home deliveries rather than leaving packages on doorsteps. Yet this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding what can be expected in terms of future features or services.

Smart locks has many advantages for new home services. Solutions from ASSA ABLOY Group company, Phoniro increase efficiency and workflow for home care providers.

“We will see more developments relating to safety and security in the sense of our health and well-being,” says Jardenberg. “Artificial Intelligence that analyzes footage from residential cameras has reportedly given a three-week heads up before a fall in the case of elderly but otherwise healthy individuals. We are on the brink of some impressive breakthroughs in this domain.”

I’m convinced that everyone is going to want to have a smart home. A dumb home will not even be an option.

Can we trust it?

But while smart home technology can pave the way for endless possibilities and conveniences, many consumers are still reluctant to let smart home technology into their homes.

Jardenberg believes this reluctance won’t last. “I’m convinced that everyone is going to want to have a smart home. It needs to become a bit easier to get up and running, a little bit more useful, and we need to find ways to make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable in terms of personal data, integrity and privacy. But it’s just a matter of time.”

Jardenberg himself walks the talk and has lived in a smart home for years. “We have 72 Philips Hue light sources to automate home lighting, all the radiators are connected, the stove is remotely controlled, all the air purifiers work together and will send an alarm to our phones if there is an issue beyond what they can fix. Our beds monitor our sleep, the bathroom scale tweets my weight and so on,” he says.

“The list is endless, and we love it. Everything is controlled by voice, both through Google Home and Amazon Echo. The home alarm and the door locks are of course also online.”

I want the technology to know everything about me and fulfill my needs before I realize there is a need.

Next step is the thoughtful home

Jardenberg hopes that the next step will be “turning our smart home into a thoughtful home,” he says. “I want the technology to know everything about me and fulfill my needs before I realize there is a need.”

For the uninitiated smart home user, it all sounds a bit daunting, but Jardenberg assures that, “once you get over the first initial threshold it’s the most natural thing in the world.”

Smart homes, just like mobile phones, will become the norm in the future, he adds.

“A dumb home will not even be an option.”

By Cari Simmons

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