3D printing, AR/VR and Internet of Things make home life easier

Tencent Digital (Wen Xin) According to TechCrunch website, imagine this scene? When entering the bathroom at 7am, the shower sprays hot water with the best temperature and pressure. When entering the room, the thermostat will adjust the room to the temperature where the user feels most comfortable. Need a bathtub? Use a 3D printer to "print" one. High-tech homes will bring a revolution to our lives.

Although in the past, interior decoration was just color matching and furniture, new technology trends will completely change the way we design and build our rooms and our lifestyle. They even have a social impact, allowing users to reduce their carbon footprint and improve efficiency in their daily lives.

3D printing, virtual reality and the Internet of Things are just beginning to appear in our homes, but they are having a staggering impact. So, what kind of "power" these technological trends have? What will they do in the future?

3D printing

3D printers can be used to produce auto parts and even build entire houses. Amsterdam, The Netherlands With a giant 3D printer called KamerMaker, “printed out” a 13-room “Canal House”.

KamerMaker 2.0 is under development and can "print" objects equivalent to a water bottle per second. An Italian construction company is also developing technologies for building houses using 3D printers. Therefore, although it is impossible to present a community that has been "built" by a 3D printer, this is entirely possible in the future.

It is not that 3D printing has not yet become mainstream technology. Shapeways and other companies allow users to design and order 3D printed items. Customers can use GravitySketch and other 3D design software to design their own items, send the design to Shapeways, and then they can wait for Shapeways to send “printed” items to their home. In addition, Shapeways also offers dozens of ready-to-use household items—such as bookshelves and wall art works—at a price comparable to that of a commercial street, and most items cost less than $40.

Peter Limburg, Head of Business Development and Sales at Shapeways, said, “The user can decide on the materials used, the appearance and the manufacturing methods. Massive manufacturing removes as much diversity as possible, using 3D printing technology, we can Make products more personalized. Our products can bring more joy to users."

3D printing also means that we no longer need to rely on "thousand miles away" factories. The Shapeways factory is located in Long Island, New York and produces 200,000 products each month. In addition, 3D printed products generate less waste – raw materials used in the production process are required, and no more use of a little more raw materials can reduce individual users’ carbon footprint.

TechCrunch said that with the mainstream of 3D printing technology, even larger companies such as Hewlett-Packard are entering this field. Ricoh and Canon also announced that they will introduce 3D printers. Limburg said that the involvement of these large companies can help reduce prices and stimulate innovation, which is conducive to the development of the entire industry.

Virtual/Augmented Reality

In the field of interior design and online shopping to help people make decisions, virtual reality and augmented reality will soon play a key role. These technological tools will help consumers choose large items, so that consumers can “observe” the harmony of the overall style of the products and their homes before actually shopping.

In particular, furniture companies will use augmented reality applications. Littlewoods and Very developed related augmented reality applications. Instead of opening a hole in the brain to imagine how a piece of furniture is placed in a home, users can use a camera to scan the room and virtually “place” the furniture into a 3D virtual environment. Custom furniture company DIRTT uses a virtual reality application in the furniture showroom to enhance the user’s in-store shopping experience.

Alper Guler is the founder of AR Pandora, an augmented/virtual reality application development company. He said that people are now starting to try the Google Cardboard experience at home because Cardboard is inexpensive and supports most smartphones. However, people will be more likely to try equipment such as Oculus Rift and HTC Vive in physical stores and showrooms because they require a computer with powerful processing capabilities.

The virtual reality helmets such as the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive themselves cost more than $500, which is much higher than Cardboard's $15. Gule said, "Virtual reality can help consumers 'try' products and retailers will benefit. These technologies will help retailers sell more products faster."

Augmented/Virtual Reality also helps customers better imagine their newly designed home environment. Guler said that without these technologies, designers working on the network face difficulties in presenting their designs to customers. “They use 3D modeling tools throughout the design process, but when they present their designs to customers, they can only shoot. Photographs of 3D models allow customers to see.” However, with enhanced/virtual reality technology, people can view their newly designed homes from any angle.

In particular, virtual reality technology enables customers to “enter” their undecorated rooms in advance and provide far better experience than looking at floor plans. Facebook has even demonstrated its social virtual reality application so that friends can interact in a virtual reality environment.

TechCrunch said that this may seem too remote, the report shows that virtual reality technology will take 6-8 years to enter the mainstream market, but Facebook's social virtual reality applications to promote the development of virtual reality technology. For customers and interior designers, augmented/virtual reality technology will soon become a real “reality”. Even if they are thousands of miles away, they can discuss design in a virtual reality environment—just like face to face.

Internet of Things

The Internet of Things can provide a lot of home functions. With IoT technology, everyday items, from thermostats to light bulbs, will be upgraded. The widespread use of Internet of Things technology will save a lot of energy. A study conducted by the American Society for Consumer Technology shows that Internet of Things technology helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 100 million tons, reducing energy consumption per household by 10%.

Voice Assistant has been very popular in large technology companies. Google has just announced that it will launch a home device that integrates its search technology and supports voice technology. Google's device is similar to Amazon Echo. Echo uses Alexa technology and can accept user voice commands to complete tasks such as turning on lights, playing music, and setting up a WiFi network.

AdMobilize has just developed a MATRIX device that simplifies the management of IoT devices. Any connected device can be integrated into MATRIX. MATRIX can be used as the control center for all intelligent devices in the home.

MATRIX can download applications like a smart phone - for example, an application can detect the user's wake up time and then start the shower, implementing hundreds of functions in the home. The user also does not need to touch the device: a gesture can be used to turn off the lighting tool. However, this device has not yet been marketed.

Isabella Mongalo, brand manager of AdMobilize, said, “The Internet of Things will change the home because it allows users to interact with technology without compromising their lives. It creates technology that people use. The natural way is to make people 'smooth' smart homes without hands."

Ordinary households may not have used items or smart devices built using 3D printing technology, but they will soon be used. More and more enhanced/virtual reality applications, 3D printing and Internet of Things will enter people's homes. These devices will change, improve the interaction between people and home furnishings, and customize the way home.

Source: TechCrunch

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