Rohan and Phil share their excitement after attending CES 2025, highlighting innovative advancements in gesture control technologies like the Wow Mouse. They discuss the challenges of navigating the Matter protocol and its implications for smart home compatibility. Exciting new security tech, including AI-powered cameras and drones, also grabs their attention. Conversations about local language models for smart home integration reveal a mix of skepticism and enthusiasm. Ultimately, their reflections on connections made underscore the vibrant open-source community.
The hosts emphasized the importance of networking at CES 2025, highlighting how interactions with creators enriched their understanding of home automation innovations.
They discussed the impressive gesture-based control system by Double Point, showcasing its seamless integration with Home Assistant and illustrating the evolution towards more intuitive user interfaces.
Deep dives
Meeting and Networking at CES
The hosts reflect on their experiences at CES, emphasizing the importance of networking and experiencing technology from various creators. They highlight meeting key individuals from Nabucasa and other tech creators, which enriched their understanding of the innovations presented at the event. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement, providing opportunities to discover collaborative potentials within the home automation space. The hosts express gratitude towards the fellow creators and participants who made their CES experience memorable.
Innovative Gesture-Control Technology
One standout technology discussed is a gesture-based control system that utilizes an Apple or Samsung watch to manipulate computer functions and smart home devices. This system, developed by a Finnish company called Double Point, allows users to perform natural gestures, like pointing and clicking, without additional hardware such as gloves or cameras. During their interaction, the hosts were impressed by the seamless integration of this gesture technology with Home Assistant. This innovation exemplifies how home automation is evolving to accommodate more intuitive user interfaces.
Home Assistant Integration with Smart Appliances
At CES, Bosch announced its first Matter-enabled refrigerator and shared plans for expanding their product line to include other Matter-compatible appliances. The focus on open standards in their product development stands in contrast to other companies, such as Samsung, known for their closed ecosystems. Bosch's commitment to integrating Matter demonstrates a proactive approach towards enhancing interoperability in home automation. This shift encourages open communication between various smart devices, potentially improving user experiences.
The Future of Smart Robotics
The hosts discussed various smart robotic technologies showcased at CES, including robot vacuums equipped with arms for performing household tasks. There was skepticism regarding the practicality of these robots, particularly their ability to navigate real-world environments filled with obstacles like cords and toys. While some robotic innovations, such as SwitchBot's robot helper, aim to assist with carrying and mobility tasks, the utility of these innovations remains in question. The conversations highlighted a need for further development and refinement of how robotics can genuinely enhance household efficiency.
Rohan and Phil go to CES 2025 in Las Vegas. In this episode they give an outline of some of the things they experienced from an open source and Home Assistant perspective.
Easily connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants for a small monthly fee that also supports the Home Assistant project. Configuration is via the User Interface so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.