Home Appliances VOICE CONTROL
The sound of the future 26
Miele’s Pure Wall Mounted Cooker Hood can be connected to Alexa
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n the summer of last year, a survey of 6,000 people in the UK and USA by AI sound technology software firm, Audio Analytic, found that more than a third (35 per cent) of households owned smart speakers, such as
Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Sonos, or Google Home. Of those consumers who didn’t own any smart home products, a quarter planned to buy a smart speaker over the next 12 months — more than any other devices. These are staggering statistics and this is definitely something that electrical retailers should capitalise on over the coming months and years. Matt Nimmons, MD of CEDIA, believes that for
many people, smart speakers are the entry point into the connected home… “Once someone has a voice- activated smart speaker, this can act as a catalyst for them to add additional devices and services, such as smart lighting and smart thermostats to control the temperature of their home.”
Voice-activated smart speakers were high on people’s Christmas lists in 2018, and it is expected that ownership of these devices will massively increase this year as well
At last year’s IFA trade exhibition, voice control
was one of the technologies making the biggest noise on the show floor, particularly in home appliances. Household names such as Electrolux and Hoover announced major partnerships with Google Home and Amazon Alexa to integrate voice commands into their latest domestic appliances. Mr Nimmons continues: “Several other home appliance brands unveiled their connected white goods and declared their intentions to have their voice-controlled products in the UK and European markets this year, so we can expect to see a growing trend for these in 2019. “However, whether consumers will readily
adopt these products remains to be seen — there’s still a reticence for consumers to embrace connected white goods because they can’t see the user benefits as easily as they can with smart speakers, lighting, or heating. There is still a lot of work to do for both manufacturers and retailers
to convince consumers to trade up to connected home appliances. There’s no doubt that these products will play an important role in the smart home of the future, but, it’s fair to say, that at the moment, the connected kitchen is a long way off from becoming the norm.”
Impactful innovation Over in the manufacturer camp, Steve Macdonald, business director, Freestanding Division, at Hoover Candy UK, tends to disagree, commenting that voice control in appliances is here now and has certainly been one of the biggest and most impactful innovations of the last couple of years. “It’s a new kind of technology that really assists
the user. When paired with artificial intelligence, it even means users can ask for advice – such as asking a washing machine how to remove a certain type of stain. “Not only does voice-assist technology make
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