![]() ![]() That being said, it only works, as I’m sure is not news, as a standard switch, with load. I probably could have saved everyone some trouble with that. I have been using the Tapt with the generic Zigbee Switch type for some time now without issue. not just making new stuff but also educating people.” His 313-person startup can probably afford to wait: Quirky is backed by $175.3 million in venture funding, from big name investors like Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers, Andreessen Horowitz, and of course, GE.I’m sorry, I’ve been out of this conversation for a while. “It would be awesome if we sold things now, but the reality is there is a ton of education that needs to happen,” he said. Security, for example, is a “top concern,” as it is in any conversation about the Internet of Things, he said. Kaufman acknowledges it might be awhile before consumers are comfortable with sensors tracking every aspect of their lives. “We don’t feel like the full story is being told yet.” “Getting people’s attention and getting them to realize the smart home is already here is half the battle,” Kaufman said. ![]() A “robot butler” and Martha Stewart at the 2014 American Made Summit. The robot butler campaign will aim to change that stigma with a series of television commercials and social media stunts like sending robot butlers to greet recording artist Snoop Dogg and media fixture Martha Stewart. Many consumers see smart homes as “only for tech nerds, early adopters and rich people,” he added. Indeed, since unveiling the Wink platform about four months ago, only “a few hundred thousand” people use it, Kaufman said. Yet consumers have been slower to adopt smart homes than hype around the so-called Internet of Things suggests. “We’re all quickly going to live in a world that has many more sensors in it,” Kaufman said. (Though at $80, it is cheaper than the rival device from Google’s Nest.) And Norm is a smart thermostat that the companies have heralded as “the death of the thermostat,” a confusing characterization since the product looks and acts like a thermostat. Ascend is a $90 smart garage door opener, also controlled by an app. Tapt is a $60 smart wall switch that allows lights to be controlled by an app. Outlink is a $50 smart outlet that tracks electricity usage. Overflow is a $35 moisture sensor designed to help people detect mold or water in their homes. “You can imagine living in a very Jetsons-esque future where, when you open your front door, the lights go on,” Kaufman said. Tripper is a smart window and door sensor that knows if something is open or closed. On Tuesday the companies introduced seven new co-branded products that all operate on Wink, their smart home platform. Now, GE is using its partnership with (and investment in) Quirky to expand further into the category. Her company stands to benefit from rising interest in the smart home for example, it has already unveiled a line of smart lightbulbs designed to last 22 years. But only 23% think they can afford it, according to Beth Comstock, chief marketing officer of General Electric (GE). Most Americans know about the idea of a “smart home,” which can include Internet-connected thermostats, garage doors, security systems, and lights. This idea-that no one wants a robot butler-is the basis of a new campaign to show people a different kind of futuristic home: one full of sensors, controlled by your smartphone. “You don’t want one of those in your house.” Courtesy: Quirky “I’m telling you, they’re creepy,” he said, as a four-foot tall robot slowly jerked its way across the stage. ![]()
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