Layer, an industrial design company, and Deutsche Telekom have created a range of smart home assistants, which were first revealed at Mobile World Congress (MWC), last month.
The range includes a holographic hub and a roving personal robot, called Emma. It appears as a hologram projected inside a glass ball, and acts like a smart home hub.
It can assist with daily tasks, control appliances and home conditions, and facilitate holographic video calls using integrated smart cameras, which scan a user’s face and create their digital, holographic avatar.
Member of the Board of Management for Technology & Innovation at Deutsche Telekom, Claudia Nemat said, “Concept T is researching how hologram telephony, among other things, could become a reality. The study takes our human-centred understanding of technology a step further, ‘I operate Concept T with a natural voice and gestures. All this will also be made possible by clever AI’.”
Additionally, the companies unveiled Concept Buddy, which is a small roaming robot described as a “friendly butler.”
It has a wheeled design, which is outfitted with smart home features. It can monitor room conditions (temperature and air quality) and make adjustments if required.
It also comes with a built-in projector, and can showcase messages on a wall, including rain clouds above plants that need watering.
Currently, these devices are prototypes and won’t be available for sale. They are just revealing what’s possible in future homes.
