Josh Voice Activated Home Automation
Think $180 is a hefty sum for a smart home system in the form of an Amazon Echo? Try $14,000 for Josh.ai. The connected home platform boasts a number of impressive attributes – mainly artificial intelligence – but comes at a price to match. But don’t worry — you probably won’t get a chance to buy it anyway.
A product of startup JStar, Josh.ai is the flagship offering of co-founders Alex Capecelatra, whose claim to fame includes launching the social networking app Yeti, and Tim Gill, otherwise known as the founder of Quark, a graphic design firm. So what makes Josh.ai worth the money? As the founders said, this is unlike any AI system you’ve interacted with at home before.
Speaking at the CEDIA Business Xchange, Capecelatro called the Echo a “cute little toy,” but nothing compared to the capabilities of Jstar’s new product. Instead of Amazon’s trademark top hat, Josh.ai takes shape in a box that can process and understand natural language. This means you won’t have to introduce your commands by saying, “Alexa, [insert request here].” Instead, you’ll be able to talk to Josh directly, telling him to “Open the garage door” or “Turn on the bathroom lights” or “Play Season 2 Episode 8 of Veep.” You can even combine commands so Josh can do multiple tasks at once.
When discussing Josh.ai’s conception with PC Magazine earlier this year, Capecelatro spoke of the disjuncture that currently exists between the array of “connected” home devices. “Right now,” he said, “you’d either have to spend hundreds of thousands on a custom integrated system to tie them together, or you’d have 20 different applications to manage them. We thought there was a better way. What if you could just talk to your house?”
And with Josh, you kind of can. Ultimately, the team says, “The dream is to have built-in microphones throughout the house,” but for now, Gill and Capecelatro are focusing on AI’s nearby conversational capabilities.
If you want to buy one of these $14,000 systems this year, you’ll have to act fast. Only 100 customers will be able to claim that privilege (because exclusivity does everything so much more desirable). So get in line, friends. Expensive home systems may be the next most popular thing.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn