The idea of a connected home has been around for many years, in the way of controlling the home from your mobile phone, tablet and, more recently, with the help of a virtual assistant. Nowadays, there are countless solutions that allow you to turn on the lights, turn the TV on or off, set the room temperature. But can they be called “smart”, as long as the action is initiated from the phone, tablet, voice or pre-programmed by a technician who hard-codes the actions of the “smart” house?
We dare to say, after many discussions with users of smart homes and specialists, during the event IMWorld 2018, that only the VIKI system behaves like a true virtual butler, who knows your habits and preferences.
VIKI has that added artificial intelligence needed for any connected home solution, so that, once installed, it will turn your home into a truly intelligent one. VIKI means more than just connecting devices to a common database, implementing algorithms to learn user preferences, managing to become a partner. Specifically, VIKI intelligence will learn by itself to control the lights, the temperature, the windows blinds, the multimedia equipment in the house, analyzing the current context and acting on the patterns identified in the previous experience.
VIKI is no longer just an idea, it is a reality, implemented in homes as real as possible. We spent a day with VIKI in an apartment in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and we observed it “at work”. Within a few weeks after installation, VIKI learned the preferences of the owner of the house. VIKI turns on the radio with the favorite news program in “Good Morning” mode, it raises the blinds, brews the coffee and turns on the right lights, in the right rooms.
When the owner leaves the house, VIKI locks the door, turns off the lights and continues to “work” during the users’ absence: it waters the plants, it lowers the blinds if the sun is too strong, it watches that everything is in order and it sends alerts on the user’s mobile phone if the sensors detect smoke (fire alert), gas or water (flood alert), if a door or window has been opened (break-in alert).
For each scenario, VIKI knows how to act: it permanently learns when the user is at home and performs pre-programmed actions when the user is away or is resting. When the user returns home, the temperature is just right, and the lights turn on when needed. In the evening, it’s VIKI, again, that creates the proper conditions for relaxation and rest.
We invite you to watch the video to understand why VIKI is special and unique in the field of home automation systems.
