Smart or Sci-Fi home?

The smart home technology market has developed hugely over the past few years with the aim to make people’s lives easier and safer. But is a truly interconnected home something that is viable in the future? Or more importantly is this even something consumers will adopt?

The rise of the smart home

CCS Insight predicts that over the next decade the adoption of smart home technology will develop at varying rates – stand-alone solutions, such as smart doorbells and robot vacuum cleaners, will see strong adoption over the next three years, while a more deeply integrated, highly connected home will take more time.

This forecast suggests that mass adoption will be a slow burner for smart home technology, and so two different approaches in this market is needed.

One company that aims to take smart home technology to the next level is Amazon, it currently holds the biggest market share in smart devices and is predicted to keep its position throughout 2021.

The Amazon effect

There were 53.6 million worldwide Amazon Echo shipments in 2020 alone, corroborating Amazon’s position as a smart home technology market leader. In fact, Amazon has scooped more than 30 percent market share in the smart home industry compared to the market’s second biggest competitor, Google.

But have you stumbled across Amazon’s latest offering – Astro the home robot?

Powered by the tech giant’s Alexa smart technology, the household robot can be remote-controlled even when owners are not at home to check on pets, people, or home security – and it can even patrol a home automatically, sending owners a notification if it detects something unusual.

Astro has also been programmed with a range of movements and expressions to give it a friendly personality, perhaps to help encourage the adoption of introducing a moveable robot guard into your home!

Privacy concerns

Off the bat of Astro’s launch, Amazon was keen to dislodge any privacy concerns claiming that owners can set “out of bounds” zones, preventing the robot from accessing certain areas, or it could be set to “do not disturb”. There are also options to turn off cameras and microphones – though Astro loses its ability to move around when these are switched off.

Amazon is already equipped with success and expertise in the smart home market, but Astro remains a bold move by the company. With Astro able to work seamlessly with other Alexa-powered devices, could this be a glimpse into what a fully interconnected home will look like?

Mass adoption is a major concern for this market, as we have often seen a generational divide with smart home products, so only time will tell how integrated devices like the Astro robot will be adopted into consumers’ lives.