As our lives get busier and the hours in the day stay the same, convenience has never been more important. And with it not always possible for someone to lend a hand, home technology has come leaps and bounds to meet the demand for greater simplicity. But who thought the power of the voice could have such an impact? With the exploding popularity of the Amazon Echo in the US, voice control is making a big impact on how we go about our day-to-day lives.

With support of a Schneider Electric EcoXpert, we’ve developed the ability for Schneider Electric’s home automation solutions like Clipsal C-BUS, to work in conjunction with Amazon Echo. This gives home owners an unprecedented level of control over their home, including turning on the lights, drawing the blinds or activating heating or cooling.

Instead of searching for light switches and remotes, imagine walking into your home and saying “Tell house, I have arrived” and, thanks to automation, the house responds to the command in line with your personalised, pre-determined settings.

The best part is that the options are limitless. Through Schneider Electric’s pioneering product range there’s an automation to suit every consumer, right down to their specific needs.  Voice control is taking this personalisation to the next level.

The Benefits of Voice Control

There are many selling points integrators can use when educating potential customers. These include the ability to:

• Control a situation without needing to use a smart phone or tablet
• Be in one room and action something from another
• Easily program a range of customised responses to suit personal needs
• Detect and decipher even the trickiest of accents, making the technology more reliable and accurate than it’s ever been

The Future Growth of Voice Control

As voice control evolves it will become increasingly intuitive and be able to adapt to the environment and its surroundings, not only simplifying the lives of those who need an extra hand but those looking to live with that extra bit of independence. A great example is assisted living and the potential benefits voice control can bring to people living with disability.

With the continuous development of voice control, expect to be able to pre-set more and more commands, have the system understand  entire sentences, and respond to increasingly complicated demands.