Growth Trends 2022: Ambient Computing & IoT Reach Adulthood
The Internet of Things (IoT) and ‘ambient computing’ are two emerging trends which are directly related. The IoT describes the devices that make up our smart home, while ambient computing is what happens when these devices are connected, and more so, what they learn from each other. What we’re seeing is the maturing of both as they move away from their juvenile stages and enter into mainstream use.
The interface between people and technology is broadening
Avenues beyond the confines of a single screen are opening. Arriving home? You can activate the lights, play music, or get your daily news briefing, without saying or pressing anything – all implemented using location services. Ready to start a family call? Voice activated technology like Alexa allows you to turn off the music with no physical touch required. Thanks to the prevalence of ambient computing in our homes, we are increasingly assured that AI will take care of things for us in the background.
Across all areas of society
Ambient computing is everywhere. From smart lighting in public places to chatbots for customer service. Newer trains and freight cars can monitor weight, delivery time windows, and warehouse activity to automatically adjust speeds so shipments arrive on time while saving fuel. Apple’s airPods use special audio and dynamic head tracking to adjust sound based on the user’s position without the need for manual intervention. Even lampposts are offering exciting new opportunities. Brian Buntz of the Internet of Things Institute provides a useful metaphor: ‘Lamp posts may well follow a trajectory similar to that of mobile phones. It wasn’t so long ago that mobile phones were suited for one purpose only – making calls. Now, making a phone call has become almost secondary to all of a smart phone’s other capabilities. Similarly, while the lamp posts of yesteryear provided only illumination, modern-day lamp post can serve as multi-functional smart-city nodes, capable of monitoring everything from crime to parking to weather.’
With Alexa as one of the main gate keepers
Alexa is fine-tuned to work with smart lighting, and platforms like Alexa are a key interface to ambient computing. As ambient computing rises, the benefits of such platforms are rising. Alexa can interact with smart bulbs, appliances and security cameras, already. And this drive for platforms like Alexa to interact with home units, will see a rise in opportunity for marketers. Just like ads have been integrated into the Android and iOS app ecosystem, the rising number of smart speaker uses is bringing about an audience to tap into.
Ambient commerce – one to watch
Ambient commerce is one use case for the Internet of Things (IoT) that offers consumers the promise of a new way to shop. Retailers have an opportunity to drive greater online sales by creating richer experiences. One of the most compelling use cases for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is e-commerce and ambient commerce. For example, IKEA’s experimentation around augmented reality headsets that allow customers to take the furniture from its catalogue and place it in front of them in their room to see what it looks like.
Ambient computing offers a space for new ideas, and now is the time for brands to come up with new solutions, before the market becomes saturated with competition
Implications for brands:
- What’s your service? As systems become more advanced, computing will be able to speed up actions and complete tasks with greater efficiency. It’s essential to understand where your brand can leverage this efficiency to make consumers lives easier. For example, can home improvement brands offer voice skills to help with DIY?
- Make Voice Assistants a default part of your strategy Voice-enabled assistants offer a huge opportunity in ambient computing. They are gathering huge amounts of data on customer preferences and in turn customers are using their voice devices to make purchase decisions. Getting on these platforms now will set brands up with valuable data to have a future in auto-decision making.
- Ambient Commerce: With AR glasses with voice activation likely to replace the smartphone as the consumer’s main user digital interface, think about the opportunities for product placement in interactive environments for purchase.
