Hi people,
My company has spent 5 years developing a Home Automation
Enhancer software app - called
MyServant - that currently works with HAL2000 to significantly expand its home automation features. But we're considering enhancing MyServant to also work with
ActiveHome... but first i'd like some feedback if it's worth our while, and if people would be keen.
MyServant is a suite of executables, including Server & Touch-Screen Interface components. The Server component runs seamlessly in the background and adds a plethora of extra features to a Home Automation software app... the Interface component provides a touch-screen compatible interface, with some unique features.
Visual Interface features include:- Touch screen support
- Extensive Visual Control of your home via a custom floor-plan
- See which occupants are home & away
- See & hear who's calling the home before you answer it
- Access your own personal websites & voicemail on-screen
- Control of your Security System, HVAC, media equipment & more
- Weather forecast displays
- Tracking & low-notification of Battery-levels for all home appliances
- Visual display of your Address book
- and so much more
Server-end Home Automation features include:Lighting IntelligenceAdd all sorts of logical decisions to your lighting, simply by ticking options. Let your lights determine what brightness to come on depending on the time; determine how to avoid false triggers of motion sensors; how long to keep lights on after you leave the room; how to ignore motion sensors when lights are manually controlled; and much more.
Personality Integration[/b]
Give your home a personality! The interface component will popup a butler/maid, whenever the Home Automation System is listening to your commands or making an announcement. What’s more, The personality is provided by MyServant’s random-comment feature, where it varies its response to questions, depending on what you say in return and whether you repeat yourself.
Room Targeted Announcements[/b]
Just like Star Trek – where the computer only responds to a person where they’re located, MyServant allows speakers to be defined in your home, for particular announcements. Have your home welcome/farewall you only at the front door, play the voicemail in the kitchen, or call out to wake you up in your bedroom.
Advanced Alarm Clocks[/b]
Throw away that inferior alarm clock. Have your PC wake each person in the home up in the morning; with random phrases, daily individual schedules, override schedules, enhanced snooze ability, and room-targeted wakeup calls, run specific macros (eg: open curtains when it’s time to wakeup), and more.
Occupant Tracking[/b]
Let your PC track who’s home and who’s not! MyServant will set the appropriate house-mode and run macros (eg: arm the alarm, turn off lights), based on when the last person leaves or 1st person arrives.
Status enquiries[/b]
Ask your home what was the last thing it said (and you can configure it to "forget" after a period of time!) – eg: ask it who’s home, or why a light isn't turning on.
And much much more. Currently, to use MyServant, you also need HAL2000 installed... but since ActiveHome is a much more popular Home Automation Software app, we're thinking of enhancing MyServant to support it also.
Your opinion is appreciated. Check out the full feature list of MyServant on our website, and let us know if you think it's worth us expanding it to support ActiveHome also.
More details on MyServant can be found at:
http://www.futuretouch.com.au/index-3.aspThanks.