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Ask HN: What is the killer 'internet of things' app?

8 points by guybrushT ↗ HN
Internet of Things is gaining traction, but I don't see any killer apps beyond phone-controlled washing machines, refrigerators etc. - these are not fundamentally different 'apps'. I would love to get some perspective and understand from YOU - what do you think can be the 'game-changer' or 'killer app' for internet of things. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

8 comments

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ajcarpy2005
Blinds open at dawn to naturally awaken, close when you leave for work or at dusk. Windows open when it is nice out but close most or all of the way when it's about to rain. Lights only on when needed. Automatic toilets. (like at some stores) Music and videos pause when you leave room.

I will mention that one big aspect of connected technology that is so attractive to me is the technology heing built into the home itself...simple things like speakers in each room.

In a home, especially a smart house, form is function...like in Biology. It's about being surrounded by stuff that adapts to change...each person's tastes/preferences and needs of the moment.

Maybe a digital bulletin board would be a killer feature. A traditional color LCD screen would be nice but expensive. Maybe an e-ink/e-paper display would work well for that. I read that they are less than 30X the price of an LCD which would be highly affordable. This would be very large and display a calendar, daily agenda, and various reminders/notes.

Nice question. It's difficult because most of the hardware really doesn't exist yet.

davidnagy
@ajcarpy2005 what pieces of hardware do U think are missing?
ajcarpy2005
A hub for the IOT. Many companies in this space have their own base stations and the wireless router also acts as a 'hub' for many devices in this space. (Cloud printers, Nest thermostat, etc) A device with more computing capability could evolve into a sort of specialized home server for handling home automation.

If you are having guests over, this hub could schedule your Roomba vacuum to clean the floors before company arrives and not interrupt.

It almost seems like we will need an operating system for handling the complexity of all the 'peripherals,' interactions, and applications in the era of home automation.

Even though web connectivity is very popular, it may be best to have a layer of software that is a little more stable that can mediate all the applications that run on it.

jlgaddis
I have primary responsiblity for, among other things, networking for an electric utility company. I'm sure everyone has heard of the "smart meters" that similar companies are deploying. I don't know I'd go as far as to call it a/the "killer app" but these "smart meters" have completely changed how this company operates day-to-day.

In addition, I live in the midwest and we've had some pretty good winter storms in the last month or two. One of the biggest things, I think, is that the MTTR electric service to their customers (during/after such a storm and widespread outage) has dropped to a level that they had never before experienced.

mlwarren
I work for a smart metering company and I can confirm that there are a lot of interesting developments in this space. In addition to the meter itself and the functions the meter can do (automatic reporting, disconnects, connects, etc) I think the possibility for incentivized home automation will be a big driver in the internet of things.

Some consumers may be interested in throttling their power when load is high on the grid for environmental or cost saving reasons. When the utility provides a monetary incentive for the customer to throttle their AC or turn off their pool pump during periods of high load a lot more people suddenly get interested.

JacksonBond
Hey guybrushT....I work for relayr.de, we just launched the WunderBar on Dragon Innovation Crowdfunding, a starter-kit to enable IoT apps. We think the idea of a "killer app" is cool, but even cooler is lots of killer apps!! to enable the innovation and creative potential of all app developers. Lower the barriers and give them tools to start creating fun and useful apps that use smart devices combined with things they themselves make smart with sensor-enabled Beacons. I mean the app economy as we know it (the mulit-billion dollar one today) is only basically 5-6 years old. The key was an enabling platform for both creating and distributing these creations, across devices, across device manufacturers, where each user has more control over the device data they own. Does this makes sense?