Fluid, an American startup specializing in smart home products, has launched a new Kickstarter campaign that aims to raise funds for the creation of Fluid One, a system that will turn the iPhone into a universal remote control to manage smart bulbs, personal assistants , robot vacuums and much more.
The initiative wants to “retire” the common applications for smart device controls with their inconvenient interfaces when utilize the iPhone’s ultra-wideband capabilities and Apple’s ARKit framework, responsible for the augmented reality tools necessary for the cell phone to track and identify the smart devices of the House.
The software creates a kind of map of the entire environment using radio frequency “beacons” signals that come with the kit of Fluid One and detected by the iPhone’s U1 chip — that is, all models of the iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lines —, capable of detecting signals with much more precision and notions of distance.
O The Verge likens the mechanism to a GPS, where the “beacons” (or “smart nodes”) work like the “satellites” and the iPhone…well, like the iPhone. With ARKit, the user registers each of their products in the app and assigns signal spaces that vary between 5 and 6 meters — when the cell phone is nearby, the controls will be activated.
As soon as the user points the mobile towards the smart device, its controls will automatically be displayed in a simplified interface. For example, simply lift your iPhone towards a smart light bulb to increase or decrease its brightness, change the color, or set a timer to automatically turn off.
“Our system calculates the cell’s position in 3D space by simultaneously measuring its distance to various ‘smart nodes’ on the walls of your room”, explains Rahul Prakash, co-founder of Fluid. “Smart nodes” are devices that come with the Fluid One kit to allow for intuitive object controls and automation.
The app determines the phone’s orientation using its augmented reality system — combining information from the camera, compass, gyroscope and accelerometer — to compare its position relative to the smart device, allowing the software to deduce which object is being pointed at with the smartphone.
The proposal is similar to Logitech Harmony Express, a universal control for virtual assistants and other smart devices that ended up being discontinued for “not meeting the planned expectations” of the manufacturer.
Fluid hopes to raise $100,000 to begin production of the One. The most basic kit will cost $249 (~R$ 1,289) and will include 4 smart nodes with a range of up to 6 meters, but there will be versions with more devices and a smart hub built with Raspberry Pi. According to the manufacturer, there will be compatibility with all major smart home brands.
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