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www.strategicbusinessinsights.com
Domotics Tech and Fragile People
International trends and development scenarios
© 2013 by Strategic Business Insights. All rights reserved.© 2013 by Strategic Business Insights. All rights reserved.
July 2013
Carl Telford, PhD
Program Manager, Scan
ctelford@sbi-i.com

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Strategic Business Insights (SBI):
Who we are and what we do
A spin-off from SRI International, SBI is
headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley.
Scanning: SBI’s Scan service helps users
understand change in business,
technology, and society.
Technology analysis: SBI’s Explorer service
provides a continuous look at 32 important
technologies.
Consulting: We help clients at the ‘fuzzy
front end.’ With Shell, we developed
scenario planning in the 1970s. We create
roadmaps…

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We created a domotics roadmap with AREA

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Next-generation telecare
• Health/wellness/emergency
• Telecare: key part of healthcare
• Private, bespoke systems
• Systems on smartphones/tablets
Service robotics
• Robot companions
• Exoskeletons
• Domestic task assistance
Home automation platforms
• Security
• Lighting and heating
• Food preparation
We created a domotics roadmap with AREA

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Robert Thomas
Physics
Scenario
Planning
Lucy Young
Egyptology
Bioscience
Technologies
Peter Batty
Physics
Consumer
Electronics
Carl Telford
Materials Eng.
“Scanning”
Kyle Whitman
English & Law
Future Homes &
Connectivity
Rob Edmonds
Cognitive Sci.
Collaboration
Tools & Learning
Gareth Lamb
Chemistry
Industrial
Chemicals/Mats
Nanomaterials
Advanced
Materials
SBI Function
Background
The SBI team: “What could happen in 10 to 15 years…?”
Alastair
Cunningham

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External Environment:
Opportunities and Threats
SBI research (Scan, Explorer, technology roadmaps)
Approximately 15 Clusters
5 Themes
[“Development Scenarios”]
Presentation
Business Publications Scientific Journals Trade Publications
Personal Observations Consulting Work Web 2.0 Media
Magazines Interviews ConferencesNewspapers
Clustering
Refinement
Chaotic
Unstructured
Focused
Structured
Application of SBI’s Scan™ process

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The team did some data collection…
We collected relevant data from Scan, Explorer, the
domotics roadmap, projects, personal interest…
Focus on technology and industry developments

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… and clustering

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Available in our
App Store

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“Homes become App platforms”
Premise: Enabling technologies such as tablets,
touchscreens, multimedia, sensors, and automation
become pervasive, forming a platform for “Domotic Apps.”
Signposts
• Apple's increasing role in home
automation
• Microsoft buys id8 Group and
working to turn surfaces into
interactive displays
• Amateur Siri system ‘controls
everything but the kitchen sink’
• Wonderwall: High-tech home-
assisted living for the elderly
Photo: c/o Gizmag

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“Homes become App platforms”
Premise: Enabling technologies such as tablets,
touchscreens, multimedia, sensors, and automation
become pervasive, forming a platform for “Domotic Apps.”
Implications
• Lessons from other sectors (e.g. automotive and TV)
suggest integrating cell phones as processors and
controllers rather than replicating their functionality
elsewhere is a successful approach.
• Home automation hardware could become standard;
customization could occur via Apps
• Telecare? One could be able to download a fragile-
person specific App (“Keep an Eye on Mum v3.1”) from
an online store.

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I’ll find the
keys…

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“Home as a second brain”
Premise: Within 10-15 years, home automation and related
technologies make it impossible to forget where your keys
are, to take pills, or what a recipe is…
Signposts
• Alzheimer’s: a huge global problem
• New technologies can augment fragile mental capabilities
• Enablers include the “internet of things” (IoT), smart
surfaces, social alarms, cellular reminder services,
augmented reality…
• Players such as Intel are developing 3D object
recognition systems.

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“Home as a second brain”
Implications
• Could prove a real boost for care of fragile people,
especially if they have mental-health problems (e.g.
early-stage dementia / Alzheimer’s)
• Real balance is needed; while mental augmentation can
help day-to-day living, ‘mental exercise’ is extremely
important
• Privacy and security must be maintained.
Premise: Within 10-15 years, home automation and related
technologies make it impossible to forget where your keys
are, to take pills, or what a recipe is…

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“Next-generation eating”
Premise: Food is getting smarter. Within 10-15 years, food
preparation, diet customization, and food-safety become
automatic processes in domotic environments
Signposts
• Food needs of an aging population
• Smart surfaces
• Food-safety & allergen sensing
• 3D printing of food…
• … and many future-kitchen
concepts from IKEA, Electrolux,
Whirlpool.
Photo: c/o TNO (Netherlands) / Popular Mechanics

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“Next-generation eating”
Implications
• People have different dietary preferences and needs
• A balance is needed between providing assistance and
providing healthy ‘mental exercise’
• Domotics technologies overlap with food safety, food
preparation, and customization.
Premise: Food is getting smarter. Within 10-15 years, food
preparation, diet customization, and food-safety become
automatic processes in domotic environments

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Hello

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“Home robots… finally”
Premise: The demands of an aging population drive
demand for domestic robots significantly by 2025
Signposts
• Healthcare systems are overstretched
• Microsoft: ageing population will drive
domestic robots
• People prefer care robots to care homes?
• Robots already developed for food-
preparation applications
• Spin-offs: Single-use domestic robots,
security robots, physical assist, health-
monitoring, telepresence... domotics.
Photo: c/o Robosoft

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“Home robots… finally”
Implications
• Although progress has appeared slow, large players and
research laboratories are still developing robotics for care
applications
• The overlap between domotics and robotics is an
interesting and significant area
• Robotics can provide inspiration for domotics companies
and developers… and perhaps some enabling
technologies.
Premise: The demands of an aging population drive
demand for domestic robots significantly by 2025

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“Japanese domotification”
Premise: Years of Japanese R&D in home automation,
robotics all pay dividends. By 2025, Japanese players lead
the world in the commercialization of domotics.
Signposts
• Nippon TV will start its Elderly-
Monitoring Service
• Japan’s advanced kitchen/food robots
(Suzumo, Motoman, Sharp)
• Japanese ‘smart homes’ in New York
• Japan to pick robots and automation
over immigrants?
• Honda begins leasing its Walking
Assist Exoskeleton
Photo: c/o Honda

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“Japanese domotification”
Implications
• Players face extensive competition from Japanese
companies; some are very large players (Honda,
Motoman, Sharp)
• Looking at developments in Japan is extremely
important—especially technology approaches for
helping fragile people
• Potential collaborators and partners…?
Premise: Years of Japanese R&D in home automation,
robotics all pay dividends. By 2025, Japanese players lead
the world in the commercialization of domotics.

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Concluding remarks
• Domotics is a diverse and evolving technology area—
overlapping functions include entertainment, heating,
lighting, physical assistance, eating, care & wellness…
• In terms of supporting fragile people, domotics could
- Reduce burden on national healthcare systems
- Help fragile people stay in their own homes
- Improve safety, security, and quality of life.
• Consumer-electronics companies are active in the
domotics space; players should look out for competition
• Robotics and domotics technology areas have synergies;
robotics R&D could spin-out into domotics applications
• Domotics should play a supporting, not cosseting role!

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Thank you very much for listening!
From all at SBI
Carl Telford
Program Manager, Scan
Strategic Business Insights
Knollys House
Croydon
CR0 6SR
United Kingdom
ctelford@sbi-i.com
+44 208 256 1416
www.strategicbusinessinsights.com