Automakers all over are joining forces with tech companies, big or small, to work towards building the next wave of connected vehicles. Moving ahead in the same direction, the German carmaker Volkswagen has announced an association with Korean tech company LG to create a connected car platform. It is worth mentioning that here the focus isn’t on bringing driverless technologies or electric cars but on giving better control to the travellers over their smart homes.

The prime goals of this association include developing technologies that will bring together connected car and smart home. This would enable drivers to monitor and control their smart devices in their homes while they are travelling. LG already has an array of connected appliances and knows a thing or two about seamlessly connecting devices. Next on the list is developing context sensitive notification centre for car. This would deliver messages in an intuitive and safe way to avoid distracting the driver in the middle of driving. Along with that, it would also offer optimised recommendations along the travel route. As conventional car entertainment systems turn obsolete, the duo will also work on more advanced, better connected infotainment systems for VW vehicles while including these features.

The goals defined under the partnership are focussed towards the near future, when humans will still be driving on a roadtrip instead of sensors and AI taking over the job. They are more achievable and Volkswagen already showcased some bits earlier this year at CES. Before the driverless cars come in, brands are working on working on making our travels safer while keeping us connected to our web of information. Google, with its Android Auto is also working in the same direction and there is an increased interest from others players as well.

Source: Mashable

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Realising that you forgot to turn off electricals at home while travelling will probably make you anxious for the rest of your trip. Apart from the added electricity costs, there could be risks of damage of property. While a slew of smart home solutions have come up recently, high cost is limiting the rate of adoption. The latest addition to the list of smart home solutions is Kasia which also claims to be the most affordable.

Its Kickstarter campaign is getting lot of attention from backers. Working of Kasia is pretty simple. The plugs and switches in your home have to be replaced with the smarter ones from Kasia. This will allow you to control the appliances plugged into the plug or lights and fans being controlled through the switch. Other devices include a ‘Remote’ to control the devices, ‘Open’ to keep track of doors and windows and notify you if you leave something open. ‘Presence’ to detect your position using Bluetooth and ‘Hub’ to store all your data privately offline.

The devices can communicate with each other and the mobile app to automate various processes. You can control the system using the mobile app from anywhere. The system can react differently when you are away and give you timely alerts about your home. You can also schedule the lights or any other appliances to turn on or off on a schedule when you are away. The project is raising funds on Kickstarter and is just USD 1,300 shy of USD 30,000 goal with another 32 days to go. You can find more details on their Kickstarter page.

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