Smartphones are so ubiquitous because just one replaces a wide variety of real-world objects. This has yet to happen to in the world of Internet of Things. Instead, more and more companies create more hardware that do different things, and therefore, introduce more fragmentation. This makes things difficult for the developers and end-users who would have been clamoring for a standard that could simplify the entire IoT experience.
By applying the lessons learned from what the smartphone did for the real world, the folks at AdMobilize have designed MATRIX. Just as a smartphone combined a number of capabilities into one, slim package, MATRIX’s 15 different, embedded sensors do the same — just for the home or business. The idea revolves around giving users one piece of hardware that can play different roles, eliminating the need to be tied down to any one product or ecosystem. For example, homeowners can take advantage of MATRIX’s embedded camera, microphone, and motion detector to use it as a connected monitoring system while business owners can use the embedded NFC technology to facilitate payments or its camera in combination with gesture recognition capabilities to let diners alert waiters more easily.
With everything from gyroscopes to temperature and humidity sensors, the company claims 32,000 diverse sensor combinations backed by developer tools that support features like multiple app instances and machine learning, to name a few. The resulting app ecosystem is completely open, giving developers a chance to provide MATRIX users with increased functionality and make money while users can enjoy a more streamlined IoT experience. A MATRIX module goes for $299 and is expected to ship in March 2016. AdMobilize is looking for $100,000 by December 11th, 2015.
AdMobilize has an ambitious goal with MATRIX, a goal that could fundamentally change how IoT is perceived. There is most certainly room for a more centralized experience. All the biggest companies have been chasing it for a long time. But while companies like Apple offer a centralized app where all the disparate pieces of hardware are able to hook into, MATRIX replaces the Nests, SmartThings, and Amazon Echos of the world. That just might be the IoT vision that wins out in the long run.