More and more artificial intelligence in the family

Everyday objects and home devices that are connected to the Internet and sometimes communicate with each other independently are intended to do one thing above all: save a little time in our often stressful daily lives and make household tasks easier.

Anyone who buys a new, modern home appliance should, among other things, expect that the device will not only want to connect to the Internet. New devices are increasingly equipped with microphones or cameras. This has not only advantages.

Devices collect information

Apps and functions like these can also mean that the vacuum has more information about your four walls than you do. This means that the vacuum cleaner can also detect if there are objects on the floor. Then I receive a photo of this obstacle on my smartphone. “This means that if there are a lot of things in the children's room, you will constantly receive pictures of them on your cell phone,” says Michael Berkelbauer, managing director of an electronics store in Freistadt.

Concern about personal information

Experts criticize that it is difficult for users to estimate which data is recorded by smart home devices and which is not. “In theory, devices could know everything we do in our private lives. If the data is there, if it is recorded and stored, someone will use that data for something. And obviously that data can also be used incorrectly. Markus Zelinger says, Professor of Communications Security at Hagenberg University of Applied Sciences: “Unfortunately, how accurate this is only becomes clear when something happens to the data.”

Search in Mühlviertel

In Kollerschlag (Rohrbach district) in Mühlviertel, comprehensive, secure solutions for a networked home have been in the works for years. The systems there also work without the Internet. For example, they ensure that lights stay on even if the power goes out.

In the future, applications will grow with older people. “For example, this is the usual path from the living room to the bedroom. This usually takes a certain amount of time. If the time is exceeded, it is clear that someone has “Fall and the system will sound an alarm.”