The Ottobox

I talk about Kickstarter a lot on here. But the reality is that Kickstarter is a great place for home automation devices to start, because most larger companies aren't willing to take a risk on the kinds of devices that can change the way we live our lives. One of those devices that's taking a risk right now is the Ottobox, which was unique enough to catch my eye when I scrolled past it on my Kickstarter feed.

The Ottobox at first glance is very similar to other home automation products, like the WeMo switch. It's a small box that plugs into an electrical outlet in your home, while an appliance plugs into the Ottobox itself. You can then control the Ottobox from your phone, turning it on and off remotely. So, what makes it different from every other smart switch device out there? It's smart. Really smart. So smart in fact, that it will learn your schedule within the first two weeks of being plugged in, and start to predict what you want it to do.
Here's an example. Say you hook it up to your coffee pot. In the first two weeks, you use your phone to turn your coffee pot on in the mornings, and off when you go to work. That's a pattern the Ottobox will start to learn. So before you know it, the coffee pot is turning itself on in the mornings on weekdays, and off when you leave the house.
Now, there are some limitations here. It's only going to work for something that plugs into an outlet, though they say a light switch version is in the works. Also, if your schedule changes, it will eventually relearn it, but that could take some time. So it's not quite the fully automatic system of our dreams, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.
Oh, and did I mention the inventor came up with the idea when he was 16? Suddenly, I feel old.