We recently reported on what the Internet of Things is, how active Munich startups are in this field, and where IoT trends are headed. With Marcus Köhler, founder and CEO of the Munich startup ComfyLight, we discussed the topic in detail.
Marcus, what significance does the Internet of Things have in your view?
The Internet of Things (IoT) will impact our lives significantly more than the traditional internet—if only because it already connects more devices than there are people on Earth. However, I don't expect any rapid development in the next two to three years.
The refrigerator that orders the milk
Rather?
A comparison with the internet seems apt. Just as back then, every TV commercial ended with a URL, and everyone thought we'd soon be surfing "www.seramis.de" regularly. And just as millions were sunk into the "Neuer Markt" (New Market) and everyone invested in companies that offered online lottery tickets, until recently, everyone thought the "Internet of Things" would be the next big thing.
When it comes to the internet, however, we know in retrospect that neither the Seramis company website nor the online lottery providers became their core business. Quite the opposite: It took many years after the hype around the turn of the millennium for more and more useful application scenarios to emerge and for the technology to become suitable for mass consumption. For example, it took another eight years for Airbnb to develop and for the first users to share apartments. And it wasn't until 2012 that every second household in Germany had DSL, making shopping on Amazon a reasonable time-frame.
What do you conclude from this for the Internet of Things?
As promising as it is to network devices with each other and thus make the home safer, more comfortable and more energy-efficient, for example in smart homes, it will take just as much time until today's approaches are suitable for mass use.
We're starting to see some impressive scenarios: Amazon Alexa has been offering voice control throughout the home for over a year, Nest thermostats regulate the temperature in my home fully automatically, and Smartfrog cameras provide reliable surveillance of my apartment. Starting here and thinking further—that will be the big challenge for the coming years.
Munich or Berlin?
And how strong is the IoT or Industry 4.0 sector in Munich?
Together with Berlin, Munich represents the relevant locations in Germany in the SmartHome sector. While Amazon and Google are established major players in Munich, we see Deutsche Telekom in Berlin.
And what role do startups play?
Munich is scoring points among startups with its intelligent heating control system tado, remote-controlled iOS sockets from Parce, sensor-driven LED lamps from ComfyLight, scanner gloves from ProGlove, 3D maps of NavVis, and IoT fitness devices from eGymBerlin, on the other hand, offers design-driven smart home solutions from senic, affordable security cameras from SmartFrog, and IoT platforms from relayr.
In short: Anyone who plans to advance the IoT in Germany should focus on these two cities (and will appreciate the corresponding ICE line Munich-Berlin).
How does IoT bring about change in industry or in private life?
The internet has revolutionized both professional and private life, primarily because many areas previously characterized by paper, pen, and mail are now digital and accomplished within seconds. Ordering 10,000 light bulbs from a business partner is now just as fast as filing a book on Amazon. In all of these processes, however, it is the human being who consciously initiates the process in front of a screen.
The Internet of Things, on the other hand, doesn't connect people directly, but rather connects people with machines, and machines with each other. This leads to application scenarios that feel much more natural and integrate seamlessly into everyday life.
What voice control will change
Can you give some examples?
Two good examples in the shopping world are Amazon Alexa's voice control and Intellion's intelligent reordering. With Alexa, I can now order my favorite salad from Deliveroo at any time using natural language. Instead of laboriously starting up the computer or searching for my mobile app, a few sentences are enough to place the order. The same applies to Intellion's screw boxes. As soon as one half of the divided box is empty and the workshop worker turns it to reach the full side, an order for new screws is triggered in the background. This also happens fully automatically and without user intervention.
And what do you think is the “hot” topic in the IoT sector right now?
Personally, I'm excited by the question of how user interaction will continue to change in the coming years. There are already increasing voices predicting the demise of touchscreens and apps, and their replacement by other input methods. This approach seems just as unimaginable as touchscreens and apps seemed ten years ago.
We see a first approach with voice control. However, we're still in the early stages here, as users won't remember hundreds of voice commands. Furthermore, user guidance is still very difficult at the moment. A system that makes appropriate suggestions based on its observations and my surroundings, thus initiating a targeted dialogue itself, could be a solution.
So let's sit back and look forward to the day when we are asked if we would like to order a salad.
Thank you, Marcus, for the interview! We're excited to see where IoT is headed.
