There’s so much happening in the tech world and it’s happening really fast. Soon the “tech world” will not exist different from the world we live in.
For now, all we have is smart phones and some few smart devices, others are the dumb keys we spend 30 minutes searching for, the other leg of sock that make us wear different colours because we can’t find it and the fridge that can’t remind us to get bread for breakfast the next day.
What if we can change this, make things and devices talk back to us, like we make them listen when we call on them.
Well a startup company is using audio-beacon technology to give ear to devices and things (devices first), that way they can listen and talk back.
Rodney Williams the co-founder and CEO of LISNR made a demonstration at the 2016 Tech+ event, devices were connected and communicating using sound; without a Bluetooth, WiFi or mobile Internet connection.
The sound connection emitted by the devices are not audible to humans and not harmful to animals that use echolocation. Williams calls this the “Internet of sounds”. This could be the new Internet of things—IoT.
How is LISNR doing this? Everything currently emit sound which can be read and interpreted. LISNR create a smart tone assigned to a device and unique to it alone. This device can also send and receive sounds (smart tones), this is communicated within LISNR system and it’s connected devices. Each sound is encrypted unique to the intended device and command initiated. Like a onetime password (OTP) it is useless to any other device within the system.
LISNR created smart tone for a Web show to unlock and reward viewers at certain points of the show. They have also been embedded in music tracks to prevent piracy and also to gather consumer data from the web.
LISNR CEO talked about it’s technology being used at stadium, for device location, hotel reservation and in electronic access to buildings and apartments.
The future of a connected world is not so far after all, when LISNR can make device talk back and we tell it what to do. I’ll particularly need it to look for my car keys or eyeglasses—as I am mostly looking for my glasses from time to time.
Guest Writer: Pelumi Oguntimehin
