MIT's Reality Editor draws virtual connections to link smart home devices

MIT's Fluid Interfaces Lab has created Reality Editor, yet another standard for “connected” devices to support but has the potential to change how people interact with their smart homes. The app allows users to map different devices around their home or elsewhere via AR, creating what is effectively an IFTTT set of rules for physical objects. By using the app to draw lines connecting smart devices, rules can be set for how those objects interact with each other.

An example given in MIT’s promotional video shows someone linking a desk lamp and chair so when he gets up and leaves the office, the lamp turns off. That same sensor in the chair can be connected to the user’s car, so when he gets to his car, it is already running the heat or air conditioning to get it at the perfect temperature.

The technology currently uses something similar to QR codes places on each object so the app can recognize it. However, MIT told Fast Co. that these codes won’t be necessary in the future and will be able to identify objects by color and shape. Reality Editor uses the open source platform Open Hybrid, but currently no devices are shipped with support for it. Users can make their own adapters for other smart devices like those from Nest and Philips Hue, but that represents a significant barrier to entry for most users. However, since the platform is open source, device makers are free to use it. MIT has also made some of their research publicly available, which developers can take advantage of. Given the simplicity of the app, though, and the benefits to consumers, this could be a new platform worth adopting, especially given that it’s already proven to work.