At CeBit this week a system that allows various domestic appliances to talk to one another has been introduced and it is called Hydra.
The system is being trialled and is partially funded by the European Union, so at least they think it’s a good idea.
Of course the obvious question is, what’s the point of it?
The next is, why does anyone need it?
Christian Prause, a developer of the system says, “Well, for example, you could be sitting on your sofa in your living room and you want to turn on your washing machine,”
“If your smartphone is equipped with our technology, you can send a message to the washing machine to turn itself on.”
“And if for whatever reason it doesn’t work, you can ask your fridge to transmit the order to the washing machine,” he added.
Which is great except for one small snag. You still have to load up the washing machine with the laundry and the detergent or else there’s little point in being able to switch it on!
Prause said vacationers too need not panic if they realise they leave home in haste.
The fruit of four years of research by 10 different partners, including the German Fraunhofer Institute, the Hydra project is financially supported by the European Union.
Hydra “saves you time, energy and hassle,” Prause insisted. With a bit of luck, “such a system could perhaps eventually appear in the shops.”
We still don’t see the point of it.