Currently, most smart voice systems on the market require wake words to activate, but the Aqara Voice Companion H1 replaces this traditional method with a motion. You only need to pick up or gently shake the Aqara Voice Companion H1 to enter listening mode, using a near-field microphone to receive voice commands.
This device is compact and can easily fit into a pocket. Aqara's algorithm is ingenious, allowing the H1 to accurately distinguish between normal walking and shaking to activate. This design not only effectively eliminates the awkwardness of shouting wake words at home but also reduces concerns about the privacy security of smart assistants. Traditional devices often require continuous listening to user conversations to implement wake word activation. Although local voice recognition technology is used on the device side to avoid retaining conversations without wake words, many people remain cautious. The Aqara Voice Companion H1's microphone remains off before manual activation by the user, eliminating concerns about privacy violations.
Innovative thinking in design activates dormant technology. To create excellent smart home products, relying solely on technical research is insufficient. In the industry, many companies are willing to delve into technology, but distinguishing excellent smart products requires design to "revitalize" them. At the latest product launch, Aqara announced a collaboration with the Central Academy of Fine Arts to establish an innovation and entrepreneurship practice base, promoting collaboration in production, study, and research. This base not only provides students with internship opportunities to collaborate with top industry companies but also helps enterprises innovate and upgrade product design.
In an interview after the event, Professor Hao Ninghui, a distinguished "Yangtze Scholar" and Dean of the School of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, further explored the profound significance of this cooperation. Taking the Aqara millimeter-wave scene sensor as an example, although this technology has existed for many years, it has not been effectively applied. At this moment, brands need to harness the power of design to activate silent technology and encapsulate it into actual products.
Furthermore, the industry-academia-research collaboration with Aqara allows students to be exposed to the actual operations of the industry front line. Design is no longer simply an art discipline; it is now an interdisciplinary field combining technology. Students need to understand not only technical issues but also how to apply these technologies to real products. This in-depth experience of the industry front line will accelerate students' adaptation to industry pace, inspire creativity with actual needs, and use design thinking to create outstanding products.
The cooperation with the Central Academy of Fine Arts also aligns with the current limitations of the smart lighting industry. As an emerging field, there is a significant gap between consumers' understanding of the concept of spatial smart lighting and the effects that Aqara plans to achieve. This also means that industry resources are relatively scarce. Although there is adequate theoretical support on the technical level, the achievement outcomes that combine these theories with the industry's actual situation are still insufficiently rich.