One man is out to control the entire “Internet of Things.”
Andy Rubin, co-inventor of the Android mobile operating system, is working on a single platform to control smart home gadgets that could usher in a “Jetsons”-style futuristic life full of convenience and efficiency.
After Rubin left Google in 2014, he started Playground, a venture capitalist group, and later, Essential. It’s through the latter company that he plans to build a unified operating system for IoT devices. Essential released a smartphone earlier this year, but its upcoming “Home” will be the hardware stepping stone for Rubin’s universal OS, Wired reports.
Currently, these smart home gadgets all use their own separate, proprietary operating systems. Rubin’s worried eventually customers will be forced to outfit their homes with an entirely Apple-centric, Samsung-exclusive, or Google-only suite of smart home products.
According to Wired, Ambient OS would take all the gadgets that speak different languages and act as a translator, combining their functionality into one interface. However, this is a tough sell to industry leaders since it requires them to open up their products to a potential competitor. For now, Rubin’s primary focus is building products to support the OS before getting it adopted.
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