Russian internet giant Yandex unveiled Russia’s first smart home ecosystem powered by the company’s intelligent assistant, Alice.
Alice can now turn on lights, adjust a thermostat, control a TV, or even make coffee. Leading manufacturers such as Philips, Xiaomi, Samsung, and Redmond will offer Yandex smart home compatible products, including smart bulbs, plugs, and appliances.
Users can control their smart home devices at home or on the go from many platforms powered by Alice. For example, users can launch Alice on their smartphone and ask her to turn on the house lights on their way back home.
The platform also supports customized scenarios whereby multiple smart home accessories are activated with a single command. For example, a user can program Alice to respond to “Good Morning, Alice” with a sequence of commands that turn on an electric kettle, plays their favorite music station and even raises the temperature on the thermostat.
In addition to supporting third-party smart home devices, Yandex is releasing a range of its own gadgets - the Smart Bulb, the Smart Plug, and the Smart Remote Control. Users can control the brightness and color of the Smart Bulb, and the Smart Plug can power on any device with voice commands. The Smart Remote Control enables Alice to control devices with infrared remote controls including air conditioners and TVs.
Yandex’s smart home system runs on an open API, enabling third-party manufacturers to integrate their smart devices.
Denis Chernilevsky, Head of Alice-enabled Device Development, Yandex
A year ago we brought Alice into users’ homes with the launch of Russia’s first smart speaker, Yandex.Station. These new smart home capabilities will offer Russian users the next level of automated living, complementing Alice’s existing comprehensive skill set.
