Although this isn’t the typical “news” story that I might include on this blog, I think Steven Levy’s article on the new thermostat designed by Nest Labs is worth the read. The story discusses some improvements in thermostat technology that will help us save money (and the environment!) by managing our air conditioning/furnace/HVAC systems more efficiently. In particular the thermostat learns to adjust our heating/cooling requirements from our own patterns (not full artificial intelligence, but neat nonetheless). I originally read this article because the Nest Labs founder, Tony Fadell, designed hardware for the iPod and headed the iPhone team. In the end, I guess I just love good design (both user interface and physical objects). Who knew that my next thermostat could be a piece of modern art?
Read the story from Wired here.
