Cellphone controlled appliances in Japan

NTT DoCoMo has unveiled a controller that enables your 3G FOMA videophone to control your home appliances from anywhere. How many times have you wanted your water-dispensing fridge to pour you a glass while you were half way to the front door.

But seriously, the controller enables operations such as programming the recording of a TV program and then viewing the playback on the phone, turning air conditioners and lights on an off, and viewing live video from the controller’s built-in camera, including automatically if the unit’s built-in motion sensor detects movement. Video can also be transmitted from a FOMA phone for live viewing on a screen connected to the controller.

The controller is equipped for both infrared (IrDA) and cable connection to appliances. It also has a USB port for connection to computers and an I/O port for connection to external sensors. The controller itself connects to the FOMA network via a data card that can be connected to the unit via a PC card slot.