Josh is a voice-controlled home automation system.
Like Siri or Google Now, the Josh programming language is built to
support natural language voice commands. This includes greetings,
questions, instructions, and more. Further, Josh is built to control
and connect any “smart” device, from any device. For example, with
Josh you can change the temperature from your phone, shut off the
lights from your desktop, etc. Initially, Josh will be focused on
the smart home, but over time we envision a more general-purpose AI.
Josh will go where you go, making your life easier and more
productive.
Why the smart home?
The “smart home”, or “connected home” as it is sometimes referred,
is a truly exciting next step in the proliferation of the Internet
of Things. As more and more applications are coming online, from
your thermostat to your lights to your TV, the ability to connect
and control these devices remotely opens up an assortment of
opportunities. For one, energy savings becomes a thoughtless
exercise with applications that shut themselves off as you leave the
house. Second, the convenience of having instant and continuous
awareness of your devices, which are operating, and the ability to
turn them on or off from anywhere offers a sense of peace of mind
and convenience. Third, the system is able to network together,
connecting sensors like temperature and motion to devices like
lights and locks. More-so, your home is your sanctuary, a place to
feel comfortable and secure. Making your home “smart” transforms a
bunch of wires and walls into a personal refuge. Until recently the
prospect of a truly smart home was merely fiction, but in the last
few years the number of “smart devices” has grown steadily and
adoption is becoming widely accepted. It is now time for a truly
smart home.
Why voice?
One of the challenges to building a fully automated house,
particularly one that grows and evolves over time, is the ability to
program with ease. In theory it’s great if your sprinklers turn off
when it rains, or if the lights go on at sunset, but these actions
today take a skilled programmer many hours to assemble. Compare that
to asking a friend to turn off the lights or put on the Coldplay
station. Now imagine if that friend had a perfect memory, was
reliable, didn’t mind multitasking, and only needed to be asked
once. In essence, that’s the promise of voice. Using natural
language commands as though talking to a friend, Josh can be taught
with ease. Even complicated queries can be effortlessly programmed,
such as, “At sunrise if I’m home slowly fade the bedroom lights on,
open the drapes, turn on the radio, and brew a pot of coffee.” We
believe programming should be as natural as chatting with a friend,
and this capability is essential to a truly connected house.
Why now?
There’s a convergence of opportunities making this the right time
for this type of product. For one, Internet of Things (IOT) is
becoming widely recognized and adopted, expected to surpass a
trillion dollar industry this decade. With the Apple Store stocking
products like Nest Thermostats and August Smart Locks, these
products are now becoming known and accepted by the consumer market.
Voice recognition technology is getting more attention than ever
before, with Siri built into every iPhone and Google Now powering
Android devices. The proliferation of always-on mobile phones has
created a culture both comfortable with and anxious for more
automation. All this said, the average home is still not connected,
the big players in the space are 10+ years old and lacking
innovation, and most systems are built around a proprietary system
making it difficult to connect products from various vendors. In
other words, the technology is ripe, customers are anxious, and the
incumbents aren’t meeting these demands. Sort of like the early days
of personal computing, the pieces are all in place and the market is
ready for someone to integrate the concepts into a beautiful
product.
Why us?
Tim Gill and Alex Capecelatro make for an interesting yet optimal
team to tackle this problem. With a 34 year age gap, they represent
the boomers and the millennials. Gill founded Quark in 1981 and
pioneered a series of software solutions through the 90’s. Quark
expanded to over 160 countries generating revenue in excess of
$300MM per year as a private company. Tim is a self-professed math
geek and software savant. Capecelatro, on the other hand, comes from
a series of design-focused consumer products, including Fisker’s
enviable electric car, the Karma, and the iOS app Yeti with members
in more than 120 countries. Capecelatro has a background in research
science and a passion for bringing cutting-edge technology to the
masses. Together Gill and Capecelatro represent the spread of the
homeowner market, have a unique ability to design, build, and
release exceptional products, and a track record of doing so.
Let’s work together.
Josh is a platform. We realize it would be virtually impossible to
build for every use case, integrate every device, and program every
rule on our own. Much like the Apple or Android ecosystem, Josh is
designed to be developer friendly, making its capabilities widely
accessible to other developers. Unlike many APIs, Josh will be easy
to work with, won’t require the developer request access, will be
well-documented, and community supported. Our aim is to build the
foundation and set the example for which other developers can
exploit and surpass for their own unique applications.
Our goals.
To make it easy and fun to connect to any device, from any device.
In the beginning the focus is on the connected home, but over time
this expands to transportation, education, productivity, and more.
Josh is a conversational agent aware of your surroundings with an
effort to make predictive suggestions. We envision Josh as a
voice-based OS that seamlessly connects to your smartphone,
smartwatch, and other connected gadgets in order to be always ready
and always aware. The result will be decreased cognitive load,
providing for more time to be with the people you care about and
spend time doing the things you love. Our goal is to make Josh the
personal assistant you never knew you needed.