Axel Lab's persistence and siege to promote Smart Home-- the goal is home autopilot

　The smart home platform service "SpaceCore" (space core) created by Axel Lab has begun to act for the formal popularity of smart home. It can connect with more than 20 kinds of equipment, link the sensors that detect temperature and humidity with air conditioners, and support automation. Forge ahead to the "smart home that can really be used".

　その背景には「どうしたら本当にスマートホームを普及できるのか」という試行錯誤の上導き出した「オープンな仕組み」と「得意なことに特化する」という2つの答えがある。スマートホームを普及するため、アクセルラボはどんな気付きを得て、何に注力しながら取り組んでいるのか、アクセルラボ 代表取締役 CEO&Founderの小暮学氏と取締役 CTOの青木継孝氏に聞いた。

　Axel Lab was established in July 2017. It is a start to make the professional department of the then parent company, Ying Frans, independent in order to strengthen the smart home business in 2016.

　When SpaceCore was launched in 2019, it was more of a platform service for property management companies than smart homes. "I have done a service for rental management, and I have noticed that smartphones are very effective as interfaces for adding or binding devices. Since rental is a limited layout to a certain extent, but also a limited degree of use, if you expand this part of the independent housing and split housing, I think it will be a more stinging service "(Mr. Aoki). Smart home service, which is deployed for your own property. Because he began to capture it with a broader vision.

　The effort in smart home was very fast, and by 2017, Interland had introduced CASPAR (CASPAR), a smart home service with AI, into its own real estate. The CASPAR developed by Brain of Things (BoT), an American AI development venture enterprise, has the learning ability based on AI, only half the curtains are opened when getting up, the corridor lights are turned on when you go home, the porch lights are not on, and its characteristic is to learn other people's "habits" and support life.

　The combination of sensors and cameras with AI's CASPAR was very epoch-making at the time. However, in terms of speed and connectivity, there are also many parts that can not keep up, and they have not achieved general popularity. SpaceCore's goal is to popularize smart homes. So I accelerated the development in my own company, "said Ogu."

　Frans Ying offers a smart home app called alyssa. (Alisha), and he is also working on his own development. In SpaceCore,alyssa. In order to improve the development speed, it is transformed into network application on the basis of the experience of smart home application. "the same function creates Android and iOS, and it takes time to develop. I want to eliminate that part "(Mr. Twilight) and the context.

　"as an integrated network application, it is also easy to use smartphone functions, security and guardianship services. We have also seen such a spread, "Mr. Aoki also stressed the benefits. In addition, out of the idea of "taking openness as the goal" (Twilight), the developed network applications are widely provided to residential manufacturers and so on. It is reported that the form of connecting household appliances and residential equipment in an open form has been established.

　"some smart home manufacturers want to use applications made by their own companies to connect to their company's hardware, so API will not be made public. But this is the same as the functional area era before smartphones. Because of sticking to the end of our company, it declined. In order not to repeat this, smart homes also want to create an environment that can be openly connected "(Mr. Twilight). Aoki also pointed out: "there are many obstacles to the APP of our company." It is reported that participating in both applications and hardware will be a heavy burden.

　"until two years ago, I was also in the mood of my own company, so it would be very weak. It is very difficult to make hardware. On the other hand, the development capacity of Chinese manufacturers is huge. In this way, instead of making hardware, it is better to improve the UI and UX of applications, so that more people can use easy-to-use applications and promote the popularity of smart homes.

　At the same time, what is being pushed forward is the strengthening of the joint machine. Axel Lab treats IoT devices such as door and window sensors and curtain motors from overseas manufacturers as SpaceCore compatible devices, while strengthening cooperation with other company equipment. The intelligent lock realizes the cooperation among 4 companies, 3 water heaters and various other company equipment. In addition, it also goes deep into the linkage of residential equipment such as floor heating and electric shutter doors.

　"the large number of machines that can collaborate is our unique advantage. It supports more than 20 devices, which is overwhelming. Almost no state of competition "(Mr. Ogu) is well ahead of the market.

Go deep into the property of other companies because of the complete cooperation with the machine.

　Before reaching this step, he said: "I connect the devices one by one, take good action, and make sure that we need to cooperate well." The difficulty is that manufacturers bind different devices together seamlessly. In order to achieve this part, we need a basic part like the smart home OS, which has been working on this in the Axel lab "(Twilight), and reveals the development background.

　"the worst thing is the linked equipment," Aoki said. With the behavior of opening the key as the trigger, turn on the power, turn on the air conditioner, close the curtains, you must use horizontal tags to move the device. It took about a year and a half to develop this part. Although there are options to cooperate with overseas initiators who are good at making such software, since it is done in Japan, it is not a simple cooperation, but must be moved seamlessly. I judge that that part should be done by my own company. I think it's quite important to be able to build this part, "he said of the importance of seamless operation.

　This advantage contributes greatly to the popularity of SpaceCore. As the application of our company, you can also import objects from other companies. At this time, do not dare to hit the SpaceCore brand, change to import the destination brand. The form offered by OEM began about a year ago, but it has introduced more than 100 companies and more than 10, 8000 households.

　When I started offering it to real estate companies and management companies that carry out existing smart home applications, it greatly increased the number. Our goal is to popularize smart homes, not to expand SpaceCore. Not rigidly adhere to the brand, by providing easy-to-use APP, the promotion of smart home is the best "(Twilight), here will also promote the open strategy.

　"when I reached the idea of expanding the smart home, my vision suddenly expanded. While capturing the new layer, provide it to existing users. The strategy that broadened us there worked, "Aoki recalls the turning point."

　The strategy adopted by SpaceCore to popularize is, in a good sense, "not stubborn". This has played a great role in the growth of the market. "it doesn't make sense to stick to your own applications and your own company's hardware development. The important things are UI and UX. To make a good UI, good hardware is best for you to do what you are good at. Seamless, perceptual ease of use and the experience you get there are also related to the user's sense of security. "(Twilight) clearly stated his position.

　However, stick to the speed of development. In addition to the company's internal science and technology leaders and core engineers, a number of domestic and foreign development companies have also established a cooperation system. "although outstanding talents are hired quickly, if they rely on hiring, the development cannot be carried out. While looking at the atmosphere within the company and the fate of the members, we are hiring "(Aoki)."

　Twilight said: "I am a person with a quick temper (laughter)." So, what you come up with will gradually take shape. To this end, it is necessary to make constant trade-offs. The result is the current shape ", continuing to select and concentrate, while explaining the background of the SpaceCore that reaches the present shape." Aoki said, "the speed of judgment is too fast. It is precisely because of this that we have come to this point. "

　Axel Lab aims at the location of the toilet cleaned with warm water in the smart home. Although it has not been very popular in the past few years, it has grown rapidly and generalized since the beginning of 10 years. What happened at this time was that the toilet was plugged in. Now the socket in the toilet is taken for granted. Later, to the extent that it could be done, it penetrated into the market. Smart home also wants to change the structure of the house, such a change occurs "(Twilight), this is a big market.

　As the whole industry, although it has cooled down temporarily, the intelligent home for rental housing and independent housing of large real estate manufacturers is also developing continuously, and it has attracted much attention as the "proper attitude of home in the future". Among them, the goal of Axel Lab is "house autopilot".

　"when I got home, I casually turned on the electricity, the air conditioner, and the bath boiled. Ideally, there is no need for triggers, and home appliances and residential equipment will operate automatically when people approach. I don't think it's necessary to use a smartphone to move. As long as you are close to or move around the home, the machine will move, hoping to target self-driving at home. CASPER is in a sense ahead of its form, but it evolves slowly. Intelligent speakers are accompanied by the act of talking. "(Twilight) depicts the future," (Twilight) said. The push method allows the family to automatically transfer what they want to do first, which is the ultimate form of smart home.