Chad Barraford, a 27 year old tech support worker has created his own “Digital Life Assistant” which he calls Jarvis. While not as artificially intelligent as its namesake Smart Home computer in Iron Man, it is still pretty impressive. With some work this very cool technology could very well be like his very own Jarvis.
Clearly, Jarvis is one handy fellow to have around. Not just a figment but a product of Barraford’s rich imagination, Jarvis is a nexus of online resources, customized and accessed to fit Barraford’s personal needs. A “digital life assistant,’’ or DLA, as Barraford calls his creation, programmed to give updates on everything from FedEx shipments to Facebook postings, CNN breaking news to the groceries in the pantry.
When Barraford, who drew his inspiration from the movie “Iron Man,’’ is away, he communicates with Jarvis by means of Twitter and text messaging. When he is home, Barraford controls how much information he receives, digitally or verbally, depending on who’s within earshot. Jarvis knows when Barraford’s dog, Miles, is inside or out for a walk. He also recognizes Barraford’s close friend, Meghan Templehof, when she’s on the premises.
I know that its only a matter of time before the “Smart Home” technology becomes a common reality extending our digital relationships outside of the computer screen.
I could use someone to tell me what groceries to pick up on the way home and de-polarize my windows in the morning to expose my ocean front view and share the world news with me. Oh, the house doesn’t come with the digital assistant?
And yes, I would prefer the model with Paul Bettany voicing my computer, and I too would call it Jarvis.
Check out the video of some of the things his Jarvis can do:
