Google Gemini can now describe what your security camera sees in real time
Google Gemini for Home is getting a big update to ease some of the teething problems experienced by users so far.
Google has announced a raft of smart home updates – most notably the Gemini AI-powered ability to ask questions of what your security cameras are seeing in real time.
The new “Live Search” feature will enable users to ask Gemini whether there are cars in the driveway or whether a parcel is on the doorstep without consulting the camera feed itself. The news comes from Anish Kattukaran, who is the chief product office for Gemini for Home.
“One update that I am really excited about,” he writes. “For our Google Home Premium advanced subscribers, we are introducing “Live Search” for your cameras (vs. just asking about things that have already happened). You can now ask Gemini to understand the current state of your home. e.g., “Hey Google, is there a car in the driveway?””
That seems like a really handy option and hopefully it trickles down to users who aren’t paying for the $20 a month subscription service. As Kattukaran says, Gemini was only previously able to search past events but this is potentially far more useful.
The rest of the updates wipe out some previous annoyances and improve voice controls. Google reveals that for people with multiple homes, Google Home will do a better job of identifying which home the user means. That’s not a problem I’ll ever have to worry about, but it’s a nice to have none the less. “For example, “turn off all lights,” or “turn on all the lights” limits selection to the current home,” Google writes in the release notes.
This also extends to whole room and whole house queries. Google explains: “For instance, “turn off the kitchen” now only affects lights, and unassigned devices are no longer incorrectly grouped with general room requests.”
Furthermore, the Gemini for Home will do a better job of figuring out what kind of device it’s dealing with, based upon manufacturer metadata. The company adds: “A device named “Table Glow” is now correctly identified as a lamp based on manufacturer metadata, ensuring it is included in “turn on the lights” requests even if the word “light” isn’t in its name.”
Kattukaran’s team has also sorted out location accuracy. He adds: “Gemini for Home now strictly uses your home address as defined in the Google Home app—not other Google services or location of a Google Home household member who happens to be traveling. This ensures your local weather, news and area-specific questions are tailored to your actual home.”
There’ll also be reduced instances of users being cut off while speaking, which will ensure Gemini understands the user more effectively. There’ll be better turn-taking as a result.
Chris Smith
