Google wants to move into your HOME: Giant plans to fit microphones in ceilings – and it could happen as soon as 2018

• Microphones could be fitted around a house to respond to voice requests
• When connected to smart devices, homeowners could ask Google to turn appliances on, or find a restaurant
• Google’s chief engineer Scott Huffman predicts this may happen by 2018
• Microchips could be used to send data straight to a person’s brain
• One day people could search and get results using brainwaves

Californian firm’s chief engineer Scott Huffman, pictured, said the microphones would act like personal assistants

Google is already heavily criticised for trying to know almost everything about us, and now the firm wants to get inside our homes, literally.

Engineering director Scott Huffman told The Independent that in his vision of the future Google users would have microphones fitted inside their homes.

Huffman envisages houses with microphones fitted to the ceiling that act like personal assistants; responding to voice queries and connecting to phones, tablets and other smart devices.

He said: ‘Imagine I say ‘Can you bring up a video of the highlights of yesterday’s Pittsburgh Steelers game and play it on a TV in the living room?’ and it works because the Cloud means everything is connected.’

Elsewhere he said he could ask his Google assistant where to go for lunch that serves a particular type of food and on a certain budget and Google will find somewhere.

Huffman could then get in his car and his sat nav would be already programmed to take him to the restaurant of choice.

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Forget smartwatches – this RING can tell the time, work as a remote control and even make phone calls

• Called Smarty Ring, the device connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth
• The LED screen shows the time, emails and other notifications
• It can also be used to place phone calls and control music playback
• As an anti-theft measure, an alarm sounds if the Bluetooth connected phone is more than 30 feet away from the ring

Smartwatches have barely been on sale for six months yet that hasn’t stopped engineers moving onto the next level of wearable high-tech devices – the smart ring.

Called Smarty Ring, the stainless steel gadget connects to smartphones via Bluetooth using a dedicated app. 

Its LED screen lights up each time the wearer gets an email, text message, Facebook and Twitter notifications and phone calls, and the ring can also be used as a remote control.

The Smarty Ring, pictured, connects to a smartphone using Bluetooth. It is 13mm wide, made of stainless steel and has an LED screen that shows the time, emails and other notifications

Smarty Ring is the brainchild of Chennai-based engineer Ashok Kumar. 

Kumar recently set up an Indiegogo campaign to raise $40,000 (£24,000) funding for the high-tech gadget and has already smashed this goal by achieving in excess of $300,000 (£182,000). 

The ring is fitted with a Bluetooth 4.0 sensor that connects to any Android or iOS device through the dedicated Smarty Ring app. 

The app lets uses change the Smarty Ring’s profile, set time zones and adjust the clock and set up speed dials.

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