Google is secretly working on Brillo, a new operating system which is based on the Android OS and is meant for the Internet of Things (IoT). One of the first devices to use it might just be a creepy ‘intelligent’ toy like the bear from Steven Spielberg’s AI. But we’ll get to that a bit later.
Firstly, the Internet of Things is a term used to describe a network of connected systems or electronics capable of communicating with each other without any intervention including human-to-computer interaction. Brillo is supposed to be a lighter version of Android since it will run low-power devices in smart homes.
CNET points to The Information as reporting that Brillo will be aimed at gadgets with as little as 32MB or 64MB of RAM, and Fortune painting the release of the code for the new OS to be scheduled for the Google I/O developers’ conference next week. If Google manages to make the OS popular with the majority of device manufacturers, compatibility issues will fly out of the window.
Imagine being able to shop for a smart bulb without thinking twice because you know it can be set up to communicate with your video surveillance system since both run Brillo. But there’s more than one player on this field, of course. Samsung has Artik and Huawei recently announced LiteOS. Huge investments are being made in the IoT market, with IDC predicting it will $3.04 trillion by 2020.
As for Google’s newly filed patents for its creepy bear, it is reckoned to deal with a sort of permanently conscious toy which can control music systems, TV sets, lights and other connected devices. It will be fitted with speakers, microphones and cameras to ‘spy’ on everything around it. We bet our best pair of socks that it will run on Brillo when it comes into being.