https://youtu.be/WdaqPGOroGU
Here's a movie from our stand at Essential Install Live, last week. We've used an Amazon Echo, which is a very clever voice interface - it has built-in microphones and a speaker, and as well as streaming music etc, allows you to send voice commands to other devices via the "cloud". Up in the "cloud", we're using IFTTT.com, which is a free web resource, it allows you to connect supported devices in the "internet of things" together. So, we can get voice commands from the Amazon Echo to change things on the EvoTouch; in the demo example, we've simply changed the heating from "off" to "auto" modes, but you could extend the voice commands to control any of the other "quick actions" (e.g. "away" mode), or adjust any of the individual room temperatures, turn on or off the hot water service, etc.
We were really impressed by the Amazon Echo (we were using the smaller "puck" sized device, the Amazon Echo Dot), it coped with the high levels of background noise at the exhibition without any false triggering, even when it was streaming internet radio. We've seen voice activation before, but never one that seemed to work every time, and with such an easy setup. The Amazon Echo, like the EvoTouch, simply sits on the wifi network, and both devices just need a power supply. Linking between the Amazon Echo and the EvoTouch was pretty easy to set up on the IFTTT website. We bought this device in the USA, not yet easily available in the UK, but no doubt it will sound find its way to our shores in large numbers!
Not just a gimmick, this device could be very useful for visually-impaired people.