Panasonic Aims To Create A Better Life, A Better World Through ‘Miraie’

IoT & AI-enabled platform Miraie blossomed out of Panasonic’s India Innovation Centre that is based in Bengaluru. ‘Miraie’ which translates to ‘future homes’ in Japanese, stands true to its name. The platform connects all Panasonic home devices and works with Alexa and Google Assistant smoothly.  The company has very recently stepped into the Connected Living Solutions space with Miraie hoping to bring Panasonic devices into synchrony. 

Panasonic has launched a series of connected devices which include- Connected Air Conditioners, Smart Door Bell and Plugs & Switches. They would soon be expanding its range of products by adding Televisions, fans, geysers, washing machines, and refrigerators. 

In an exclusive conversation with Express Computer’s Radhika Udas, Manish Misra – Chief Innovation Officer, Panasonic India, throws more light on Miraie, what compelled them to develop it and what strategy has worked for them.

Kindly brief us on Panasonic’s futuristic IoT & AI-enabled platform Miraie?

Panasonic has a longstanding commitment towards creating ‘A Better Life, A Better World’. Taking a step forward towards this vision, we have forayed into the Connected Living Solutions space with the launch of our IoT & AI-enabled platform – Miraie. With the literal meaning of the Miraie being ‘future home’ in Japanese, the platform is aimed at empowering the everyday lives of our consumers with comfort, convenience and seamless connectivity across all Panasonic appliances. The platform presently hosts India’s largest range of connected ACs, Smart Doorbells, and Smart Plugs & Switches. We will continue to expand the connected portfolio and add more products by the end of this year.

Conceptualized and developed at Panasonic’s India Innovation Centre, the solution features:

• In-built intelligent diagnostics that detect issues in advance maximizing performance and operational lifespan of products
• Leverages Google’s Voice Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa technology to offer seamless and hands-free operations and control devices with voice commands
• Offers e-warranty wherein all warranty services and annual maintenance contracts are stored digitally for all products and consumers gets notified if there is a change in any status
• Advance recommendations build with our AI technology and customized sleep profiles

How would an ideal day at Miraie look like?

Imagine its 4 am, you are starting to feel a little too cold, curling around your blanket and voila, your AC senses it and turns off without you lifting a finger. Your alarm goes up, lights switch on and while you’re trying to get up from your bed, the TV switches on to your favourite music channel and your refrigerator has pre-ordered milk for your breakfast, even before you realized it’s over. You’re in the bathroom, the geyser switches on and warms the water for a quick shower, the washing machine is running a cycle and the doorbell rings… before you know, your doorbell opens the door because it is tuned to recognise the face of your regular guests.  

The possibilities with Miraie are endless! It has been designed to empower everyday lives of our consumers through technology, Miraie extends comfort, convenience and efficiency to consumers across all Panasonic appliances. 

What customer insights led to the decision of developing or upgrading Miraie?

All products and solutions that we develop at Panasonic are based on in-depth market research and consumer insights. We recently commissioned syndicated research to deep dive into the mind-set of an Indian consumer on their views and experience of connected devices, their awareness of IoT enabled products and their willingness to engage with such platforms. Through the survey, we noticed that over 50% of Indian consumers aspire to the idea of connected living with plans to purchase an IoT enabled product within the next 6 months with comfort, convenience and safety being the top reasons. 

Our engagement with them made us realise that their requirement for a connected living is not a distant dream. Miraie is an intuitive, engaging platform built basis consumer insights on their evolving needs for convenience, comfort and connectivity.

How does Panasonic’s AI and market strategy differentiate it from its competitors?

With the growing ecosystem commanding the growth of smart homes, we at Panasonic, have aligned our strategy with the way Indian consumers look into their homes. With the advent of 5G, IoT will be driving the next round of transformation in the digital world and is the future of smart, connected India. Consumers are now looking towards IoT & AI-enabled solutions to enhance the quality of life through connected ecosystems. Keeping this in mind, we have taken a step further by adding AI to provide consumers with a holistic connected experience, giving our consumers a true sense of connected, comfortable and convenience living. Taking the connected AC as an example – besides, a simple switch on and switch off feature on your mobile app, with Miraie one can:

• Set-up their custom sleep profiles for uninterrupted sleep, intuitively managing several products in collaboration with each other thus providing a comfortable living solution
• Set switch on preference for your AC in advance. In case one forgets, Miraie sends the user a reminder once they are about to reach home with Google map synchronization
• Switch on the AC in advance based on your location proximity 

How has Panasonic’s India Innovation Centre helped develop Miraie? 

Basis the consumer insights and our market analysis, Panasonic’s India Innovation Center conceptualized and developed our IoT & AI-enabled platform-Miraie. The platform presently hosts India’s largest range of connected ACs, Smart Doorbells, smart plugs & switches with plans to expand the connected products portfolio by the end of this year. Spanning over 12 months from conceptualizing to developing and then launching, a team of 30 people were dedicated to bring this platform to life. 

Panasonic’s IIC is not only the backbone of all innovation in the country and markets beyond but also works towards the development of business ideas from market research and industry trends, with a strong focus on Connectivity, Education, Healthcare, Smart factory Manufacturing – Industrial IoT 4.0 (to increase operational efficiencies) and Connected Homes/Lifestyle updates. 

What is your plan for scaling up in the future?

The product portfolio that we have launched includes India’s largest range of connected ACs, Smart Doorbell, smart plugs & switches. We plan to extend the product portfolio to include products such as connected Washing Machines, TV, Refrigerator, geyser, fans among other devices and appliances in the near future. We are looking to democratise technology and hence are offering our new connected air conditioners at the same price point as the conventional split ACs. The starting range is INR 35,990. With Miraie, our aim is to bring down the total cost of ownership as the platform sends users regular notifications for servicing requirement driving optimum output and efficient performance over time.

We expect this combination of price and technology to allow people to embrace the next generation of connected living by Panasonic.