Smart ARbnb: Smarthome Interface for Airbnb with Augmented Reality and Visible Light Communication

Peer-to-peer rental services are continuously growing in the sharing economy era. There also are more and more houses with smarthome system added into the market. The hosts originally designed the automation system to improve the comfort and convenience of their own lives, but also shared it with guests for enhancing their experiences while the hosts were away from home. However, due to the lack of communication, the guests might encounter negative experiences when the automation took place without perceptible in-situ feedforward and feedback in advance. In this study, we developed a web-based application that combines augmented reality and visible light communication to control smart home devices. The tool uses a mobile camera to scan IoT communicators, let users change connected devices' settings, and visualizes the current set automation. Additionally, guests can use presets to change the atmosphere, creating a wonderful experience. Our user study shows users preferred the web-based system rather than installing new apps. The interaction experience was easy to use and overall positive. Our AR interface provided direct controls of the appliances and clear explanations of the functionalities. While users recognized the usefulness of the physical feedforward shown with LED interfaces, some users could not interpret the meanings initially, and sometimes the blinking lights were distracting. We highlighted several design considerations for improving the understandability and guest experiences for staying in smart accommodations.