Smart Home Tech Gets Smarter

Xandar Kardian's radar sensor could revolutionize the way you interact with smart home devices. NBC's Chris Pollone reports.

(NBC News) — While millions of us have smart devices in our homes, they’re often better at some tasks than others.

Now, a Delaware company is winning awards for a new sensor which could make a smart home even smarter.

The XK-400 Sensor from Xandar Kardian could change your life.

It’s one of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show winners for smart home innovation.

Businesses often use infrared sensors to shut of the air or lights if you’ve left the room. They work well enough, but aren’t very accurate. If you don’t make big movements while you’re working or sleeping they can’t tell you’re there. The Xandar Kardian sensor uses radar and is 99.9 percent accurate.

“Radar technology is safe to use, it is discreet and is basically unique by sensing micro-vibration patterns coming from the body,” says Xandar Kardian managing director Sam Yang.

Those vibrations include your heart rate and breathing patterns. That means in tomorrow’s smart home, your devices will be able to tell if you’ve fallen asleep and adjust automatically.

If the sensor determines your heart rate has dropped to a certain point, it can dim the lights, turn off the TV and adjust the temperature accordingly.

It goes well beyond turning appliances off or on. The radar sensor could detect intruders, and even call a family member if you fall or have a sudden, dangerous change in heart rate.

Read more here.