If you didn't know what the Internet of Things was before, you'll certainly know what it is now, and that's because Google has just built an operating system for it.
Google has unveiled Brillo an operating system that will quite literally let you control the planet Earth, as long as it's connected to the Internet/Bluetooth/WiFi.
Google unveiled Brillo at its annual developer conference Google I/O 2015
Unveiled at Google's developer conference I/O 2015, Brillo is a scrubbed down (get it?) version of Android that has been designed to work in everything from car parking meters to metro trains to the lock of your front door.
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The big plan is devilishly simple: Give the world a common operating system and finally the Internet of Things will actually happen.
Here's what you need to know about Google's future for the planet:
What Is Brillo?
Brillo is the tiny piece of software that'll connect everything in your life to each other. Based on Android it's a minuscule piece of software that has been designed to run on the tiniest objects to the largest city-infrastructures.
Google claims that because it's based on Android it'll have security at its core and thanks to Google's update mechanism every object that runs it will be updated together.
What Will Brillo Be Installed On?
Everything. No really, we mean everything. Your fridge, your oven, your mixing bowl, your lawnmower...pretty much anything that can fit a tiny computer in it can now be controlled by the internet.
Brillo could be used in city infrastructure from public transport to library rentals.
It's scalable as well, which means that while Brillo can power an oven Google also envisages entire cities being powered by it. If by this point you're thinking about 'Watch_Dogs' then you're not far off, Google wants city controllers to be able to manage traffic from their smartphones or regulate electricity using their tablets.
How Will I Use Brillo?
Well while you probably won't be taking control of an entire city, you'll be able to do almost everything else. Based on Android means that if you own an Android smartphone, a product with Brillo will immediately appear on your phone.
That means no installations, no setup. You just turn your lawnmower on and it'll suddenly appear as a connected device on your phone. You can then enter a passcode or if it's an open device then it'll just work out of the box.
You'll use it to get into your house. Brillo is small enough that it can run on a computer inside a lock, and thanks to wireless support you won't need to install any wires either.
Unlock your door wirelessly using your smartphone or smartwatch.
Out and about you'll be able to pay for parking with your Android Wear smartwatch, get information about a piece of art using a tiny computer built into the picture frame.
Ok So This Sounds Pretty Futuristic, How Does It Work?
This is where WEAVE comes in. WEAVE is the language that'll allow all of these devices to talk to each other. Think of it as a giant 'Babel Fish' for every electronic gadget in the globe.
Everything from toasters to parking meters can run Brillo
It'll make sure that when your phone talks to a parking meter, they both know what you want the other to do, whether it's begrudgingly buying a ticket or simply checking to see how long you've got left until you need to frantically run back to the car.
Enough Already, When Can I Become The Overlord Of My Kitchen?
Google is taking things slow, so Brillo + WEAVE are being slowly released to developers over the next 12 months and then you'll have to take into account how long it takes every company to become a smart company.
Don't expect to be controlling your house until at least 2017-2018.