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Smart HomeMy home is not very smart. It does not know when to start my coffee or how to clean the floor. It has difficulty distinguishing between a roaring grease fire and a steamy shower, which makes it a good thing it can't remember the number to call in an emergency. The only interaction I have with the house is when I must dance the Macarena in front of the motion detector to get my outside lights to come on.

What will be in the smart home of the future? These are my predictions for the home of the future. What are yours?

Predictions made by visitors to Future For All are in Green

Bathroom

Waste elimination

Ultrasonic showers

Bedroom

House makes beds

Lighting creates artificial sunrise

Computer suggests clothing based on your taste, weather, etc.

Cleaning

Self washing, drying, and folding clothes

All surfaces are disinfecting and cleansing

Self-cleaning tabletop and dishes

Intelligent/adaptable fabrics and clothing

Construction

Printable homes

Self assembling homes

Earthquake proof homes

Windows and walls will allow adjustable amounts of sunlight, warmth or cold in.

Personalized ergonomics

Hanging house

Soundproof rooms and windows. Soundproof energy fields that you can walk through

Computer/Electronics

Hidden computers, sensors, microphones and electronics throughout the house.

Central computer accepts voice commands, distinguishes between occupants for personalized responses and actions

Computer tracks movements, turns on/off lights, adjusts temperature, etc.

Computers, appliances, all electronics are networked and connected to the internet.

Monitor and control home appliances, computer, security from anywhere.

Interactive mirrors display the latest news, weather and traffic information

Wall size video and audio

See-through electronics, screens, touch panels, haptic displays

Computer lets you know when appliances need maintenance, can request repair dispatch.

Television, computer and phone merge into one device

All devices are connected

Walls, ceilings, (all other room surfaces) are digital screens. Can turn room into any environment with sounds and smells

Replicators

House keeps record of things that come in to and go out of the house. Thus things are never lost in the house

Computer recognizes footsteps or other biosigns for personalization

Decor

Shape-shifting furniture

Movable furniture hides when not being used

Walls and fabrics that change color

Energy

Small environmental footprint

Generates its own energy

Vehicle refueling station, electric, hydrogen

Wireless recharging of mobile devices when at home

Environment

Recycled waste water

Green (plants) roofs

Roof of smart house uses artificial chlorophyll as an oxygen generator

Kitchen

Fast cooking - boil water in seconds, turkey in an hour

Recipe database

Robot/machine chef

Instant inventory of food, medications, supplies

House creates personalized diets

House can replenish your groceries by ordering online. Auto-restocking

Prepared food will be instantly teleported to the home and a universal credit card will be charged. The homeowner will simply specify with voice commands the specific food items requested

Medical

Virtual medicine. Doctors can treat you at home, from their office.

Home computer monitors your health through tiny, invisible, wireless wearable computing devices.

Robotics

Cleaning robots

Personal robots

Nurse Robots

Pet robot

Security

Biometric screening devices for secure entry

Automatic emergency response

Other

Desktop nano-factories makes products at home

Virtual reality room (holodeck)

House retrieves the mail

Thanks to all that have sent in predictions! Send yours below.


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Visitor Comments

08.07.10

House able to link to GPS of residents and know when each arriving home. All heat/air turned off when no one home, but can turn on in time to cool or heat before get home as it would be able to tell when someone would be arriving.  - Anonymous

 

07.29.10

May be the roof of smart house also has artificial chlorophyll as an oxygen generator :) Just an idea. - Andry

 

 

FAB TREE HAB

 

Image courtesy of Mitchell Joachim

This symbiotic home concept proposes a method to grow life sustaining homes from native trees.  It is one of many futuristic and environmentally friendly designs that can be found at terreform.org.

Engineering the Smart Home

In creating the home of the future, engineers seek to understand what technologies are best suited for the home and how much technology its residents can tolerate.

Research is mainly being done in these areas:

Health - Monitoring your health, with emphasis on assisting the elderly.

Networking - Connecting occupants and everything else in the house together

Interfacing - You and technology living with each other in harmony.

Pervasive Computing - Tiny processing devices everywhere.

Environment - Reducing environmental impact.

Energy - Every home produces its own energy.

Robotics - Robot assisted living. Cleaners, caregivers and companions.

 

One way researchers test futuristic home ideas is to build a smart home, then invite people to live in it. Technologies for the smart home are being tested in living laboratories like these:

Philips Experience Lab

PlaceLab

Aware Home

Smart Home Dorm Opens Its Doors

Gator Tech Smart House

The Drexel Smart House

CASAS Smart Home

Future Home Articles, Blogs and Web Sites

All Links open in a new window. Bold = Recommended. Links do not imply endorsement.

Future Home Technology Articles
Title Source Date
Latest in technologies will be part of sustainable smart home IFP 06/10
Smart homes to tell you if elderly relative has had a fall Daily Mail 06/10
Your Future Home's Roof Will Be Eco-Friendly Too Fast Company 10/09
Home Smart Home Reader's Digest 05/09
Tricked-Out Inflatable House Provides Instant Survival Wired Science 11/08
Organic dye lets window panes harvest the Sun New Scientist 07/08
Is there a smart home in your future? CNET 08/07
Intelligent home Toronto Rehab 05/07
Chasing a Habitable Home of the Future NPR 05/06
Bendable Concrete University of Michigan 05/05

 

Future Home Technology Web Sites and Blogs
Title Description
Monsanto House of the Future Yesterland
Future Kitchen Flickr
Future Kitchen Flickr
Counter Intelligence MIT Media Lab
Interactive Architecture InteractiveArchitecture.org
Heat reactive paint Alsa Corp.
Reinventing the Home Appliance Microsoft
SmartHome ABC News
What's For Dinner? Just Call Your Refrigerator GE
Inside Microsoft's Future Home YouTube
Microsoft's Future Vision in HD Windows Home Concept YouTube
Future Home Displays Comforts of Tomorrow YouTube
South Korea's home of the future YouTube
The House of the Future YouTube
Sony House of the Future: Select Reviews YouTube

 

References
Article Sources
Smart Home Article by ffa
Image by ffa using istock photo - do not copy

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