Home smart home

Shobita Shivshankar

 

The revolution of technology has entered our homes. As we step into the exciting world of Bluetooth-activated devices and networked homes, the stuff of science fiction is fast turning into a reality. These technologies and devices have made our life way simpler. An array of gadgets has flooded the market that is suited specifically for homes. It is not just about advanced washing, cooling and cooking devices, also about how these appliances are programmed to comprehend our requirements.

Ahead of time

Some of these futuristic gizmos include coffee and tea-making machines that can be switched on and off with a smart phone and air conditioners that understand your habits and adjust room temperatures accordingly. There are refrigerators that tell you that you are running out of milk or eggs or vegetables and television sets that automatically switch off when you sleep. A single switch near your bed will turn off all the lights in the house at night, lock all the doors and switch on the home-security system.

The kitchen in the near future could be an integrated platform used as a cooking surface, virtual chef and a dining table, all in the shape of one-glass-like table. Washroom has now become a place to relax in a bubble bath, where you can stand under a shower with water jets hitting the right pressure points and massaging away all your tensions. New bathing experiences would include everything from chromatherapy to air baths, from deep-soaking tubs to custom-designed showers with waterproof music systems, complete with electronic controls.

The next stage of technology

In fact, every aspect of the modern home might witness a drastic change. A bed just launched for the smart home, is a technological marvel. It comes with sleep IQ and tracks your quality of sleep, measures your breathing movement and heart rate and lets you adjust firmness of the mattress, corrects your posture while you sleep and adjusts your position if you snore.

Another device recently launched is an alarm clock that does not abruptly shake you out of sleep, but wakes you up gradually and gently. Called the Lumawake, it is a standard iPhone charging dock-cum-alarm clock. It has an inbuilt intelligent wake-up alarm that will not go off loudly, but will instead attempt to simulate the illusion of sunrise via its in-built LEDs, play soothing music and draw the room curtains and even turn on the tea or coffee machine.

One of the most compelling applications for smart-home technology, at least for now, is home security. A plethora of gadgets have hit the market that include Wi-Fi-enabled doorbells that flash the picture of the caller on your smart phone and security cameras with 180-degree glass lenses, powerful sirens and motion detectors.

Digital Devices

The traditional padlocks are being replaced by digital devices that not just grant keyless access to homeowners through Bluetooth-phone recognition technology but also record and photograph all entries and exits to a house. These locks are invariably controlled by smart phones and can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

Apple, for example, recently announced a new smart-home app that allows an iPhone or iPad to control smart appliances, lights and locks. The app securely connects with the third-party products, such as the robotic vacuum cleaners, intelligent air conditioners, Hue Lux light bulbs and smart alarm clocks which can be remotely switched on and off. Samsung is already offering devices for the smart home that include a variety of digital locks, Wi-Fi-enabled innovative refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines and microwave ovens that can be programmed and operated from any place.

LG and iRobot have launched robot-vacuum cleaners that can sweep and even wash your floors unsupervised. Smart TVs can be used to play games, access online content and even video chat. Google has launched a network-enabled device called Nest that can control a home heating or air-conditioning system, and can be linked to smoke alarms.

The smart home thus is no longer a concept that will evolve sometime in the future. It is happening all around us and touching our lives in several ways. Phones that flash pictures of the caller, air fryers that cook with minimal oil, a single remote control that manages all devices in the house, biometric door locks …these are all examples of how technology is turning our abodes into smart homes .

Right for your loved ones

• One interesting outcome of living in a networked home is the independence and security it ensures to elderly members of the family. Smart phones and apps would make it possible to have remote monitoring of the ailing and frail, as doctors would be able to keep a tab on their health. Aged parents or grandparents would be able to keep in touch with their children who are in office or stay in a different city. They too would be able to send alerts for medical emergencies.
• New technology in smart homes is giving the elderly the confidence to live alone. Sensors, voice activation, GPS, bluetooth, cellular connectivity via mobile phones in new age homes are helping children keep an ‘eye’ on older members of the family from their work place.
• A number of new smart home technologies are making it possible for the elderly to stay at home safely. For example, a set of sensors called Lively can be placed in different places in a home to track activity patterns of the aged and send data to a loved one via the smart phone. Another monitoring system called eNeighbor uses sensors to detect motion and send an alarm in case of a fall. It also documents if the aged are getting complete rest by recording their sleep and rest patterns.
• Even as the concept of smart homes catches on, newer technologies are being developed that will improve the quality of the lives of the elderly who can be watched by their children, neighbours and doctors without being actually present at home.