Let us draw you a little picture here. It is early in the morning, around 7 A.M, and the alarm goes off despite you not setting the alarm manually last night. How did that happen? Is it a technical glitch? No, it is not. Your smart clock scanned through your day’s schedule and set the alarm itself. Next, you make your way to the bathroom and find your shower already turned on at the optimal temperature. You are done with your shower and proceed to the kitchen to find your smart kitchen appliances hard at work to make your preferred breakfast. The orange juice is ready, just as you like it- with extra pulp. Your toast and eggs are set ready for you to dig in so that you can finish off with a healthy meal. You dress up in the clothes that are properly ironed and then go outside to find your electric car that runs on solar panels waiting for you to drop you off at work. After you come home from work, you find your house properly organized, cleaned up and find your evening tea already made for you. You also find a curious looking parcel waiting for you at home dropped off by a drone. It turns out that the health sensors embedded in your house detected an impending flu and automatically ordered medicines for you.
This picture might be a little too far-fetched for you to imagine right about now, when most of us are still struggling to get the hang of the idea of smart homes. But rest assured that this is very much a possibility. And in about 10 years, any perspicacious person shall know that most of our homes shall be fueled by smart gadgets; cars running on solar panels and wind turbines and health sensors predicting an impending disease shall become very much a reality.
Substantiating this Utopian Version of Smart Homes
The idea of smart homes that we presented to you at the beginning of the article can be substantiated with the examples of research conducted on the same. According to a Swedish research firm, Berg Insight, about 63 million American homes shall use smart technology in their homes by 2022. From light bulbs that are connected through the Internet to smart cameras that let us see into our homes while we are away, a myriad of smart technology is awaiting us as we move further along the years. Experts say that a decade from now, we shall be completely involved in the immersive experience of the Internet of Things and use our voice to control most of the jobs at home.
The advancement in technology shall truly help researchers and scientists to come up with technology bolstered by Artificial Intelligence, that shall learn and be more perceptive about the homeowners, their preferences, medical history and the like. These innovations of technology shall anticipate the inhabitants’ needs and do the needful automatically, without human intervention. Sensors embedded throughout the house shall help in detecting sickness from afar and help in an individual’s well-being. From helping out with cleaning, cooking and tidying up to dropping parcels and people to work at the scheduled times, the possibility of a fully-functional smart home looks very real.
If you have been wondering how should gadgets be smart enough to dispense off these roles, here is a simple explanation for all that. Collection of important data about homeowners shall be central to all of this. The data collected by the systems shall analyze and act upon and transform the homes into a smart home, and not merely a collection of smart gadgets and appliances.
The High Price of Automated Attentiveness
Though the idea of having a fully-functional smart home sounds appealing, it shall come at a high price. According to an advisory firm, ABI Research, consumers are expected to spend almost $123 billion solely on IoT gears, and this figure is expected to keep rising hence after. Manufacturers are also throwing all their weight of research behind security gadgets and gears that shall monitor houses. It is estimated that about 22.6 per cent of the share shall be obtained by this market by the year 2023. At 15.4 per cent and 11.8 per cent respectively, smart speakers and lighting equipment shall also not be far behind.
As of now, we have almost seven billion people connected to the IoT devices, according to the data released by an estimates research firm, IDC. It, therefore, requires little mention that this figure is only going to rise as the benefits of smart home technology becomes more apparent and as more people start seeking refuge in these innovations. This shall also lead to an increase in the global availability of the products.
Future Home Technologies to Know about
Now that we have presented a picture of how smart homes shall look like in about 10 more years, let us glance through some home technologies that we shall begin to use in a few years.
Automated Robots at Our Service
We still have a long way to go before a humanoid-like robot takes over our day’s activities. However, we already have automated robots at our disposal. These robots are used in several homes these days, and therefore, it is not too much of a stretch to imagine of a time when automated robots shall take over our homes.
In fact, a prototype robot has already been unveiled by a few scientists in Germany. This robot can clean the floors, pick up things and even serve drinks to guests. Therefore, it can be imagined that in a few more years, more such robots shall be invented and they shall make our lives incredibly easy.
Smart Appliances to Our Rescue
Human beings are known for their ability to evolve with time and adapt to the changing times. They have brought in innovations and made generous use of the same. It is true that we have lived a wholesome life even without the use of smart appliances. However, now that we have the option to make our lives easier and more comfortable with the use of smart appliances, it is wise to use them too.
From our jewelry to phones, everything is getting smarter by the day. And as we realize the importance of these smart gadgets in our lives, we shall start using them more. Just as we mentioned about your orange juice with extra pulp ready for you on the kitchen counter, refrigerators that can serve you chilled water as soon as they sense you back home shall become a reality in the future.
We have been using smart appliances for a long time now. However, what is more interesting is that, these appliances shall become truly smart and learn about your likes, dislikes, preferences and do the needful without you having to intervene. Though this means that companies and businesses shall be able to track your move with all the data, yet it cannot be refuted that our lives will become more than just comfortable.
Easy Lighting Controls
Gone are those days when we had to get up from our comfortable beds to turn on a lamp or switch on the ceiling light. Vocal commands, mobile phones and touchscreen panels have now replaced manual labor and made lighting controls super-easy. A smart thermostat called NEST can be programmed to adjust the lights and air inside your home as soon as you are back from your trip.
In a few years, these automated control panels shall not only monitor the lights inside your home, but also take care of your landscape lighting that you can get your hands on from https://washingtonoutdoorlighting.com/outdoor-landscape-lighting/. Advanced lighting control panels are becoming more common, and smart lighting technology shall soon be the standard feature in almost every household.
Smart Toilets Shall Be On the Rise
Smart toilets seemed like a ludicrous idea when it was first launched, because who would want to be intervened by a machine while one is on the toilet! But the concept slowly got a hold on people, and they started understanding the perks of having smart toilets at one’s disposal. Presently there are toilets in Japan that perform urinalysis after one is done with their business. This helps people determine whether they have diabetes or whether they are at a risk of it without having to run to a doctor every time. It is also expected that in a few years there shall be toilets that shall be able to tell if someone is pregnant by analyzing their urine instantly, or if someone has stomach or colon cancer.
Smart toilets are also armed with several other features like automatic deodorizers, MP3 settings and heated settings. Therefore, it is now only a wait of time till we can tell how farther these toilets shall push the envelope and what other features these toilets shall bring in.
More Energy Tracking Units
Is it too challenging a task to imagine of technology that shall warn you when you step beyond your energy budget; a system that shall tell you when your appliances are consuming more energy and when the air filter needs to be changed? We hope not! Several smart systems have already been developed that does just that.
These systems track the energy consumption in a household and calculate the carbon footprint by the minute and aid people to better manage the energy consumption of their houses. It is expected that in a few more years this type of systems shall become a standard in every household, and this shall further help in maintaining the balance of our planet’s energy reserves.
Wrapping Up
From smart toilets to energy-efficient cars, technology has progressed in leaps and bounds and gifted us with more than what we could ever fathom. Therefore, it is not too much of a stretch to imagine a house running entirely on smart gadgets and appliances. With AI making new headlines every other day and automated systems like Alexa, we have already adopted a life dependent significantly on technology.
Whether this is doing us more harm than good is something that we need to debate on later. However, we cannot turn a blind eye to the advantages we have been reaping with smart technology at our disposal. In a few years, smart homes shall no longer be separate gears and gadgets connected individually, but a whole unit. Therefore, in about 10 more years, you shall truly have a smart home and living your life in this space shall be an amazing experience.
