by Daniel Smith
Intro
In 1957 the Monsanto House of the Future was constructed at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. This house was constructed by Monsanto, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Walt Disney Imagineers to provide visitors with a tour and an idea of what future homes might look like in 1986.
Design concepts in the Monsanto House of the Future included Ultrasonic dishwashers, a central panel for a zone-controlled climate system, bathroom vanities with a push button headset, closed circuit television receivers for security and built-in stereo systems. Simply put, the smart home of the past was the idea of mechanically automating everything with a push of a button.
Today we see similar design concepts incorporated into current smart homes with one key addition, the internet. The idea of automating everything with a push of a button is still at the core of smart home design but with the addition of being able to control and monitor your environment from anywhere in the world. The overall goal though is still the same: Making the most out of a living environment through convenience and efficiency with innovative technology.
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Products
Along with this innovation and evolution in smart homes design came new products and services. In today’s smart home we can see a number of concepts and products from Monsanto’s House of the Future incorporated in today designs.
In 1957 the Monsanto House displayed a push button ultrasonic dishwasher that was recessed in the kitchen counter and doubled as a storage unit for the dishes. Today’s smart home features Wi-Fi connected dishwashers with mobile apps that allow a user to monitor cycle times and status as well as keep track of how many dishwasher pods are left.
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