The Automated Home of Our Dreams?
Science fiction has been exploring the idea of the automated home for decades. In his 1950s short story There Will Come Soft Rains, Ray Bradbury introduced to the reader the idea of a computer-controlled home that could cook, clean, and take care of the needs of a family. In the 1970s, Scottish firm Pico Electronics created X10, a protocol for communication between home automation devices. In the 1990s, we were seduced by the first glimpse of a smart fridge that could keep an inventory and do the shopping for you. Fast forward to today — are we really getting closer to the automated home of our dreams?
The term ‘smart home’ was first coined in 1984, but it’s only in the last 10 years that home automation technology has really started to permeate the market. The Nest thermostat, for example, was launched in 2011, after designer Tony Fadell found that all of the available thermostats on the market were clunky and inadequate. Nest was the first example of home automation that many people had seen, and it made the possibilities of a smart home seem more understandable. In 2013, just two years after the launch of Nest, The Consumer Electronics Show was dominated by smart technology and home automation.
New smart home devices continue to appear on the market each year. Unfortunately, many of these devices are complex to control and setup. There is also limited interoperability between products and brands, so users need a certain degree of prior knowledge to know which devices and systems will work with their existing (or future) devices. Apple HomeKit aims to provide a protocol to control smart devices from their iOS device, while Google Weave is doing the same for Android devices. In 2014 Samsung bought SmartThings, which uses a central hub to facilitate communication between SmartThings devices. There are a number of groups and companies seeking to provide the means for smart technology devices to talk to one another (The Linux Foundation’s AllSeen Alliance and the Open Connectivity Foundation are two such examples), however true interoperability of our smart home devices still seems to be a way off yet. We will, at least for now, have to continue with our brand allegiances to get the most from our smart technology.
Another obstacle for the smart home comes when we consider that, for the majority of people, the home is a space shared with other people. The things that make a house feel like a home, both physically and psychologically, are deeply personal to each of us, and every member of the household is likely to have differing preferences when it comes to what makes them feel safe and comfortable. We have all experienced battles over the thermostat or lighting, and these are conflicts that the truly smart home will have to learn to navigate. For example; when I come home from a run my smart home detects detects that I have been exercising based on my elevated heart rate and body temperature. It then adjusts the temperature of the home accordingly, to ensure that I feel more comfortable while my body recovers. This is great for me, but what about the members of my household who haven’t been out running, and who are now a little cold?
Often the controls or interface for smart technology are on a phone or tablet. While that may seem like fun initially, the novelty can often wear off. Depending on how often smart home settings are adjusted, a lot of time can be spent locating the phone or tablet, unlocking it, finding and launching the right app, navigating to the correct location within the app, and then performing the required adjustments. The smart home, therefore, will perhaps reach maturity when it is ‘sensitive’. These ‘sensitive homes’ of the future won’t require direct interaction via an app, but will instead automatically control lights, temperature, humidity, and appliances, by responding to, learning from, and even alerting us to various subtle changes in behaviour, health, and potential dangers, for all members of the household.
Sensitive homes could have huge implications for everyone, but may be particularly impactful when it comes to the care and independence of the elderly or those with physical disabilities. There are over 11 Million people in the UK with with a limiting long term illness, impairment, or disability, and 11.5 million people are over 65. These numbers are set to rise over the coming years as life expectancies increase and people inevitably encounter a greater number of health issues in old age. The number of people in the UK aged 65 and over increased by 21% between 2005 and 2015, with the population of people aged 85 or more grew by a staggering 31% in the same period. In 2016, Alzheimer’s Disease International estimated that the global number of people living with dementia was 47 million, a figure that will climb to 131 million by 2050. As technology improves, it is possible that we can facilitate independent living for these groups of people, decreasing pressure on the health services & the need for expensive care homes. Gerontechnology is a field currently exploring how technology can assist older people with monitoring their health, enabling social participation, assisting with mobility & cognitive ability, and allowing them to live independently, for longer. Temperature, smoke and chemical sensors could detect potential hazards, like a pan left on the hob too long, and turn it off to prevent a fire. Biometric sensors could be used to monitor and analyse movement, temperature, heart rate, sleep patterns, blood sugar, and breathing, and could alert family or even emergency services if required. Impact sensors could detect a fall — one of the most common dangers facing the elderly, particularly those living alone — and call for assistance. Medication Tracking would help to keep track of and dispense dosages at the correct intervals, and ensure that medications are locked away safely in between doses. The data gathered by sensors could be analysed, and, over time, keep track of decline in health, or help with the diagnosis of medical conditions. The possibilities are endless.
There are a number of things to think about regarding our current, and future use of the smart home. How is our idea of home affected by remote environmental control? What does smart home technology mean for the concept of the home, and our emotional connection to it? How are the differing needs of various members of the household managed? As the role of the home evolves, and boundaries between home, work, and social spaces blur, what impact can we expect on relationships in the home?
Good product design springs from empathy with consumers, fulfilling a need, or solving a problem. Currently a lot of smart home technology is not solving a problem. Brands are attempting to create a market but with no compelling use cases, the technology is at risk of remaining a trendy gadget, rather than becoming a ubiquitous part of the home. We need to focus on how smart technology can enrich our lives, and establish what problems we want it to solve. It has the capability to be so much more than; “Alexa, play my rainy day playlist” — as designers, it’s our responsibility to ensure that potential is fulfilled.
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