34 New Year, Fresh Start Home improvements, interiors & gardens Home automation


The amount of smart technology in the home is growing all the time, and now a new breed is set to make life easier and safer in the coming years. Words: Rhonda Carrier


learning, computer vision and the Internet of Tings (IoT: essentially, gadgets and appliances that communicate with one another), many of our pesky everyday chores and routine maintenance jobs will soon become a thing of the past. We take a look at what’s available,


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including home tech that targets health, and what we can expect in the coming years.


Healthy and safety in the home With many of us spending more time than ever in our homes, the focus on wellbeing — including nutrition, sleep quality and physical activity — has never been sharper. As well as the advent of automated lighting that responds not only to the weather but to our individual circadian rhythms, we’re seeing massive advances in wearable gadgets that track our vital signs and other health indicators. Tis tech can even diagnose illnesses and put the wearer in contact with healthcare providers. Ten there are virtual assistants, especially useful for the elderly,


ith lightning-fast development afoot in areas including voice command, machine


now including safety features that can bring peace of mind to all. For instance, alerting us to an overheated house or front door left ajar.


Cleaning and gardening You know those tedious little jobs you never get around to? You’ll soon be able to forget about many of them, partly because smart tech will predict problems before they even come about. Smart alarms will monitor smoke and carbon monoxide and notify your smartphone of any issues, for instance, while leak detectors will pick up on excess water and, if necessary, close off your valve until it’s dealt with. In terms of keeping your home


tidy, you’ll be able to put your feet up as autonomous mobile cleaning robots join the existing ranks of automated vacuum cleaners, and bacteria is set to be taken care of by UV-C lighting devices that kill it. We’re also seeing a revolution in


washing machines, including app control and automated efficiency monitoring (for instance, machines that gauge dirt levels and reduce wash times accordingly). Similarly, in the garden, retire to your lounger or hammock as


PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY


Smart alarms will monitor smoke and carbon monoxide and notify your


smartphone of any issues, for instance


robotic mowers keep the lawn in trim, automated sprinkler systems take care of the watering, and apps diagnosis any problems with flowers and plants.


Shopping and cooking Life in the kitchen is also set to be revolutionised by smart tech in the coming years. Look out for blenders that rate your sauces and


smoothies nutritionally and update your shopping list to refrigerators that combine computer vision and machine-learning algorithms to monitor their own contents and order anything that has run out or is running low. Similarly, scanners attached


to bins will automatically add discarded items to your shopping list so you never forget things.


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