8 • Home interiors, improvements & technology T e future is now
Rhonda Carrier looks at the ways new smart home technology will make our lives easier
R
At Home & In T e Garden • Sunday 24 May 2020
ecent advances in smart tech mean that many of our dreary everyday chores are set to
become a distant memory. Voice commands are replacing switches and displays, and all manner of gadgets and devices, from our computers to our cooking appliances, can now communicate with each other and with us. Rapid developments in fi elds such as machine learning, computer vision and the Internet of T ings mean that concepts which seemed wildly futuristic just a few years ago are now becoming reality — and you don’t have to be one of the super-rich to reap the benefi ts.
Staying healthy and safe Virtual assistants have already proven a boon for the elderly who live alone, but they’re set to bring peace of mind to all. Possible uses include letting you know if you’ve left your front door open or if your house is abnormally hot. And everyone will benefi t from the way smart tech can boost our wellbeing. Automated lighting will respond not only to climatic eff ects but to our circadian rhythms, while advances in wearables monitoring sleep quality, nutrition and activity levels will nip potential health issues in the bud.
AI will even be able to diagnose illness and put you in touch with the relevant healthcare providers.
Shopping and cooking T ermostats already exist that predict our needs. How about refrigerators that ‘see’ inside themselves and order what you require using computer vision and machine-learning algorithms? Or scanners attached to your bin to let you reorder what needs replacing? From voice-activated coff ee-makers to blenders that not only whizz up your daily smoothie but rate it nutritionally and update your shopping list, the list of smart kitchen apps keeps on growing.
Cleaning T e technology that spawned robot vacuum cleaners is set to give us cleaning devices that can scan a room and use UV-C lighting devices to kill bacteria. Washing machines are also changing fast, assessing dirt levels, reducing wash times and becoming more green, effi cient and controllable via apps.
GETTY GETTY
Home and garden Smart tech will continue to predict potential problems. For instance, you’ll be able to rely on a smart alarm to monitor smoke and carbon monoxide, as well as its own battery, and notify your phone. And smart leak detectors will alert you to water where it shouldn’t be and even shut off your main valve if necessary. Meanwhile, our gardens are about to enter the realms of sci-fi , whether it’s getting your lawn cut by a robot mower or watered by an automated sprinkler system, or linking you by app to a plant doctor to diagnosis problems with prized specimens.
devolo Magic — fast wi-fi for working from home
Video calls with colleagues, down- loads and uploads of large fi les and a lot of email-traffi c — your internet service provider might deliver a high bandwidth, but is your home network also ready for home-working? In every household,
thick walls and ceilings
can block your wi-fi router. T e result: video call glitches and downloads that sputter and falter. Now what?
The solution: devolo Magic For wi-fi weakness of this sort, devolo has the perfect solution. devolo Magic uses your building’s own power line to transmit data, and uses a revolutionary new Powerline tech- nology. T e advantage is that a new wi-fi hotspot can be created with devolo Magic from any power socket, ensuring that walls, ceilings and even closed doors can no longer block the wi-fi signal.
Mesh wi-fi included All devolo Magic series wi-fi adapters off er top-level mesh wi-fi with features
like ‘fast roaming’, ‘band steering’ and ‘airtime fairness’. All devolo Magic adapters also take on the wi-fi settings from the router, which is how the tightly ‘meshed’ wi-fi network is created. T e result is rocket-fast wi-fi , anytime, anywhere. For larger
homes devolo created the Magic 2 Whole Home wi-fi Kit, which has received multiple
awards
from leading tech- nology magazines in the UK and across Europe. T e German
manu-
facturer devolo provides a three- year manufacturer’s warranty for all products.
More information is available at
devolo.co.uk
T e house-building industry is currently undergoing an evolution thanks to the rapid growth of factory- built prefabrication. Pioneering eco-house-builder Baufritz is at the vanguard of this movement. Baufritz specialises in bespoke
timber-framed houses that are both sustainable and effi cient. A combi- nation of natural materials, design knowledge and service options help you achieve your design goals. Interconnecting modules are manufactured before being assembled
on site. T ere are clear advantages to this process. Houses are erected in mere days, with a very sophisticated quality control process being imple- mented, resulting in a better-engi- neered fi nal product. Firstly, you’ll meet with special-
ists at the UK headquarters, who will support you through the building process, including planning permis- sion. You’ll then be invited to the sampling centre, where materials and details are fi nalised. Once a contract is signed, cost and schedule are fi xed.
Discover more
from Baufritz at
baufritz.co.uk
T: 01223 235632 E: enquiries@
baufritz.co.uk
Prefabrication evolution for the sustainable age
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
