Smart Mirror, Smartphone and More: What to Expect in the Future

Smart Mirror, Smartphone and More: What to Expect in the Future

In the next decade only smart home thermostat devices will be in every house. While still quite affordable today, smart thermal units are still rather uncommon outside of the most lavish homes of high tech-savvy consumers. But it s hard to underestimate the environmental and financial benefits which result from the simple installation of a Google Nest or Ecobee thermostat. A smart home is a happy home, one in which the inhabitants have easy access to information and warmth at a moment’s notice. Smart thermostat technology provides this with the added benefit of offering users the comfort and monetary savings they desire.

Smart homes are no longer just for the wealthy – for everyone can afford them, and they are no longer just for houses in temperate climates. Every home can benefit from smart thermostat technology. And the proof is in the pudding, as they say. Ecobee and Google have taken thermostat development to a new level, producing systems which provide a true energy management solution for every home, including newly-manufactured, hybrid electric homes. These thermostats can sense the temperature, and send a signal to the control panel when the temperature falls below a pre-set threshold.

Thermostat automation offers a great deal of convenience. You can program a phone call to your device, and wake up early without having to get up and let your alarm ring. You could program a certain time to go to work and be home late, so you never miss a work meeting because you are hoping to beat traffic. Or you could set up a voice command with the touch of a button, and be greeted by your electrician or landscaper whenever your home is unattended. The possibilities are almost endless, and these devices could significantly reduce the number of accidents in a household, as well as the amount of time wasted on household chores. In fact, studies have shown that people who regularly use smart home devices are more productive and have more patience than those who do not use such devices.

But what if you don’t need your electrician or landscaper?

What if you had an artificially intelligent assistant, or system, which was always there when you needed it? That’s what’s possible today with artificial intelligence, and it’s already starting to happen. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have been developing artificial intelligence software that can take a simple photo of your home and then recommend changes based on its parameters, like the amount of sunlight your house receives, the average temperature, and even the layout. You might be surprised to learn, for instance, that you could increase the amount of storage space available in your kitchen by rearranging a few cabinet units in your home’s basement!

This technology is just the beginning. Already, researchers are working on systems that will allow your smart homes to automatically detect smoke and fire, as well as provide the necessary notifications if these situations should ever occur. The idea behind these automatic detection systems is that they will act quickly, before you’re even able to get to safety. And what’s more, they will act even when you aren’t home!

Soon, you might not have to buy a new house to experience the smart home of the future. The first wave of applications, according to researchers at Stanford, will likely appear in smartphones within the next five years. Their research project called “aimed towards the future of smartphones” projects lead by researchers at Stanford University, includes more than two hundred applications that have already been developed and are in production. In the next five years, they plan to introduce over one hundred new and developing applications. With these phones, you’ll be able to control your lights, thermostat, fan, and water heater.

Another emerging wave is driverless cars

Once standard equipment on trafficways across the U.S., the future of smart home devices like cars will rely less upon the driver and more on the built in computer systems. Once the cars communicate with each other and with the cloud, it will become possible to control your car’s features – brakes, speed, usage and so on. In fact, if you were to use an internet-connected smartphone to control your car, it would likely mimic your current vehicle usage habits, which is already happening with many car owners today.

We can look forward to many more exciting and futuristic developments in the smart home devices and technologies we use every day. Will the smartphone become the ultimate smart home device? One thing is for sure: It will usher in a whole new era in which the entire world can be connected. The best smartphone applications will help you to live a better life.