Do you remember the old sci-fi classics like Total Recall and Blade Runner where every home had voice-activated tech and virtual tennis classes? Well, although we haven’t, like in those movies, quite managed to establish outer space colonies it is good to know that the smart tech we have in our houses and apartments has blazed far beyond what even the wildest imagination in the 80s could conjure up.
As a matter of fact, even though the current offer of devices and applications making our daily lives easier is already impressive, this tech branch is just at its inception developing at a lightning pace with each passing day.
Well, let us take a look then at some of the most important smart home trends brewing on the horizon to see what our futuristic lives could look like in the following years.
Touch-Less Commands
The trend got a very strong push during the COVID-19 pandemic with any kind of contact with other people or shared surfaces was highly discouraged. But, the tech implementing voice controls, gestures, and augmented reality was in development for quite some time. And, while these efforts were made mostly in the realm of entertainment, gaming, and other cutting-edge fields, these types of interactions are gradually moving into other areas of our homes like kitchens. So, imagine cooking your next meal with virtual control giving your stove voice instruction. These things will come upon us sooner than later.
AI-Powered Systems and Appliances
This is the next logical step from the ongoing dominance of smart IoT tech we already have in our homes. The main difference here is that the previous generations of smart home systems were capable of collecting environmental data, adjusting their performance, and having only a certain level of autonomy. However, these devices are developing, and they are developing fast. Using the benefits of machine learning (ML), and higher-level AI, smart home systems will be able to make more advanced decisions, learn your habits, notice patterns, and, in turn, be more autonomous.
Transition to a 5G Infrastructure
The fifth generation of telecommunication technology is slowly but steadily taking over the world. If you take a look at the available listings of apartments for rent, you will see that an increasing number of properties across the United States and the world now have access to this infrastructure. And with the download speed of up to 10 gigabits per second, you can only imagine the opportunities ahead. The current ML-capable processing doesn’t have any limitations in terms of capabilities and power of processing, beyond the data you feed into the system. Now, these limitations are disappearing.
Integration, Integration, Integration
This is yet another trend that was in development for quite some time but is only now picking up real speed. At the crux of this situation is the fact that the devices no longer require some sort of central hub that will serve as the brain of your home, but are not capable of entering into a much more in-depth mutual interaction without any mediators. As long as you have your phone and access to the same Wi-Fi network, most settings and tweaks can be performed with nothing more than a couple of clicks, without the necessity for some robust interface for each smart device.
The Growing Relevance of Edge Computing
If you are not familiar with the term, edge computing presents a form of computing where the internal household devices are capable of independent processing and decision-making without any reliance on external hubs or cloud resources. What makes this idea so novel? Well, reliance on such elements always prongs household items slower to respond and mutually dependent. Also, with no ties that can be broken, your devices can’t really be interrupted which may prove to be of great value in terms of security. But, even with that aside, downtimes are not tolerated in any household.
Full Immersion into Augmented Reality
This doesn’t apply solely to touchless controls, which we have already covered in previous sections, but rather we consume the data provided by our smart home devices and entertainment systems. And from what we can see right now, we are making big steps in the direction of full immersion into the realm of VR and AR. And the options are truly endless. Ranging from creative nourishing meditative surroundings to effortless multitasking, or even running your home systems from remote location, VR and AR make all these tasks countless times simpler. And both these technologies are still in their infancy.
Health-Tech Going Places
And, let’s wrap this list by presenting the marriage of COVID-19 worldviews married with Millennials’ known obsession with personal health and fitness. Yes, we are talking about the fact that even smart home systems that are not traditionally associated with health like AC units, smart stoves, and other similar devices. So, how about smart toilets capable of analyzing your urine and stool helping you understand your physical condition better? Sure, they are already on the market. We will see even more such units, capable of sharing information taking better care of your physical and mental wellbeing.
In Conclusion
Well, we hope that the mentions we covered above gave you a better idea about the direction the smart home market will be moving in the following years as well as the benefits these tech leaps will bring into our lives. One thing’s for sure, though – as soon as we put our households on the digital fast track the opportunities for advancements became endless and their speed relentless. So, all we can do now is wait and see what the future holds for us. Hopefully, we are going to end up in some more optimistic Sci-Fi scenario.
0 Comments