When guests arrive at Bill Gates’ home, they're provided a device that interacts with sensors throughout the house, allowing them to control the temperature and lighting from room to room, all according to their personal preferences. The pool has its own underwater music system, and you can change the art on the wall with a touch of a button.
While not everyone is Bill Gates, technology innovations for the home are on the rise. Here’s what’s trending in home technology:
3D Printing
Currently, 3D Printers are being used to create car parts and prosthetics. Now they can even build a house, as in the Amsterdam home known as the 3D Print Canal House. An Italian engineering company is working with the World’s Advanced Saving Project to build a similar structure that will provide sturdier housing in developing countries. While they might not be lining the streets just yet, 3D Printers are staking their claim in the homeowner’s future.
VR and AR
Virtual and Augmented Reality are the new popular kids in interior design. Now homeowners can make more precise decisions and try before they buy. Instead of having to imagine how a couch will look in a living room, they can scan the room with their camera and virtually place the piece of furniture in 3D. Some furniture companies have developed AR apps that allow the consumer the option to view their options through a personalized catalog. Designers can now present ideas easier to their clients by showing the 3D design at every angle. Though they haven’t gone mainstream yet, VR and AR are on the rise.
IoT Technology
Also knows as “The Internet of Things,” IoT embodies a plethora of in-home technology bling, ranging from interactive thermostats, to sustainability and energy-saving gadgets. The Consumer Technology Association, stated that “IoT could help avoid up to 100 million tons of CO2 emissions, and reduce energy consumption in each household by 10 percent.”
Voice-Activated Assistants
Whatever happened to that Intern-assistant, eager to serve while learning the ways of the world? In part, they’ve been replaced by voice-activated platforms with integrated Google search functions. Currently, the voice-activated systems can answer general questions, turn on the lights, play music and set up Wi-Fi connections. That role is expected to branch out with Google’s new Assistant, an integrated home system that will offer a conversation-based interface that adapts to your needs by scheduling reminders, alarms and a wider selection of answers to “get things done and help people throughout the day.”
It’s getting easier to be as cool as Bill Gates.
