Home automation is creating a home environment controlled or operated heavily on technology. It is used to improve the quality of life and to make a more energy efficient home by reducing the amount of wasted resources, automation of thermostats/temperature and lighting. It also allows for access to objects and systems within the home from a remote location. A lot of home automation will be including security systems in them as well. These new technologies are going to make life easier in the home and will be accessible from anywhere in the world via an internet connection, and as technology continues to advance these systems will improve the controls that they feature and more additional features and controls will be added. Imagine leaving your home for a week long vacation only to realize that you left your front door unlocked or your garage door wide open, there are or will be home automation features and options that will allow you to correct these common mistakes and improve security of your home.
History
Home automation began as far back as 1932 when the robot "Alpha" had been created. Alpha was originally an exhibit. Alpha was trained on answering several voice commands (one of which included firing a pistol). In 1939, "Electro", a more sophisticated version of Alpha came into being. Electro was capable of performing many more tasks, including smoking. In 1950, Emil Mathias created a home where he could accomplish many regular tasks through a simple push of the button. Some of these tasks include; automatically drawn curtains, and grinding coffee. 1957 saw more difficult tasks being accomplished such as shelves that went into the ceiling, an adjustable sink, and hands-free communication. These accomplishments paved the way for future home automation. Some people would argue that Ruben Garret Lucius Goldberg is one of the founding fathers of home automation. Goldberg is famous for his drawings of complicated gadgets or machinery that performed simple tasks in indirect and convoluted ways. Although often comical Rube Goldberg gadgetry sparked the imagination of many future inventors.
1998 - Mid 2000's
Smart homes started to become more popular and affordable for people. Mainly consisting of home networking technologies.
2000's - Present
Smart homes are becoming more commonplace with the focus being on 'going green' and home security. Part of this is also due to the development of smart phones. Smart phones have created a virtual tether to the home that was previously impossible to achieve.
Lighting Systems
Lighting systems are one of the newer and more popular systems being integrated into a smart home. These systems are being used to control the lighting within the home, most of these lights being energy efficient. Some even have color control to change the tone of the room. Another added benefit of being able to control the lighting from your mobile device is that it adds security in your home since users are able to turn lights on/off in their home giving the appearance that someone is still inside. http://www.wareable.com/media/images/2015/10/sssssssssss-1445883576-t9p9-full-width-inline.jpg
Thermostat Control
Thermostat control is becoming a standard in the home automation industry with technology that can track your cooling and heating habits and then analyze it and make necessary changes to help the home owner become more energy efficient with their heating and cooling. Nest, a popular home automation thermostat has features like those already listed as well as the ability to create schedule's, an auto-away feature to turn down the temp while nobody is home and the ability to use your phone to remote access in to make any changes to the temperature of the home from anywhere. Nest also has the capability to learn your routine with out the need to be programmed. As you make changed daily it will learn what changes to make and when based on your actions.
Along with the thermostat control, there are also system integration for smoke alarm and carbon dioxide/monoxide detectors. These additional systems will alert you to an emergency situation within your home and tell you where the problem is occurring in your home and advise you to leave the room. Some systems also have the ability to do perform an emergency shut off to prevent further problems and damage. http://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/large/public/topic_images/2014/nest-stock-image-1.png?itok=UEkMM4_8
Security
There are a lot of resources available for a security system in your home. It makes up more than just alarms and locks too, there are now bio metric readers at entryways, remote control of blinds, lighting as previously mentioned as well as camera systems for your home that are becoming more affordable, have higher quality images and can also be accessed and viewed from a mobile device. Combining all these features will allow the homeowner to have a rather advanced security system compared to what was standard in the past. Remotely being able to access the camera system in your home, lock the doors and windows, shut the garage door, allow temporary access for the neighbor kid to feed your cat, or be notified on your phone when someone rings your doorbell and to be able to talk to them through the doorbell camera are all part of the new age of home automation and security.
Auxiliary systems
In addition to the control of the house, there has been involvement with developing different levels of interfacing with one's house, depending on whether or not that level of control is desired. Going beyond the standard camera system for security and controlling the lights, there have been additional implementations in home automation that even include the watering system of both the exterior and interior plumbing. Automated systems for sprinkler systems have existed for many years now but the integration of that control into the same home automation system gives the user more control over the different elements of the home. As for indoor plumbing, some automation systems include adjusting both the air and water flow of the entire house. In the case that the water was left running on a given faucet, the user can remotely turn on and off that faucet with the click of the phone app or the interface panel of the home. This does involve a new system of electronic valves to be installed but needless to say the integration is reaching new levels of involvement.
Other applications for home automation
Another interesting application for home automation is the Tiny Home applications [1]. Tiny homes are designed to live a minimalist life and the importance of home security, automation, climate control and all other aspects of smart homes belong with the Tiny Home industry. The next century its likely all homes will contain an automation system of some sorts, there is also a growing demand for smart homes. The controlling applications listed above stretch beyond ordinary household uses.
Another applications that has been used is the ability to let trusted people into your home while you are not there. If you are out of your house and some you know comes by to drop off a package they will ring the doorbell, your smartphone will ring and when you look at it, it will show you who is at your door, you can then talk to them through the intercom system, let them into your home by unlocking and then locking the door again when they leave.
References
" The History Of Smart Homes ".Iotevolutionworld.com. N. p., 2016. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.
Cericola, Rachel. "Want Smart Lighting?: Look For These 7 Features - Electronic House". Electronic House. N. p., 2016. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.
Home automation is creating a home environment controlled or operated heavily on technology. It is used to improve the quality of life and to make a more energy efficient home by reducing the amount of wasted resources, automation of thermostats/temperature and lighting. It also allows for access to objects and systems within the home from a remote location. A lot of home automation will be including security systems in them as well. These new technologies are going to make life easier in the home and will be accessible from anywhere in the world via an internet connection, and as technology continues to advance these systems will improve the controls that they feature and more additional features and controls will be added. Imagine leaving your home for a week long vacation only to realize that you left your front door unlocked or your garage door wide open, there are or will be home automation features and options that will allow you to correct these common mistakes and improve security of your home.
History
Home automation began as far back as 1932 when the robot "Alpha" had been created. Alpha was originally an exhibit. Alpha was trained on answering several voice commands (one of which included firing a pistol). In 1939, "Electro", a more sophisticated version of Alpha came into being. Electro was capable of performing many more tasks, including smoking. In 1950, Emil Mathias created a home where he could accomplish many regular tasks through a simple push of the button. Some of these tasks include; automatically drawn curtains, and grinding coffee. 1957 saw more difficult tasks being accomplished such as shelves that went into the ceiling, an adjustable sink, and hands-free communication. These accomplishments paved the way for future home automation. Some people would argue that Ruben Garret Lucius Goldberg is one of the founding fathers of home automation. Goldberg is famous for his drawings of complicated gadgets or machinery that performed simple tasks in indirect and convoluted ways. Although often comical Rube Goldberg gadgetry sparked the imagination of many future inventors.
1998 - Mid 2000's
Smart homes started to become more popular and affordable for people. Mainly consisting of home networking technologies.
2000's - Present
Smart homes are becoming more commonplace with the focus being on 'going green' and home security. Part of this is also due to the development of smart phones. Smart phones have created a virtual tether to the home that was previously impossible to achieve.
Lighting Systems
Lighting systems are one of the newer and more popular systems being integrated into a smart home. These systems are being used to control the lighting within the home, most of these lights being energy efficient. Some even have color control to change the tone of the room. Another added benefit of being able to control the lighting from your mobile device is that it adds security in your home since users are able to turn lights on/off in their home giving the appearance that someone is still inside.http://www.wareable.com/media/images/2015/10/sssssssssss-1445883576-t9p9-full-width-inline.jpg
Thermostat Control
Thermostat control is becoming a standard in the home automation industry with technology that can track your cooling and heating habits and then analyze it and make necessary changes to help the home owner become more energy efficient with their heating and cooling. Nest, a popular home automation thermostat has features like those already listed as well as the ability to create schedule's, an auto-away feature to turn down the temp while nobody is home and the ability to use your phone to remote access in to make any changes to the temperature of the home from anywhere. Nest also has the capability to learn your routine with out the need to be programmed. As you make changed daily it will learn what changes to make and when based on your actions.Along with the thermostat control, there are also system integration for smoke alarm and carbon dioxide/monoxide detectors. These additional systems will alert you to an emergency situation within your home and tell you where the problem is occurring in your home and advise you to leave the room. Some systems also have the ability to do perform an emergency shut off to prevent further problems and damage.
http://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/large/public/topic_images/2014/nest-stock-image-1.png?itok=UEkMM4_8
Security
There are a lot of resources available for a security system in your home. It makes up more than just alarms and locks too, there are now bio metric readers at entryways, remote control of blinds, lighting as previously mentioned as well as camera systems for your home that are becoming more affordable, have higher quality images and can also be accessed and viewed from a mobile device. Combining all these features will allow the homeowner to have a rather advanced security system compared to what was standard in the past. Remotely being able to access the camera system in your home, lock the doors and windows, shut the garage door, allow temporary access for the neighbor kid to feed your cat, or be notified on your phone when someone rings your doorbell and to be able to talk to them through the doorbell camera are all part of the new age of home automation and security.Auxiliary systems
In addition to the control of the house, there has been involvement with developing different levels of interfacing with one's house, depending on whether or not that level of control is desired. Going beyond the standard camera system for security and controlling the lights, there have been additional implementations in home automation that even include the watering system of both the exterior and interior plumbing. Automated systems for sprinkler systems have existed for many years now but the integration of that control into the same home automation system gives the user more control over the different elements of the home. As for indoor plumbing, some automation systems include adjusting both the air and water flow of the entire house. In the case that the water was left running on a given faucet, the user can remotely turn on and off that faucet with the click of the phone app or the interface panel of the home. This does involve a new system of electronic valves to be installed but needless to say the integration is reaching new levels of involvement.Other applications for home automation
Another interesting application for home automation is the Tiny Home applications [1]. Tiny homes are designed to live a minimalist life and the importance of home security, automation, climate control and all other aspects of smart homes belong with the Tiny Home industry. The next century its likely all homes will contain an automation system of some sorts, there is also a growing demand for smart homes. The controlling applications listed above stretch beyond ordinary household uses.Another applications that has been used is the ability to let trusted people into your home while you are not there. If you are out of your house and some you know comes by to drop off a package they will ring the doorbell, your smartphone will ring and when you look at it, it will show you who is at your door, you can then talk to them through the intercom system, let them into your home by unlocking and then locking the door again when they leave.
References
" The History Of Smart Homes ".Iotevolutionworld.com. N. p., 2016. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.Cericola, Rachel. "Want Smart Lighting?: Look For These 7 Features - Electronic House". Electronic House. N. p., 2016. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.
"Nest Learning Thermostat". Nest Store. N. p., 2016. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.
"Home Automation Market Limits And Opportunities | Security News - Sourcesecurity.Com US Edition".Us.sourcesecurity.com. N. p., 2016. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.
[1] http://www.control4.com/blog/2016/08/tiny-house-smart-homeWareable.com, (2017). Smart home visions through the ages: The history of home automation.
Retrieved from:
https://www.wareable.com/smart-home/visions-through-the-ages-history-of-home-automation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg