Studio Review

Concept:

The current concept of the Smart House has always been to design a house that is as futuristic as possible with the available technology. In the past development companies have used them as a way of introducing revolutionary technology or new concepts that they were currently working on. However in the current day this term smart house has a more attainable meaning. It defines that a smart house be as automated and easy to use as possible. In a whole this concept is very dynamic. With the main building blocks established any number of features can be built on to the existing infrastructure at a later date.

Current Application:

There are currently a number of companies around the world that offer products and services to turn your existing house into a house of the future. Products may include scene lighting, Voice activation and control, Remote access via pc or phone, touch screen control, full house audio and video access and control and also heating, ventilation and Air con control.

How the System Works:

Simple Systems use a wired system controlled by wall mounted touch consoles to control lighting, cooling and appliances. Universal remote is used to control appliances such as TV’s and other media equipment as well as having the full functionality of the wall consoles. These input mediums then talk to a central piece of control hardware that is connected to everything you wish to control, be it lighting, Television, DVD Players etc.

More advanced systems allow the control of window shades, security systems, House-wide intercoms and even household inventory. These systems use the same control and setup methods with the addition of different types of sensors i.e., touch sensors on shades and proximity sensors to track occupant movements. These more advanced systems have a number of advantages over the more simple systems in that they give more control.

Process of Development:

This concept or idea has been around for decades and therefore it is hard to define its development. The concept advances with each new technological breakthrough, each time changing the standard once more. In the 60’s it was microwave ovens and video calls. Now it is automation, in the next 30 to 40 years it may be something completely different. This is the nature of the whole concept. However the process seems to follow a trend. With each new technological advancement there is a designer that finds a way to integrate it into every day household life. Be it infra red to control all remote devices with the one hand set or sensors to monitor an individual’s movements around a room and in turn adjust lighting to suit.

Usefulness:

There is no denying its usefulness in modern everyday life. Its ease of use and the ability to have such control over every aspect of your house in a matter of seconds is indispensible in the current way of living. Everyone is so busy these days doing one thing or another , imagine if you are running late one morning and forget to turn something off or turn on the security alarm, once you get to work you connect via the internet and turn off the appliance that you left on or activate your security alarm. Easy. Now you can get on with the rest of your day without having to worry about your electricity bill or that someone might break into your house.

Relevance:

In terms of its relevance to the topic of sustainability, I have touched on it briefly. Firstly due to the ability to control the house remotely you are able to turn off any appliances you may have left on therefore saving you power. However that is not the end. If lighting turns on automatically due to an occupant entering a room, so to could it be used ensure lights are only on when necessary. Taken one step further this technology could be used to only give power to a room that is currently occupied eliminating the waste due to standby power loss. Of course at the same time certain things would have to be excluded from this control eg, Refrigeration and clocks etc.

Conclusion:

In conclusion I believe that with wide spread application of this concept every household would be able to save large amounts of power over what they are currently consuming but at the same time will allow them to have an amazing amount of control over their homes with the greatest of ease. Even with a few ideas I have been playing around with it has convinced me that the only limitation of this concept is the limit of the human imagination.

If there is anything that i need to talk about in more detail it would be good to know.