Refrigerators that make meal suggestions based on their contents, industrious little robots that manicure your lawn, and bathtubs that carefully maintain the water temperature while you enjoy a soak – these may seem like fantastical gadgets dreamed up by someone who perhaps spent too much time watching The Jetsons while growing up, but they are actually just a few examples of how modern technology is slowly but steadily trickling into our homes.
We already rely heavily on tech in the workplace and on the go – the home seems like the next logical step in the blending of the digital and physical worlds. Curious about what shiny, innovative new gadgets you could potentially incorporate into your pad?
The Latest and Greatest in Home Tech
- Innovative iPod/iPhone Docks
Charging docks for iPods and iPhones have been around for quite awhile, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t undergone some pretty extreme transformations over time. What was once just a clunky, obtrusive hunk of plastic that took up space on your bedside table now serves a number of cool functions.
For instance, Lumadock will not only charge your favorite Apple products, it can also monitor your sleep patterns by using specially designed motion sensors. Its soft lighting rouses you at an optimal point in your sleep cycle. Oh, but there’s more. Lumadock also has home automation functions which allow it to control lights, televisions, and even coffee makers. That way when you wake up, your house will be ready to greet you.
- Toasty Driveways
You need to make a quick run to the store to satisfy your random craving for Captain Crunch cereal but upon opening your front door you realize your driveway is covered in snow. Luckily you don’t have to spend a back-breaking hour shoveling that fluffy white stuff from your drive if you have a nifty, snow melting product like Warmly Yours. These gadgets use radiant heat to clear up your driveway so your trip to the store is unhindered.
- Automatic Floor Vacuums
Let’s face it, on a scale of one to fun, vacuuming the house registers about a negative five. Enter the ingenious horde of robot vacuum cleaners that are more than happy to do the chore for you.
Robot vacuums have been around for a few years, but the latest versions demonstrate significant improvement over the original models. Whereas the first vacuum bots simply zoomed around your living room sucking up dirt and dust until they ran into something, the newest varieties (like the one from Neato Robotics) actually use lasers to map their environment. Not only does this prevent the little robot from colliding with your furniture, it allows it to keep track of exactly where it has cleaned and what areas of your Oriental rug still require its attention.
- Smart Fridges
You’ve heard of smart phones, but the next big thing in home tech may be smart fridges. LG and Samsung already have smart fridge models on the market. These fridges incorporate a touch screen on the door where you can monitor things like your stock of groceries, ask for recipe suggestions based on available ingredients, and even order groceries online.
- Robotic Mowers
Mowing the lawn is a sweaty, labor intensive, and time consuming chore. Perhaps that’s why robotic designers decided to adapt the already popular automated vacuum bot into something that can keep your yard tidy. Mowbot and Robomow are two producers of automated lawn mowers. You can even get special charging stations that are outdoors-friendly.
It may be awhile before instead of rolling out of bed and shuffling to the shower our bed gently lifts us into a standing position and a small conveyer belt carries us into the automated, temperature controlled shower. But if these home tech gadgets are any indication of the future, the change may happen sooner rather than later.
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- License: Creative Commons image source
Nicholas Malinosky sells the finest luxury properties along the coastline of palm beach county. He is a partner of the Randy Ely and Nicholas Malinosky Real estate Sales team.