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Week 5 [13-19.11.17] Smart house

The world has been changing since the first advanced technologies had become widely used in our day-to-day life. This great change brought a lot of selling points as well as challenges. Undoubtedly, one of the main task is to learn how to live in harmony with the environment without damaging and killing influence of human activity.

Rapid explosion of industry and transport at the beginning of the 20th century led to the serious consequences including global warming and high air pollution. The richest countries like the members of the Commonwealth have been taking care of their citizens since the Second World War and seeking the solution to highest standard of living. Nowadays we may notice such state policy became widespread among the countries of the European Union. Obviously, some of members may provide better abilities for citizens like subsidiarity, state support for inventing new approaches of energy consumption.

The conception of the Smart Home appears to be relatively new, because this is linked with proliferation of the Internet and high technologies. Let’s have a look at the issue closely from two views: the Smart Home as a way of conserving and as a dwelling filled with smart appliances, which makes our life more comfortable and easy.

 The governments of highly developed countries have recently begun to take measures in order to decrease energy consumption at home and reduce carbon emissions in the street. The Smart Home is an expensive project, however very ecologic as far as there are used water and energy-monitoring tools and systems, which, in fact, help us to pay smaller bills and at the same time save nature. Anyway, it pays off. For instance, Japan launched a government programme, which subsidizes the installation of Home Energy Management System.

Many of such appliances are available in the UK and they are becoming more popular among the people aware of their advantage. The Independence wrote an article about 11 the best smart home devices. For example, Google has recently released the third generation of the heating control system called Nest. Moreover, I would like to point out just some of them like Nest Cam IQ an intelligent and advanced security cam, which may help you to protect your home against burglars and costs only 299 pounds. Also, an interesting item on the list is Furbo, a smart dog camera, which lets you know what your dog is up to.



For the above mentioned reasons, I may confidently say all these devices will be an integral part of our life in a decade.  No doubt, that they will help Europeans to save environment and make life longer and happier. Somewhere like in the UK or the Netherlands, they appear faster on the market because it is directly connected with the level of technology development and a sum of money you are ready to pay for. Nevertheless, to my way of thinking, the process of implementation of green and smart technologies is inevitable and necessary.
     Let’s watch a short video about the smart house. Enjoy it! 


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Comments

Marcin Mróz said…
There is no doubt that sooner or later all electronic devices in our houses will be connected with each other. This is what the "Internet of Things" hype is all about. I think the idea is really awesome, it could make our lives a lot easier and more convenient. I also like the fact that it covers not only our convenience, but also protection of our environment. Moreover, this idea could be expanded to the whole cities - it's all about sensors. We could for example control CO2 emissions of factories, check water quality or measure rubbish level. Here is an example of all the possible functionalities:
link
And while all this things sound beautiful, they would make us more and more dependent on the technology and in case of for example lack of electricity it would be a total disaster. There is a book called "Blackout" which is connected to this topic and shows potential scenario where whole world is cut off from electricity. I reccommend it, if want to imagine what could be the consequences of such situation.
Unknown said…
Obviously, I might partly agree with your opinion concerning lack of electricity. However, humankind would provide their cities with the resouces of such type, thinking about prevention of severe consequences.
Actually I'm not a big fan of putting IT everywhere it is possible to. Of course it sounds great when it comes to smart houses or body modification. IoT seems to be very popular nowadays, but in my opinion it may be risky. There is a saying that no system is safe. There are non stop news about new malware / computer virus that infects a lot of computers, even in intuitions like hospitals or police stations. Computer is really important thing in lives of most of us, but still it's just one device. Now imagine that whole your house is one big IoT mechanism. I think that this is very, very dangerous to create possibility of hacking air condition, electricity manager or water connection. Smart houses sounds great, but are new field to be attacked by hackers and having house that may one day become threat for you is just stupid.
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I really like the idea of introducing some of those devices to the soul of our house and creating smart kitchen. I had an opportunity to test Mykie (short for My Kitchen Elf). This Bosch’s kitchen helper will walk you through recipes, answer cooking question and fully cooperate with Home Connect - Bosch’s line of connected appliances. Mykie can turn on the oven to temperature you choose, open doors for you or check what is missing from your fridge.
Unknown said…
Opposite to your opinion, I may claim that if such malware occurs, it would begin the process of creating antivirus software againts it. And it's profitable for the producers of such software, because demand would increase(if everyone would have a smart house) and profit of these producers would go up. Moreover, it would be supported by any country, cause it boosts the GDP. It's like a car. We buy it because this is very comfotrable, but any car needs repair every so often. And even if everybody knows that it pullutes the environment or causes accidents nobody would like to dispose of cars. That's the way the cookie crumbles :(
Unknown said…
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Unknown said…
it sounds awesome. I belive it hepled you to make a delicious meal. Btw, what's the price of this device?
I can't believe that it is not a future anymore, it is approaching so fast and you can imagine yourself living in the world with an enormous amount of technologies. My bachelor's diploma was about smart houses,so i still pay attention to this kind of startups and i'm trying to take something useful for myself.
Unknown said…
In most cases I really like technology and the way it grows but In my opinion there are some places where we can try to avoid it. Of course I agree that installing devices in our house and making it smart may be ecological and also economical, there are no doubts but let’s take into consideration our life. I suppose that each device will use wireless network. This kind of radio-waves is harmful for us, we have to think about it. Also creating intelligent home may be to comfortable for us and we won’t have to move from couch to change temperature or close all windows. It seems dangerous to me for our health.
Unknown said…
I really like this technology and I would love to have my house smart. Once upon a time it was only possible to dream of such inventions, now it is a reality. This is amazing.

Unknown said…
Yeah, you are right about radio-waves. But all electronic devices beam such waves and generally we don't care. So it's a rather matter of your beliefs.
Unknown said…
I do like the idea, but am a bit afraid of it as well. It has to be super convenient to be able to start your washing machine on your way home so the wash is ready when you get there, as well as control the heating system while not at home (e.g. turning it on when returning from holidays), having cameras around the house, being able to summon your car in front of the garage in the morning. But there is always a 'but'. The problem is that it all might be prone to hacking, and someone might be able to control your whole house. I really recommend the series "Black Mirror" on Netflix, there was even an episode on this certain problem. It is purely hypothetical, but could in my opinion happen.
Unknown said…
When I was a child I always wanted the lights to switch on when I clap my hands and I wanted roller blinds to move automatically. I know that smart home is possible but expensive. When you observe how technolgy is developing, price will go down quickly. On the other hand people won't move at all soon. Today most people don't move if they don't have to.
I remmeber when automatic Roomba vacuum cleaner was introduced on the market, it was amazing new gadget which everybody wnated to have. At the beginning it was very expensive but now you can buy it for good price. I think that the same will happen with smart home. About ecology, for me one of the biggest steps is LED diode.
Unknown said…
I think that the idea to use sensors to control CO2 emissions on factories, check water quality and so on, is even more useful for humankind then smart houses, especially in Russia and China, where in some cities you can even see a smog made by factories.

And if we are talking about the lack of electricity, I think it's no matter whether we would have smart houses or not, because the world will collapse anyway :)
Unknown said…
I hope that in the future this technology will be integrated with cryptocurrency and smart contracts. For example meters in your flat could send you your monthly charge by themselves, and all you need to do is to accept the transfer. Or a screen in your shower cabin that shows how much water you use in a real time (why not?). But as for me IoT is less attracting technology then mixed reality, robotics and cryptocurrency, since I haven't enough money for such devices yet :)
Foodocado said…
It's a "nice to have" gadget. We can impress our friends with it, but overall I do not like the idea of "smart houses". People become lazy and less ambitious. It might also be harmful for our health. Last but not least all those devices are not 100% safe. I read a lot of articles which were describing how some people had gained the control of "smart home" devices.
Unknown said…
Can you tell us more about mixed reality? What are the main principles?
Unknown said…
Actually, if you started to discuss on the issue connected with air pollution, it should be pointed out that, one the one hand, internal law of a state, which establishes environmental quality standards must be observed by people, because it's not enough to have such devices. On the other hand, this law has to be correctly customized by authorities to the terms of the country.
Unknown said…
but isn't it useful, when you come back from work and feel tired, use some of devices to make supper fast and easly?
I honestly can't wait to live in a house where everything can be controlled by a random person with some computer knowledge. Waking up every night to a false sound alarm or suffocating in sleep instead, because someone wanted to have a little fun with oxygen levels in my building. To put it simply; people are not able to create safe technology, there are no such things as impregnable devices.

Even if we forget about all safety issues, I just don't see a point of most of these gadgets. Clapping hands to turn on the lights isn't really that life changing to me, because I can simply stand up and walk to the light switch. In terms of having less impact on the environment I think that's bullshit. Mostly because so-called smart houses also use energy and are fouling environment anyway by simply existing. They need constant supply of power, even when we are not at home in addition to much less abundant materials, that are required to construct and sustain them. If you want to be ecological, then there are more preferable ways of doing so, for example living in a house without electricity, where temperature is regulated by the width of walls in order to keep it warm at night and cool during the day. That way you also don't take part in bloody extraction of finite minerals from Africa, which are necessary in manufacturing of most of modern digital devices.
Patryk Pohnke said…
I believe smart house is very convienent, but I can sacrifice my comfort just to be sure that I'm not going to be hacked. I trust metal keys more than NFC. A lot of time will pass until I will live in a fully smart house. I can adopt some funcionalities like ambient lighting or smart heating, but concerning security I am old-fashioned.
Marcin Górski said…
Nowadays, technology is moving faster than 20 years ago. Introducing new devices to our life is very popular, people want to be trendy.
In my opinion there is a one serious problem.
Is it safe? In newspapers and on the internet we can read a lot about hacking attacks, car theft. I think it’s true that every system has errors. This is technology which can be vulnerable to attacks.
I love gadgets but in my opinion we should be careful about introducing devices which will be control our lives. People shouldn’t trust technology in 100%.
Filip Sawicki said…
I share your opinion on IoT, there are lots of problems that should be solved in order to use it conveniently and safely. Blackout is probably least dangerous one, as high-volume batteries are evolving, and we already have good portable power generators, so I guess these could be installed in smart houses to prevent sudden voltage drops. Even if there is no emergency power system all other devices still should be available for users in the “offline mode”. However, I am more concerned with a risk of the system being hacked. Imagine what hacker could do with your house, what hell on earth he could create…
Unknown said…
This kind of life automation makes me thoughtful. I suppose the equipment used for this "smart home" will cost a fortune. And the question is, in which way, will something like this, benefit everyday people? (apart from elderly or disabled)
Jakub Lisicki said…
Smart homes are just another area that is constantly developing and making our lives easier. I don't think there is anything particularly bad about it, but it's also really important to make all of the devices failsafe. That means that we should also be able to control them without using apps, remotes or even electricity.

Personally, I wouldn't want to live in a house where everything is controlled independently of me. That's at least now that I read so many articles about how terrible the security measurements of these devices are. Most possibly, I would feel pretty much paranoid all of the time.
Unknown said…
I would agree with the statement that development of smart home appliances is inevitable and necessary. They just make people’s life easier and more comfortable just like many others devices which are currently used by almost everyone, e.g.: smartphones, tablets, smartwatches etc. I consider costs and energy consumption reduction as crucial aspects of smart homes. Smart devices which are connected to the Internet and to local network can work collectively in order to automatically control temperature, electric equipment, air conditioning and other systems based on different factors, e.g.: time of day, daylight availability, occupation etc. What is more, smart house seems to be a perfect solution for disabled people or children because automated systems can help them in everyday activities by automatically switching lights on and off or improving indoor air quality.
Im horrified to think about that a device i own might know more about me than i do, what is a case for our phones and computer might be a case for our homes, more precisely their "smart" elements in near future. In addition there comes fear of malfunctions, u may have heard about SmartLocks malfunction which through improper update released by company had basically locked people out of their houses and storage for good. Imagine your whole house and appliances inside having such malfunctions, or wrong update. With future being "smart" we will have to find balance between what and whatnot should be smart in our houses. And all of us should answer one question: Are we ready to potentially give up all of our privacy for sake of convince?
Vladlen Kyselov said…
Smart houses is my passion, because that`s exactly what I would like to develop in my future life. I have already had some experience working with smart houses and it impressed me. I have never thought before that using tiny micro controllers all over the house can make it easy to minimize house consuming energy to the level where it can function independently. Also smart houses are fully controllable by the owner of the house and the person that ones such a house doesn`t have to worry about any little everyday problems.
I like the idea of putting „smart” in ordinary things. Smart washer, smart washing machine, smart vacuum cleaner and such sound really cool but in the end they are just marketing stunts to trick you into buying one. They are not really necessary because at this moment they aren’t REALLY “smart” and in my opinion not worth their price for the moment.
Tomasz Morawski said…
I'm like the idea to improve simple things with electronics but I don't think I'm a fan of "smart home" concept. I believe it'll be heavily regulated by UE and their energy-saving program. I also think such homes won't be as smart as me and they'd be more annoying than helpful if they try to make decisions I dislike, which I'm sure will be the case. Although I'm sceptical, I hope it will actually develop and prove me wrong.
Wojtek Protasik said…
I think most people needs are met with current living standards e.g. in Poland. I wouldn't bother myself for such "smart" improvement in my life as it might cause more problem and take more time from my already short day than it's worth. I also don't agree with any argument stating it will help to save the Earth, natural resources etc. Comparing this small gain in saving power in our houses to damage that we have already made to our planet is nothing. So this is a very nice idea how to sell it to idealistic people.
Unknown said…
hm, it's strange cuz we may say that every traditional lock can be opened so actually we are not secured anyway
Unknown said…
It was obvious that something like this will come. Personally I believe that this isn't necessary, but I know some people who will have it as long as it will be available in Poland.
But it may be useful - for example for someone who has got problems wieh movement.
Unknown said…
yeah, i agree with you that all devices have to be switched off manually as well
Unknown said…
actually the prices of smart devices look a bit overstated, though this offer is directed to the rich, who don't care prices
Andrzej Gulak said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said…
I have already met several people,who cover their webcams because of reasons of security. they fear not to be overseen
Unknown said…
it seems to be very useful for the disabled
Unknown said…
In my opinion, new technologies and systems are taking over the World. People are getting led by machines and applications. From one side it is making our lives more efficient and smarter but from the other side, it can provide dangerous for example hacker attacks. It is important to keep the balance beetwen it.
Magdalena Popek said…
I like the idea of Smart House as the way to make our life easier. Monitoring the use of water and energy, making it possible to turn off the light while being in another room or checking who just entered your house seem to be good ideas. However everything that's connected to the Internet can be hacked. So your door can get unlocked and your house can be broken into. If people can hack Tesla, why not a house? I'm not a fan of putting IT everywhere we can. Some things should stay of of the Internet.
Unknown said…
It is inevitable to live in the Smart House during next 30 years. Technology is getting closer to each and every person on this planet every single day and this is just the matter of time when we will connect ourselves with it. There is much more devices and programs which simulate Smart House behaviour than few years ago and I think that the most popular are AI bots. There are cheap, so almost everyone can afford itd. Google Home with their AI bot named Google Assistant is top notch, but it's equivalents are also not so bad (like Amazon's Alexa). All of them cost about 50-80$ and it is fun to have talking encyclopedia (and much more) in your home. It seems like all you need is the Internet these days.
Unknown said…
I think that all gadgets market for smart home is going like a crazy, what I vary like. I can not wait for all this things in my house, that will be amazing. I also think that kind of solution could save environment and our many. The reason for that is could save electrical energy and heating energy because of better management of that sources. In my opinion it is grate branch of technology.
Unknown said…
I am kind of person which really likes gadgets and a smart house is something which I really want. I feel that our house is a place where we spend most of our time so it is fully understable that we are trying to use a technology and a new inventions in our buildings. First of all we should mention about sensors which can protect us and our property. I mean co2 sensors, water sensors which protect us from pouring an apartment or burglar alarms. It is made for our safe and it is highly reasonably if someone wants to buy such gadgets to feel safe. Other kind of smart devices which are really fascinating for me are smart vacuums like a Roomba or smart lawn mower. It is really nice when a robot do a things which I don't like to do. In my opinion we shoud get use to it because it is our future and our world will be full of such solutions.
Unknown said…
Sure, it is visualization where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time, this is all Hololens and Magic Leap about. Currently Apple and Google invests a lot of money in this technology (see ARKit from Apple and ARCore from Google). In fact those are Augmented Reality technologies, but there is small difference between Augmented and Mixed reality, in fact sometimes those terms are even interchangeable :)
Smart house sounds great as a concept. You can manage your house by one single application on your phone. But when it comes to security I would be afrad that someone cracked into my house system and watch me, and I would even do not know about that. Also if the hacker would be somekind of jester and make fun with the gear (like turning off/on music, lights etc.)
Unknown said…
I've heard about Nest. I really enjoy that part of home bubbels. If we can invite something wich can help our Earth it's good to use it. When all world don't think about being eco it's great way to have something good looking, new and what is more ECO! The Earth is destroyed and if we don't want to bring it into a state like in Wall E we have to start thinking. New technologies make our live easier, safer, smarter! What we need more? :)
Unknown said…
Technology is increasingly entering our homes. It helps us in our daily life. More and more smart tehcnology is available on the market. More and more smart technology surrounds us. The idea of creating a Smart House seems logical and very interesting. In connection with the ecological aspect it seems that this technology is necessary. This smart house also saves time. We can save a lot of time when some device does something for us. For example, we can turn on the washing machine or dishwasher to the distance on the way to work or vacuum the apartment for us. Also when we go back to the home, switch the headphone to the speakers that are at home. The ecological aspect we could preserve by simply switching off the light be the internet which we forgot to turn off when we left home in a hurry. Or reduce heating radiators when nobody is there. I think the idea of Smart House is simply brilliant!
Unknown said…
The topic is very intriguing. I like the idea of the smart-house, but the reality is disappointing. When I think about the smart house, I imagine something like systems from films, when you can come home and ask it about something. And get the answer. But now the technologies of smart-home are only being developed, so we should wait for some years. When I tried to control the PlayStation by voice, it didn't hear me sometimes. Yes, this is not the smart-house, but it works similarly.
Unknown said…
I am obsessed with the smart home technologies. I am glad that we finally got something to protect our planet and to comfort our lives.
Unknown said…
Smart house is good opportunity to save some money in future and help our world to stay unpolite. I think that investment is very expensive but when you pay for that in future you can save some other money.

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