While we may not yet be driving flying automobiles, smart home technology is improving our houses with devices that few could have envisioned a decade ago. Combining artificial intelligence and home automation has resulted in a slew of new household advances, with more on the way. The following are ten smart home trends to keep an eye on in 2022 and beyond.
1. Robot Vacuums, Medical Robots, and Other Robotic Devices
While a robotic butler that manages your household is still a ways off, robotics are gaining traction in the home. Since their introduction, the popularity of robotic vacuum cleaners has soared, and they continue to improve year after year. However, robots are not just for cleaning–companies are utilizing them to assist with a variety of household activities, such as detecting when someone has fallen or supporting the elderly or disabled with mobility around the home.
While some medical robots can cost upwards of $3,000, technologies are becoming more prevalent, affordable, and accessible on a daily basis.
2. Living a Healthy Lifestyle
The average person is living longer and the population is increasing. Fortunately, preventative healthcare advancements such as wearables and telemedicine enable people to maintain their health without ever leaving their homes.
While tracking activity levels is cool, wearable gadgets have evolved to measure sleep quality, diet, and in some cases, electrocardiograms (ECG). Additionally, they can watch for falls and inform the appropriate authorities if you require assistance.
3. Lights That Can Be Controlled via a Smartphone
LEDs have permeated the residential landscape over the last few years–and they may now be controlled via your gadgets. This enables you to enter a room and simply order your preferred system to switch on lights across your home. But that’s not all: you can also configure the lights, dim them, and even turn them on and off remotely from your phone when you’re not at home.
4. Residence Security
Installing a security system is an excellent method to increase your sense of security and reduce your homeowner’s insurance premiums. However, technology companies have stepped up home security by including video doorbells, motion sensor lights, and cameras as part of the system. Today, the majority of these security systems include an app, which enables you to arm, disarm, check sensors and cameras, and more from your phone while you’re gone.
5. The Heat Has Been Turned Up
As is the case with the majority of other technology, companies have developed apps that allow you to control your thermostat from your phone, making it simple to turn up the heat if you’re too cold to get out of bed or to turn down the air conditioner at work so it’s nice and cool when you get home.
You may program it to run programs based on the time of day, pick between weekdays and weekends, and even connect it to your electric company to save money by following energy-saving rules. Specific localities even provide incentives for the installation of certain systems in homes.
6. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
With the global launch of 5G, smart home networks become more responsive. Without getting too technical, 5G technology enables gadgets to operate without connections and waste less electricity. This translates to faster data transfer, more sophisticated programs, and enhanced functionality for all of your smart home and streaming services.
7. Air Purification
The days of allergy-proofing your home with a simple furnace filter are long gone. With air purifiers that can filter out the tiniest particulates on the market, humidity controls, and contactless products hitting the market, germs will have to work extra hard to stay in your house.
8. Solar Energy Harvesting
While solar panels have been available for some time, this does not imply that companies have ceased to innovate. People have been using solar energy to offset their electric bills for years, but newer gadgets such as solar shingles and windows are now making their way into the domestic market. Additionally, you may get solar-powered outdoor lighting equipped with their own little, separate solar panels, as well as solar-powered pool heaters.
9. Home-Based Business
While some businesses require full-time staff to work on-site, 54 percent of office workers have learned that working from home is a better alternative for them in the last several years. As more people work from home, technologies such as conference calling, home office sets, and even noise-cancelling windows can assist in creating a comfortable and effective working environment.
10. What Matters Is What’s Inside
Fridges are now being equipped with technology that not only indicates what you’ve run out of, but also tracks the expiration date of food. Additionally, refrigerators are not the only appliances that are being upgraded. Automatic composters help decrease food waste, Wi-Fi-connected coffee cups keep your beverages warm, touchless trash cans help eliminate pathogens, and some appliances, such as air fryers, come with temperature-monitoring apps.