SMART HOUSE:
Article By: Arthur C. Clarke
From: http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/ustudent/TLC321/koshy/Project/text.html
What Is A Smart House?
A smart home is a collection of or a
networked system of 'intelligent' appliances fitted into a home to provide the
inhabitant a healthy, happy, safe, and a better lifestyle. It performs many
tasks automatically to reduce the load and stress of managing the house. This
is achieved through complex networking of individual devices connected to a
central computer unit. Devices can be controlled alone or in groups. A central
station can operate the devices that are located inside and outside the house.
Inter-operability is the term used to describe the ability for different
devices to work together such as the security system, windows, lights, doors
and the telephone system. For example, if the motion detectors pick up
suspicious movement on your lawn, when you are away on a vacation, the security
system turns the lights and TV switches on and off to make it appear like the
house is occupied and it also automatically dials the local police
department and relays a 911 call to dispatch a police car to the house if
further investigation is needed . The manufacturers built easy-to-use
interfaces that are customized to each individual member of the household. It
is designed so that the user does not have to worry about its complex workings.
Background
The idea of constructing or renovating homes
to smart homes was originally conceived for the aged and disabled. It was meant
to provide them with a more comfortable living atmosphere in their own homes.
For example, in the
Description
To a degree, smart houses serve the same
overall functions as an ordinary house. However, they are adapted to
out-perform traditional houses to make it more efficient and personalized to
one's needs. Smart houses need not be created from scratch. Existent homes can
be slightly modified and retro-fitted with smart devices to create a smart
home. Some of the features that make a
home smart include :
Safety & Security
If there is a fire, an
automated house will detect it, turn off the gas, close the dampers in the
ventilation system, turn on the lights, unlock the doors, set off an alarm, and
call the fire department. More advanced systems might even tell you where the
fire is and through which room you should escape. In case of an intruder, a triggered motion
detector can turn on floodlights in the yard and instruct your stereo to queue
up the sound of a barking dog. In the
case of unwelcome guests, mounting a video camera at the front door, you can
view visitors on a TV screen. If the caller is someone with a clipboard, you
might skip that trip to the door. But if it's a friend, you could tap a couple
of buttons on the remote control, unlock the door, and welcome him in
Energy Conservation
With home automation,
room-by-room temperature control becomes a reality. You can warm up the master
bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom in the morning before the alarm goes off. Or you
can program it to keep the nursery at a constant temperature. In mid-summer,
you can even instruct sensors in the house to open skylights, turn on ceiling
fans, and close the draperies when the house reaches a certain temperature.
During the night the electricity can be used to make ice,
that can be stored in insulated tanks. During the day, ice-cold water is
circulated through the conduits in the walls of the home. Water heaters are
also much more energy efficient. Energy is conserved by heating the water just before dawn
and shuts off at night. Washing machines and dishwashers can communicate
directly with the water heater, telling it to release only enough hot water for
a specific wash cycle.
In areas where electric
utilities charge a premium during peak demand time, appliances may decide among
themselves when each should draw electrical current. These options can be
chosen by the consumer. Solar panels can
be used to provide part of the total energy required. There is a 20% to 40% savings in energy costs
by using efficient home control system.
Conveniences
You can program your house to
do certain things at different times of the day or for different scenarios. A
"wake-up mode," for instance, might turn off the security alarm, turn
on the kitchen lights, turn up the furnace, heat water, and start the coffee
pot. A "relax mode" might allow you, with the flip of a switch, to
dim the lights and shutters, play soft music, and light the fireplace And an "unoccupied mode" will arm the security
system and randomly turn lights on and off in different rooms. All of these
functions can be controlled while in the house, or remotely from a touch-tone
phone or computer and modem. Intelligent refrigerators' are internet capable
devices that can check your supply of groceries and reorder and have them
delivered to your front porch without much assistance. The homeowner of course has the option to
choose otherwise but some of the most frequently purchased food items can be
automated.
Robotic lawn mowers will cut grass within a
specified boundary, while avoiding obstacles such as bushes and children's
playthings. This is a useful tool for those who have a hectic lifestyle or lazy
but still want a picture perfect front/back lawn. Home automation also provides
advantages for new parents. Instead of checking on a sleeping baby every 15
minutes, a voice-activated video camera can be installed in the nursery. When
the baby starts to cry, the camera goes on and the baby's face appears on a
television screen or on another nearby monitor. There are appliances that
perform regular self-diagnostics and tell you what, if anything, is wrong with
them, and outdoor sprinkler systems that water only when they detect that the
grass is 'thirsty'. Better home automation systems even offer back-up power, so
you don't have to reprogram the entire house after an energy failure.
Future of Smart Houses
Designing smart houses takes time as one must
evaluate the inhabitant's specific needs. Having devices just for the fun of it
could cost the consumer a lot of money. A good practice is to think ahead and
select the products that fit your need and those which allow for future
improvements or upgrades as new products that are useful to you come in to the
market. Scientists and engineers have theorized a new technology called nanoplastics. Nanoplastics are a
theoretical fusion of traditional plastics and the developing field of
nanotechnology, in which microscopic machines and other objects are constructed
atom by atom. Charles Owen, a professor at Illinois Institute of Technology and
his team have come up with some hypothetical applications for nanoplastics in the home of the future. In their vision,
traditional bowls and dishes are not necessary. At the user’s request, a food
ware senses the presence of food and forms itself up from the countertop into
suitable dish shapes for preparing, cooking or serving. This bowl can either
keep the food hot or cold eliminating the need for microwaves or the refrigerators.
The dining tables can raise or lower on command for appropriate setting to the
individual. Similarly, the chairs can 'grow' themselves to the contours of the
person sitting on them, matching their individual ergonomic needs.
Questions:
1. Describe what a Smart
House is.
2. In the
3. Give four examples on what
these smart houses can do that other regular houses can.
4. If there is a fire, what
does the house do to secure your safety?
5. If there is like a
movement in your lawn, when you on a vacation, what does the house do to secure
itself of robbery?
6. What’s so different about
the refrigerators in these smart houses?
7. Describe the technology that’s
in the bedrooms.
8. How does the house
conserve energy?
9. What modes can you set the
smart house to?
10. What is a nanoplastic?