One of the major hurdles in building a 'connected home' is that we typically live in a disconnected one.
Yes, we can stream entertainment around the house, download movies and music from the Internet, even flood each room with wireless broadband. But this still falls a long way short of digital home nirvana.
And for a glimpse at what this 'digital home dream' might be, watch the newest video from the researchers at the MIT Mobile Experience Lab.
Future home
Sure some of the ideas MIT includes are wishful thinking: smart energy monitoring (based on weather patterns), daily commuter information with local wiki-based info-sharing and self-diagnosis for buildings. This is especially true when you consider that this sort of technology is (a) going to be expensive and (b) difficult to retro-fit to the majority of today's houses.
But MIT's ideas also make a lot of sense. Smart HVAC and internet integration don't require any new technologies, while you can buy wind turbines and solar panels from your local DIY store. What the digital home market needs next is an affordable system that ties it all together.
Your comments (1) Click to add a new comment
dawagh6421
December 16th 2008
1. I also believe that these ideas are very achievable today, at a pretty low cost. The concept is a viable one, and the socio climate if not the economical climate is right. I would however debate if retro fitting a home is too expensive.
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