The Triangle

Issue date: 12/10/04 Section: Sci-Tech

Media Credit: Kaushal Toprani Dubai´s Internet City flourishes with multinational corporations such as Cisco, Microsoft, and Oracle. The presence of such companies enhances the development of smart houses.

A few years ago, Bill Gates started what could be a trend that will shape the future. No, it is not the weekly ritual of patching your operating system. Gates turned his Media, Washington home into a fully automated palace. The house interacts with its inhabitants, turning on and off lights and playing their favorite music as they move about. Since then, others have shown interest in the technology. Various celebrities and stars have made their homes smart, but now the technology is trickling down in limited forms to the middle class market. With the post-9/11 trend of staying at home, people are investing more money in their houses. "The average consumer now spends about $1,200 a year on electronics," notes Jason Knott, editor of CE Pro magazine.

Most recently, the trend is getting a lot of attention in Dubai. Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates, located in the Middle East, is known worldwide for its duty-free ports and is a major hub for trading of electronic goods. With fiber optic technology being installed as part of the expansive new construction, the foundation is set for smart home technology. These residential units with access to the fiber optic lines ease the implementation of automated appliances, home theater systems and other technologies like VoIP ("Vonage's Voice over Internet Protocol has great promise," The Triangle, Nov. 5, p.18). The e-Home system being marketed by Sahm Technologies, a subsidiary of Emaar, is the largest smart home based project in the world. Climate, security, lighting, entertainment system, and any other appliance the resident wishes to automate are all controlled via a touch screen system or remotely, using internet access.

The applications in smart home technology are truly fascinating. Some systems are based entirely on LED screens that literally disappear into the walls. From these paper-thin screens inhabitants can control lighting and climate, watch TV, surf the Internet, or keep an eye on a sick relative in another room in the house. Motion detectors set up around the property can show you any movement occurring on the premises. Cameras around the house can record precious moments, like a baby's first step, anytime. Additionally, this system is accessible via the World Wide Web, so the homeowner has control even away from the house. Residents could turn up the heat in their house before they leave work for the day. With a home entertainment system, all of a person's music can be stored in one central location and be heard from anywhere - in the house or in the world. Cleaning is made easier by a robotic vacuum cleaner that automatically cleans the floors, adjusting to any surface it may encounter. Window shades and lights can cooperate with each other to offer the perfect lighting based on how much daylight is outside, thus saving electricity.

Continued...

Page 1 of 3 next >

Article Tools