As discussed in the previous article, smarthome systems help us improve the way we live and manage our homes by means of technology. From automated windows to security systems, smarthomes help us in a variety of ways. Here are some more examples of smarthome systems that can make the life in your house comfortable and safe:

Lock Programming

Security systems in homes sometimes think in black and white. Therefore if you are coming home during the after hours, then it is likely that the system would lock you out. Lock programming is a method by which the locks can be programmed with pass-codes. These pass-codes will make exceptions for familiar persons easily. The lock rearms itself once the said person has entered the house. It also keeps track of the persons who come to the house at various times. This is useful to monitor young children to see if they come home during late hours.

Smart Toilets

Unlike normal toilets, these are super bowls that come loaded with many gadgets and buttons serving several functions. They can act as bidets for post-potty cleansing process. There are smart toilets that pump warm air thereby eliminating the need for toilet paper. Your smart toilet’s seats and lids can raise and lower automatically. It can also spray built in deodorizers and self flush. Certain smart toilets have been seen to use anti-bacterial coating to clean themselves after flushing. There are smart toilets that are under development which can perform urine and stool analysis to detect drug use, colon cancer and pregnancy.

Power Tracking

Your car has come a long way when it comes to being smart. But is your house as smart as your car? With new technology, luckily it has. There are many energy management programs that can be implemented in your house’s control panel so that the power consumed by your house can be optimized just like in your car.

Power tracking systems monitor your home’s energy use, cost and carbon footprint in real-time. This is advantageous because you can find out at what time the energy usage spikes and take remedial measures to moderate power consumption. The system also monitors your home appliances and lets you know whenever maintenance or replacement is required.

Plant Watering System

The plant watering system is also known as an irrigation sprinkler. It is an automated system that sprinkles water to the plants based on its programming. They can be automated easily and are systems that come to help when you are on vacation or away for a longer period. They also come handy when you are sick and cannot walk around to water the plants. There is also a feature in which the system can be set to clean up the surrounding areas of the plants.

Intercoms

Intercom is a communication system within the building that uses microphone and loudspeaker to pass on messages from one part of the house to another. These systems are particularly useful if the house is large and calling out someone is difficult. They are also useful when there is an emergency and the message needs to be passed on to everyone in the house at once. You can also use intercom to speak to someone outside the house without opening the door thereby ensuring more safety.

Medical Alert System

Medical Alert Systems can be installed in the house for a variety of reasons. These devices are particularly useful if there are patients in the house with no one to attend to. Medical Alert Systems can give alerts when there is a requirement to summon medical personnel during hazard requiring urgent attention. These devices can also alert the patient to take timely medication. Further, they can save the prescriptions and send them to the doctor for reference.

The major providers of medical alert systems are hospital programs operated by volunteers and companies helping seniors in their homes. The system basically consists of a waterproof emergency wireless transmitter worn on the wrist watch and a base station connected to the telephone having a sensitive microphone and loud speaker. The patient can answer phone calls on the wrist band.
Facial Recognition Software

This is a futuristic technology which is still in its infancy. A facial recognition software can help prevent unauthorized personnel from accessing your homes. The algorithms used in this device identify facial features such as relative position, size and shape of nose, eyes, cheekbones and jaw. These features are then matched with what is already existing in the software’s database.

It can be programmed to use the feeds from video cameras installed inside and outside the home to recognize strangers from family members and friends. These devices also have access to criminal databases by which they can check whether the person visiting the house is a recorded criminal or not thereby giving alerts or taking precautionary measures.

Domestic Robots

Robots have come a long way from being just subjects of techie students’ experiments. They are now widely used in industries and are making their way into our homes. A domestic robot also known as service robot is an autonomous robot which has the capability to carry out household works. They come in three varieties viz. Household robots, educational robots and entertainment robots. Most of the household robots today are simple devices that are specialized in doing a particular task such as floor cleaning. There are robotic vacuum cleaners, floor washers and some can also do dry sweeping and mopping.

The security robots have night-vision capability that can detect movements and intruders. It can also patrol your premises and shoot videos of suspicious activities and send alerts. There are robotic lawn mowers capable of cutting grass without a driver. Some of them can even traverse uneven and large lawns. Automated pool cleaners clean and maintain swimming pools. They can scrub the pools and circulate several litres water per minute. Window washing robots use magnetic modules to navigate windows and do spray cleaning. There are humanoid robotic toys available to keep the household entertained such as electronic pets, robotic dogs etc.

Conclusion

Anything can be achieved through technology. These are just a few examples of how technology can be used to convert your houses into convenient and secure living spaces. As mentioned before, when technology evolves, so does the way we do things in our house. With better technology, we are now capable of securing our premises much better than before and in the future, even better methods will be invented by which we can make sure that we lead a happier, comfortable and more secure life.