Out of all the rooms in your home, which do you believe could use a technology upgrade? What types of features would enhance the appearance or functionality of the room?
The kitchen should be the most technologically advanced room in the house. With all of the appliances and tasks performed in the kitchen, a little bit of technology would could help in perfoming routine tasks such as preparing a balanced meal.
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The bathroom is the room that is in most need of technology. From managing water consumption in the shower to measuring your ideal body fat index, the bathroom has the most room for improvement in regards to technology.
7 comment(s) so far
NixHexthinks: The kitchen seems to be the room in most need of innovative products. Kitchens are usually cluttered with appliances. There are safety concerns in dealing with most kitchen appliances as well as concerns about energy consumption.
Maverickthinks: The bathroom could use some technological improvements. Temperature controls on the shower, water usage limits on the shower, even using other tecniques to minimize water usage like the 'Air Shower' (read more by clicking on the link).
Fireflythinks: The living room. Let's get the TV and all the applicances working together for a change. I have a TV, a digibox with a hard disk recorder a VCR and DVD player. I need the digibox and the VCR because the TV is a Dutch PAL TV and I live in England (where there is a different standard for PAL!). If I want to watch a DVD, I have to re-connect the SCART cable to the TV because the volume is too low if played through the digibox. There are five remote controls - and the one I need is always under the couch or the kids have taken it into the next room where it can operate one of the other TVs. The hard disk on the digibox isn't large enough - the kids have recoded every episode of the Simpsons and there isn't space to record the midnight movie. The twin tuner on the digibox is great - except on those days when we would like to record three programs simultaneously.
What would be better is a central hard disk store which might even have a DVD multichanger. It would be the main feed from digital TV, a DAB radio receiver, the internet and a satellite dish. Each room would have just one appliance - a TV with controls. From that control I would be able to select a TV channel, a digital radio channel, a DVD or a CD from the multichanger, a DVD/CD that I had saved to the hard disk (or recorded from the TV/Radio) or a direct broadcast/web page from the internet. Radio and CDs could play without the screen being on if I choose. From that control I could also record a TV programme or schedule it in. I would be able to see how much space is left on the hard disks and which DVDs and CDs were available. I would be able to rent a film over the internet from Blockbusters which would play out onto the hard disk (and probably erase itself after 2 days). The screen could also work as a PC screen - I would need a wireless laptop and mouse - so I could work with the radio on (or even the TV playing in a small screen in the corner of the main screen). It could even operate as my Skype terminal (pausing the TV or allowing me to rewind it after the call if I choose).
At the central hard disk strore I could add more hard disk space, extra channel tuners, larger DVD multichangers or whatever by just plugging them in. Oh, and I wouldn't need a degree in computer science to use the remote control!
itssimplethinks: I like Firefly's idea. One central computer with extenders throughout the house would solve it. Everything could be controlled from the television and remote in each room. A sort of 'brain' for your home. Patch in the security system and utilities and you have it all in one spot. Access the main computer via a shared internet connection from your tv. No more personal computers for each person in the house. Each person has their profile with access to their music (MP3s), their movies (files, not actual discs), their tv shows (DVR and real-time).
ztylerthinks: Personalized temperature guages on the shower would be a nice feature. It would save me the time I usually spend testing and adjusting the temperature of the water. How about integration of sound systems into the bathroom. Your morning routine could be made more efficient by allowing you to listen to the news or even watch the news, in a sense allowing you to mutlitask during your morning routine.
Warrenthinks: I understand it is possible to have a fully automated home, I have already started by automating my living rooms media and home security capabilities. TV, Hi-Fi, DVD, CD, DIVX, Internet, PVR (Personal Video Recorder) Security Camera Monitor for less than £500. The remote I use can be operated anywhere in the home with the lack of display being the only let down for the remote.
PS Security Camera may be monitored anywhere in the world. Catch Thieves whilst on holiday in Venezuela. Maybe so... :-)
Warrenthinks: We have sensors for checkin temperature. We have methods of control for most things associated with sensors (switches). What is to say we cannot use switches for everything and use a pc to control them and have profiles, then attach voice commands to these profiles to make it totally hands free. The system would have to be ultra secure though. Imagine someone hacking your center and turning the heating up during summertime.
