Inside the Smart Home

Intelligent, interactive systems are being widely developed specifically for use in the home environment. These include video recorders which learn to record programmes automatically based on previous user preferences, fridges which reorder items automatically via a built-in Internet connection, doors which lock automatically when shut, voice-activated lighting controls, and cookers which automatically calculate cooking times and temperatures. These systems rely heavily on internet, mobile and telecommunications technologies. There has been coverage in the press recently of the Orange at Home project in Hertfordshire - one of the most high-tech residences in the world which contains over 2,000,000 worth of state-of-the art technology.