Home Automation, AI and everything else

The Final Statement (Updated) An intelligent house is a house that automatically programs itself, by observing the inhabitants, in search for patterns. After the pattern is found the house then starts performing the activities automatically every time the pattern is noticed again. With the rapid advancement in the field of science and technology, we encounter new and creative innovations every day. This is even more prominent in the field of computers and electronics. Every year, electronic devices are being more advanced and computers more powerful. They are capable of doing things never before possible. Computers are being integrated into ever more devices around us. Wrist watches, phones, ATMs, radios, TVs, even toys and musical instruments are becoming more intelligent due to integration of computers into them. But what about something that is very close to us, our house, are they becoming intelligent as well? This blog was maintained to help us answer this question. The most i...

Well this article is not about a smart house, but about a trend we are seeing today where digital technology is replacing the stuff in the physical world. According to this bbc article Chris Yurista, a Washington, DC resident who lives out of a backpack, claims digital technology has replaced the need for his home and his possessions. so, services like iTunes, Hulu, Flickr, Facebook, Skype and Google Maps for allowing him to lead a minimalist life. When i was young my mom used to say “you dont need anything but your computer, do you?” Its seems like this is quite literally the case for this guy.   read the article here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10928032

  Neurons to inspire future computers Researchers have been working on an entirely new generation of neural networks, according to this BBC article. The research aims to model certain part of the brain in great detail in order to understand their working. While artificial neural networks have been around for more than 50 years they typically do not copy real neurons very closely. This research aims to do just that. For example by modeling the visual cortex, scientist can understand how a brain can recognize words and objects. This can then be emulated on a computer so that a computer would be able to do the same. Called Spinnaker, the project is trying to create a computer specifically optimized to run like biology does. Read the article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10685138

This article from How stuff work gives a comprehensive explanation of how a swart house works. According to the article any thing that uses electricity can be put on home network. This network connected to the central computer which gives you ability to control all the appliances in the house. Its talks about a smart home technology called X10 and how it uses power lines to communicate between devices. It also mentions newer communication protocols like zigbee networks. It also goes on to explaining how a smart house is setup and what are the basic smart home products. smart houses can for example do these function. Light a path for nighttime bathroom trips Instantly create mood lighting for time with that special someone Program your television so that your children can watch only at certain times Access all your favorite DVDs from any television in the home Have your thermostat start warming the bedroom before you get out of bed so that it's nice and toasty...

  The Final Statement An intelligent house is a house that automatically programs itself, by observing the inhabitants, in search for patterns. After the pattern is found the house then starts performing the activities automatically every time the pattern is noticed again. With the rapid advancement in the field of science and technology, we encounter new and creative innovations every day. This is even more prominent in the field of computers and electronics. Every year, electronic devices are being more advanced and computers more powerful. They are capable of doing things never before possible. Computers are being integrated into ever more devices around us. Wrist watches, phones, ATMs, radios, TVs, even toys and musical instruments are becoming more intelligent due to integration of computers into them. But what about something that is very close to us, our house, are they becoming intelligent as well? This blog was maintained to help us answer this question. The most int...

  What Devices Are Found in a Smart House? -- powered by eHow.com   Smart houses use a number of new technologies, including automatic floodlights, and smart houses operate on a central nervous system. In this video Stephen G. Anthony explains what to expect in a smart house of today.

I found this very interesting article on Smart houses on eHow.com. It talks about different aspects of a smart house. “The idea of automated houses has been around for many years. As time has gone on, technology has begun to catch up with science fiction. Today's smart houses include programmable appliances, light fixtures and security systems that can call the police for the homeowner. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms can not only notify a homeowner of a fire or gas leak, but can pinpoint the source as well. Voice-recognition software even allows a homeowner to control the entire house with verbal commands.” read full article : http://www.ehow.com/about_5032033_found-smart-house.html

A research was conducted in Colorado US. where a group of researchers equipped a house with an array of sensors which provide the information about the temperature, lighting, sound and motions in the house. This data is fed to a control unit which then automates different aspects of the house. With the help of an Artificial Neural Network that runs in the control unit, the system is able to reprogram itself by observing the lifestyle and desires of the inhabitants. It can then predict when the occupants will return home and determine when to start heating the house so that a comfortable temperature is reached by the time the occupants arrive; detect statistical patterns of water usage, such that hot water is seldom if ever used in the middle of the day on weekdays, allowing the water heater to shut off at those times; or determine where an occupant is, and what the occupant is doing and based on this information control the lighting or heating of different rooms. ref: http://www.cs...

  In this paper the author investigates the applications of ambient intelligence technology in houses. In the first part, the definition of different terms related to the field is given. A model that categorizes  different types of smart houses is presented. According to the model there are three types of smart houses. Controllable house Programmable house Intelligent house A brief description of each category is given. Author also refers to different research conducted under each category. In the second part of the project the author provides the details of a flash animation designed to simulate a smart house. From this paper one can conclude that each group of houses in the evolution model is better, more powerful than the previous one in the hierarchy. So, the intelligent houses that can “learn” and reprogram itself based on the home environment is considered the most advanced one.  The abstract of the paper can be found below   Engin...

Author: Dr Leslie Haddon School of Cultural and Community Studies University of Sussex Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QN UK In essence intelligent homes offer new ways of controlling appliances. This may be in the form of remote control from within or from outside the home or through enhanced programmability where several devices could operate in conjunction . An example would be where a system remembers previous patterns of appliance usage and can turn lights on and off, draw curtains and even turn TVs and radios on and off to convey the impression that somebody is home . Other examples include monitoring and controlling appliances via the phone, lights which are programmed to come on if intruders or smoke are detected, or washing machines which can start up when electricity tariffs are low. In practice the option of remotely controlling and programming appliances have been achievable for some decades provided enough electronics and later computer power were utilised. But unti...

  Article Summery According to BBC’s Daniel Sandford Medical Engineers have come up with a Smart House that helps people with dementia live an easier life. The smart house is capable of turning off the cookers, or bath water or even helps you find missing items like keys or bags. The house is designed to help older people who are developing Dementia and forget simple day to say matters like turning off the cooker. The house is equipped with different sensors to monitor the environment. The estimated cost to convert a home to a smart home is about £10,000. Read full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/799128.stm