Smart home tech that promises beautiful home aesthetics as well as improved home function and health is coming.
Sara Nabil, PhD candidate at Newcastle University, has been working with the Open Lab and NORTH Lab teams "to create new types of interactive living objects that can be used in interior designs." Writing for The Conversation, republished by Fast Company, she explains, "We use thermochromic fabric which changes color, SMA wires which move and crumple, and e-textiles for seamless sensing."
Many homes are already smart. Research from Statista predicts that by the end of 2019, more than 45 million smart home devices will be installed in U.S. homes, and analysts predict that the smart home devices industry will reach $107.4 billion by 2023 globally. One in four people in Britain own one or more smart home devices, such as smart speakers, thermostats and smart security, and the UK government has begun investing money in teaching elderly and disabled people how to use smart tech in their homes.
Related Stories
Multifamily
Kid-Friendly Amenities in Luxury Residences Win Over Parents
Luxury residential properties across the country are catering to parents who took on more childcare during the pandemic while juggling remote work…
Building Technology
Katerra Received $2 Billion in Funding—Why Did it Fail?
Katerra emerged as one of the largest and most funded prefab and industrialized construction companies out there, yet it wasn’t enough to keep the…
Building Materials
Could Bamboo Be a Viable Alternative to Lumber?
Utah-based builder Concord Homes is ditching traditional lumber and opting for bamboo for new-home construction. The reasoning goes farther than …
