Tomorrow's engineers are presently running around in the world's nurseries. What do these youngsters think of the world? What are they interested in? What kinds of things will they be passionate enough about to devote their lives to? Well, a lot of things, but one in particular worth thinking about is the "sentient home".
Today's youth imagine that, in the next thirty years, homes will be more than smart; they'll be "sentient"; they'll seem like they have their personalities and all that goes with that. Will we ever get there?
Trends Toward Sentient Homes
Technologically speaking, a breakthrough must be imagined before it can come to pass.
Today, we have increasingly optimal smart homes, which are prompting children to imagine a tomorrow where they're as commonplace as electricity. Some aspects of their imaginations will be realized eventually.
Here, we'll briefly explore a few smart home trends headed toward sentience to give you an idea of what a true "sentient home" might look like. Such trends include:
- More Efficient Connectivity
- An Increase in "Home" Robots and Their Effectiveness
- An Increase in Wireless Controls Toward Greater "Sentience"
- More Intuitive Properties with Better Security and More Privacy
More Efficient Connectivity
True "sentience" is tied to consciousness and self-awareness, which are qualities AI may never have, though we're closer than ever. It will require expanded connectivity to get to a point where it seems as though the property is "sentient."
A central control grid will need to be managed by Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning segues to match the patterns of those who own the property. For example, when you come home, kick off your shoes, and lay on the couch, a "sentient" home would leverage AI and ML data toward atmospheric enhancement.
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Maybe your habit is turning on a particular light, fan, or flat screen TV. A "sentient" home might do that for you based on your patterns of entry into a house. For that to happen, the house has to be increasingly connected. Data has to be provided to the central control software of the property. This means the home of the future will have windows, doors, lights, televisions, computers, HVAC systems, microwaves, stoves, showers, toilets, and everything else tied into a central system that monitors everything and makes decisions as a result.
That's still not true "sentience", but when a house responds to you in a way that feels organic and doesn't require your direct intervention, that "feels" sentient, which is the point. So first things first: expect a marked increase in property connectivity in the near future.
An Increase in "Home" Robots and Their Effectiveness
Connectivity will be extended beyond appliances and utilities to devices that have some level of mobility. Robots, if you will. We already have devices like the "Roomba," which is a rudimentary 'bot that will trundle outside and break or fall down the stairs if you're not careful.
Better feedback loops and programming will increase the efficacy of such machines, and if they're "tied in" to a central control grid, there will be a certain level of discretion behind their use.
It's conceivable that a "sentient" home could automatically feed the cat through a robot with enough design ability to grasp a sack of food and pour some into a bowl. Imagine being able to head across the world for a month with no need for a house-sitter; you just "tell" the house to take care of the cat, and off you go.
An Increase in Wireless Controls Toward Greater "Sentience"
As previously stated, increased connectivity will imply a broadening of the types of features available in a home that is linked to some sort of central control mechanism.
That means more wireless controls that can be manipulated with commands from your voice, a smartphone, or the AI-optimized ML infrastructure running your home. Think of a "computerized housekeeper," if you will. The more wireless options there are, the greater the "sentience" of future smart homes.
More Intuitive Properties with Better Security and More Privacy
Tied into connectivity and wireless controls will be security solutions, like IoT-enabled cameras that can be accessed remotely via smartphone. Better security means more privacy.
When you can trust in privacy and security, that gives you more confidence in property, and collaterally in life generally. You truly have a secure home, like a "castle," on which you can rely.
Expanded Integration in the Near Future
Due to technological advancement, over the next 30 years, residences will become increasingly integrated. More intuitive security, increased wireless control options, more "robots", and more connectivity will define the move toward "sentient" properties. It's also noteworthy that such advancements will apply to commercial properties as well.
