History and evolution of home automation
Today home automation It is present in most homes. From a smart TV to fully automated houses, the range of options is really extensive. However, the origins of this technology are much more humble. Today we will see how it was born and what has been the home automation evolution throughout the last century.
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The history of home automation year by year
When did the first household appliances appear?
The first electrical appliances arrive at the beginning of the 20th century, specifically in the year 1903. Thus, for the first time, machines do household chores.
However, at the end of the 19th century there were already machines capable of carrying out certain daily tasks. For example, although they were scarce, the first aspirates already existed. These were powered by fuel engines and were really cumbersome. Many were intended for industrial use or for houses of great lords or nobles.
That is why household appliances were revolutionary: they were much more manageable, they required much less resources to be able to use them, and they were beginning to be affordable objects for an average family.
Timeline of the first household appliances
It was not until 1903 that household appliances began to expand. Their differential characteristic is that they are machines that work with electricity. This made them much more manageable, simple and practical, hence their success and expansion.
Household appliances in the first decade of the 20th century
1903: The first appliance to arrive was the electric light clothes iron. Until now, heavy iron plates that were filled with boiling water or heated by other means were used. This small advance meant accommodating people’s lives as it saved a lot of time.
1907: The motorized vacuum cleaner is replaced by the electric vacuum cleaner. Although not everyone could afford one, he laid the foundation for today’s home cleaning.
1909: arrives the electric toastera device that meant leaving the fire behind to speed up a task as daily as making some toast.
The most important household appliances of the 20th century
1913: During this year there were two small revolutions. On the one hand comes the domestic electric fridge, which allows, for the first time, to refrigerate food without great complication. Until now, caves or cavities were used to store certain products. On the other hand, there is also the first Dishwasher, something unprecedented to date.
1927: The first ones appear domestic shredders for drainage. Its use became so popular in the United States that today it is difficult not to find this appliance in any kitchen in the American country.
1930: Already during the decade of the 30 the electrical appliances began to abound in the American middle-class homes. In this sense, comes the first washing machine capable of cleaning, rinsing and spinning, all in one machine. This was indeed a revolution on a large scale since cleaning clothes had always been a hard task that required a lot of time and effort.
1935: Almost naturally, the arrival of the multipurpose washing machine is followed by the appearance of first domestic dryers.
1951: With almost half a century of evolution, household appliances have become increasingly specialized in doing all kinds of tasks. It was during this year when the electric coffe maker. So the scope of household appliances leaves the home and begins to expand in offices, restaurants, businesses, etc.
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When did the first smart homes appear?
In 1966, the first device capable of controlling various household tasks on its own was marketed. This is a room-sized computer called ECHO IV. She was able to control the television, the temperature of the home, or set the alarm clock, among other tasks. Despite this, it was very cumbersome due to the large space it occupied and the difficulty of use. For this reason, the product never succeeded and remained a memorable attempt.
However, it was a technology far ahead of its time. Thus, it caught the attention of many researchers and laid the foundations for what would be today’s home automation.
Home automation and the “boom” of the Internet
From the 90s they became popular services such as telecare, connected to remote switchboards. These types of services saw their splendor thanks to the Internet “boom” in 1998, which allowed a large number of services to be improved.
From then until 2006, and even up to the present, all household appliances have been adapting to the Internet of Things (IoT). That is, they have been adapted to be able to connect to the Internet so that many have remote functions and adapt to certain variables, whether predetermined or modifiable. An example is air conditioners that, according to the weather forecast on certain web pages, adapt the humidity and temperature of the home.
The arrival of the first smartphone
Although the Internet revolutionized the world in 1998, the appearance of the primer smartphone revolutionized the Internet in 2007. Since then, all home and daily life services have been thought around the advantages of smart devices.
Home automation today
So, since the arrival of the first smartphone until today countless apps have emerged and functions that allow to do everything that a user can imagine. Not surprisingly, currently a house can be controlled almost entirely from the mobile.
For example, if you have a Prosegur alarmyou can activate it, program it, watch videos and much more thanks to la app Smart.
In addition, it is difficult to find a home that does not have a Smart TV. In fact, technological development is advancing so much that it is already common to find devices connected to an Artificial Intelligence tool such as Siri or Cortana.
It is the case of the new smart speakerswhich could be called command centers controlled by Artificial Intelligence.
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What is the near future of home automation and household appliances?
Beyond the Internet connection to all possible objects and the apps capable of controlling everything, smart beds, home automation shower trays and 3D printers are expected to become popular in the near future, among other things.
What are smart beds like?
This type of device would adapt its shape, temperature and rigidity according to the needs of the user, measuring their heart rate, analyzing the phases and quality of their sleep, etc. In addition, they can be configured so that they wake us up in a pleasant way and to optimize our hours of sleep to the maximum.
What can a home automation shower tray do?
Home automation shower trays are also beginning to have a lot of traction. These devices are expected to work similar to a bed, adapting its temperature and intensity to make the user as comfortable as possible. Interesting functions such as body mass measurement, fever detection, etc. can also be added.
3d printers: the future
Finally, although it is still in a very primitive phase, 3D printers also promise to add much to the comfort of the home. It remains for this technology to become cheaper and popular enough, however it may be the next great revolution in technology for the home.
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