Home Smart Home: Building a Smarter Planet One House At a Time…

By Scott Burnett, Director, IBM Consumer Electronics Industry

I had the privilege of appearing in an IBM TV commercial that’s airing this week. It’s all about infusing intelligence into your everyday life, which has been a passion of mine for many years.

The concept of a “smarter home” - where devices have the intelligence to automate household routines - has been discussed for a long time but the adoption of truly intelligent, decision-making home automation technologies has moved at a glacial pace and a market that only people with a lot of money, technology background or time (something not a lot of us have) could possibly set-up.

But even though it’s taken a bit of time,  we’ve finally reached the proverbial tipping point. With the growing number of web-connected devices and widespread global broadband connectivity, the door to a truly Smarter Home is finally opening.

From this connectivity, new insight and services can be offered: Air conditioners can regulate themselves based on weather forecasts; refrigerators ordering groceries from the store; dryers calling  for service before they breakdown, and television advertising that  can be tailored to your personal interests.

The most promising part is that the savings could be significant: Hospitals could extend health care services to patients’ homes, lowering the cost of health care and freeing up facilities.

Energy utilities could help their consumers manage their energy use, lowering overall consumption and peak loads with the potential to not have to construct new power plants or impart electricity.  This is just the beginning.

It’s time to get out the welcome mat for the Smarter Home. http://scr.bi/bi6ion