Top: Computers: Home Automation
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Home Automation is any technology that enhances the interactivity and autonomy of a home or apartment. Home automation technologies usually fall into the area of 'advanced user interfaces' or 'automatic systems'.
Home automation is a field with potential explosive growth due to the recent rapid improvements in computing power. These improvements have given inexpensive embedded or 'hidden' computing devices the ability to handle tough problems like speech recognition or the analysis of complex sensor data.
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Examples of advanced user interfaces could include:
Speech recognition technology that allows the user to control systems in the house such as air conditioning, lights, stereo, etc. through the use of their voice.
Touch screens that allow users to control security systems or lawn sprinklers at the touch of an icon or other graphic symbol.
Examples of automatic systems are:
Motion and infrared sensors that can detect the presence of a person in a particular room and automatically turn on the lights.
Intelligent environment management systems that, through sensors, can monitor the temperature in any room in a home and make automatic changes in air conditioning or heating systems to maintain a comfortable environment.
Dog and cat door systems that can detect the presence of the family pet and allow that pet to either enter or exit the home.
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