For home builders, the future has never been closer. Integrating greater connectivity and intelligence over command and control is the next step for new smart homes.
Drone helipads, "learning" software, and toxin-detecting appliances are all features of the underlying goal for home automation --- building a relationship between the consumer and their home. The potential results range from lower cost for both consumer and utility companies, a smaller environmental footprint, and a healthier lifestyle for the homeowner. Many of these products are currently available or are in the pilot stage, with great potential for standardization in the near future.
With innovation, what once was old is new again, as the Washington Post reports that modular, prefabricated homes may again return to prominence. Such factory-built homes may too provide relief to the labor shortage concern in the construction industry.
“The best way to predict the future is to make it,” said Jacob Atalla, vice president of sustainability for KB Home in Los Angeles. “We collaborate with people inside and outside the housing industry to factor trends and technology into best practices for homes.”
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