Inside the Smart Home

Front Cover
Richard Harper
Springer Science & Business Media, Aug 15, 2003 - Computers - 264 pages

"A fascinating insight into potentially one of the most exciting developments that affects each and every one of us as we move forward into the 21st Century. This book indicates the direction industry must take if we are to achieve the dream of living in a Smart Home." Steve Hearnden, Mobile Telecommunications Consultant, UK

"A timely and much needed compliment to more technology-led explorations of the Smart Home. It draws attention to the complexity, diversity and conceptual richness of domestic life and critically reflects on the adoption and use of technologies in the home to date." Geraldine Fitzpatrick, Sapient Ltd, UK

If the predictions of leading electronics and consumer companies are to be believed, in the future you may never again have to worry about forgetting to switch the lights off, or locking the front door when you leave your home. Even mundane chores such as visiting your local supermarket to stock up your fridge will become a thing of the past, as the Smart Homes of the future will be able to decide what is needed and order them for us. Inside the Smart Home looks at the designs and technologies behind these new innovations, along with their time-saving, environmental and security benefits, amongst others. Despite these clear advantages however, Smart Homes have so far failed to reach the levels of success originally anticipated, thereby forcing designers to further examine the roles and practicalities of these new technologies. Through the use of detailed case studies from such international giants as Orange, Ariston, Philips Electronics and Electrolux, this book clearly demonstrates what will be possible for our domestic settings in the future if we continue to develop the concept of the Smart Home.

From inside the book

Contents

List of Contributors
1
Contributors
11
Conceptions of the Home
15
Time as a Rare Commodity in Home Life
63
Emotional Context and Significancies of Media
79
Designing for the Home
99
Switching on to Switch Off
115
The Social Context of Home Computing
127
Technology Disability and the Home
163
Nottingham University
178
Making Technology
183
Daily Routines and Means of Communication in
207
A Case Study
227
Smart Home Dumb Suppliers? The Future of Smart
247
Index
263
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