The evolution of the smart home

As our homes are transformed into digital hubs in light of the pandemic, The Future of the Home trend report produced by Aritco and Springwise, the world’s leading idea-spotting network, explores how the latest innovations will support this evolution.

Lockdowns have increased our reliance on technology, accelerating the smart home trend and creating a domestic digital ecosystem. The Future of the Home report includes devices like a voice-activated grocery ordering system and an AI-driven platform that spots mechanical errors which will add a level of convenience to domestic life. A new smart hardware system will keep our digital ecosystem and personal data safe from hackers and fraudsters.

When Apple launched the first iPhone in 2007, the new smartphone signified a milestone in the much-anticipated ‘convergence’ of technology. This one device combined a phone, camera, watch, map, music collection and address book. With the arrival of the App Store, it also became a bank, a wallet and an entertainment hub with social media platforms, radio and TV – a personal digital ecosystem in your pocket.

The past decade has seen a similar convergence of our domestic spaces with the evolution of a digital network created by the Internet of Things that can be controlled through our smartphones. Smart appliances – from printers, hoovers, coffee makers and smoke alarms to security and heating systems – now monitor the upkeep of our homes.

PIC: Unsplash, Kevin Bhagat

Aritco has always ensured that its products keep up with these high-tech trends. When the company launched the HomeLift in 2016, it came with a SmartLift app that could adjust the colour of the lighting in the lift to create different moods and a SmartSafety system with child locks, an alarm button and battery-operated backup in case of power failure.

A second digital tool, the fleet monitoring system, has just been launched which focuses more on maintenance than safety and aesthetics. It remotely detects problems with Aritco HomeLifts which can often save a site visit from an engineer. For example, at least once a week a client will accidentally press the emergency button without realising it – this can be fixed remotely, saving time, hassle and the carbon footprint of a home visit. The system also has the potential for flexible maintenance contracts based on use – clients who use their lifts infrequently can save money as they will need minimal maintenance.

Voice-activated virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa have added another layer of convenience to our everyday lives as a simple command replaces several swipes on a smartphone app. But our ever-evolving domestic ecosystems also present opportunities for fraudsters to virtually break into our homes and help themselves to potentially sensitive data, emptying our bank accounts or entirely taking over our online identity. As our homes have become hubs for living, working, education and entertainment during the current pandemic, cybersecurity systems now need to protect the integrated digital infrastructure that has become so critical to our lives.

Click here to read more about the latest innovations that are accelerating the evolution of our homes into smart, safe and sustainable hubs for work, education and relaxation during and after the pandemic.