Building aesthetically designed smart homes with a vision of providing IoT enabled homes which will be a regular preference in decades to come

By Ashwinder R Singh, CEO-Residential of Bhartiya Urban

Smart home automation is no longer a pipe dream or a fantasy; it is going to be the new normal.  Smart devices, formerly thought to be the realm of the ultra-rich, are now freely accessible to the majority of city dwellers. Customers today want Smart Homes solutions for their numerous benefits to users, ranging from energy savings, security, and convenience to premium aesthetics. Homes are now not only automated but can also intelligently predict consumer habits and establish automation routines using artificial intelligence (AI).

What it means is that smart home automation is already a pervasive technology, at least with respect to one hearing about this so often- from opening one’s curtains in the morning to altering the lighting of one’s room based on one’s mood, smart homes are becoming a vital part of our daily lives allowing us to monitor what is going on in the house using our phone, iPad, or laptop.

With the advent of the urban middle class and rising disposable incomes, spending on smart home devices is increasing at an exponential rate. According to reputed reports, the demand is accompanied by some of the main advancements that are contributing to the entire IoT market, such as affordable connection and smartphone penetration across the country. Research reports have indicated that the Indian smart home market is predicted to be worth $6 billion by 2022, more than doubling the $3 billion estimated in 2020. This figure is predicted to reach $53.45 billion globally by 2022. It is critical to note that India’s smart home market is expected to expand. The Indian government has embraced this profitable possibility with large-scale programmes such as the smart cities project, which has a budget of USD 31 billion between 2015 and 2022. The demographic dominated by the millennials and aspirational environment, combined with low prices, are propelling the notion of smart houses forward in India.

In many ways, the pandemic has altered everything we do, whether it’s the way we work, interact, or even go about our daily lives. Furthermore, with people spending more time indoors than ever before, the quest of ease, safety, and comfort through integrated technological goods has become critical to customers. Consumers today prefer better design over just the square footage and they have realized the need for an extra room for work, yoga or other recreational activities. The other important preference is for smart, connected, and energy-efficient home appliances or devices. As a result, people desire not only to enhance their lifestyle with smart items such as smart sockets, switches, and Smart Gadgets, but also to minimize their total cost of ownership for making use of them.

Furthermore, voice-enabled technology in products is becoming a blessing for specially for the senior citizens at home in these unusual times. Due to the availability of voice assistants, the senior generation is less susceptible to the workings of electronic devices and may give commands or set reminders for basic tasks, so enhancing massive accessibility.

Developers of all sizes and scale should bear in mind, the necessity of designing homes with a vision to attune to the phygital lifestyle. Smart solutions are no longer a luxury but a way of life in a fast-paced world and the need for such solutions in our homes are a necessity. We can note that the developments of smart homes in the future of housing sector in the country has not been fully explored and it’s the responsibility of designers and developers to take into account the preferences and tastes of dwellers for the future home environments with a visionary mindset. I have covered many related aspects in my book whose details are covered and can be seen in www.atozofresidential.com

Today, many homes could be using IoT features in more than one ways but the future of IoT homes will witness how they become the control center of the homes. We are going to witness how the robotic developments will give us machines to assist us in cleaning, cooking, and more. The heart of smart home modification includes customization, minimum to zero life interference, and extensible technologies to cope with busy schedules or aging life.

Over the next decade what we are now seeing in terms of automation will only get better and more enhanced. To put it simply, smart refrigerators will use computer vision to see what’s inside and predict what needs to be ordered and alert the residents, in some cases even purchase the groceries themselves. Video doorbells are set to become even smarter as they will be able to provide detailed information about the guest’s previous house visits and his visiting patterns.

Consumers are becoming more eager to adopt the connected home ecosystem as they realize the benefits of cost savings through energy efficiency, home monitoring capabilities from remote places, better comfort and convenience, and a premium feel for their houses.

IoT and AI are already doing wonders for smart home automation systems, and the best is yet to come in the next decade for the possibilities are infinite and technology upgrades every second day.