Domotics
Domotics refers to the application of computer and robot technologies to domestic appliances. It is a portmanteau word formed from domus (Latin, meaning house) and robotics.
Remote Control
Most modern houses have appliances that allow some degree of remote control. Domotics aims to integrate and extend this throughout the house. A house with a domotics system installed might have many computers, perhaps built into the walls, to allow the homeowner to control applications in any part of their house from any other.
Automatic activities
A house with domotics is expected to be able to call the police or the firemen by itself, with more subtleness and a wider variety of allowances than normal alarm systems. On a daily basis, domotic systems are often supposed to be able to automatically gather data from several sensors and do such things as adjust lights and music to the personal preferences of each member of the household, as they come into or leave a particular room. The simplest systems require that each person wear a marker, such as an RFID tag, while the more sophisticated ones detect movement, body heat, and other individual characteristics.
Some tasks that domotics fulfills:
- Work with your utility company to take advantage of off peak electricity rates and provide choices for comfort, safety, and energy management.
- Opening or locking and unlocking gates and garage doors, under either separate or global control.
- Controlling indoor climate. Press one button to set the heating to night mode; the lights go out, the gates close....
- Control your hi-fi and home cinema from any room, using buttons, panels, or remote control.
- Ensuring that the right light is on in the right place; domotics can also ensure that the right lighting intensity and mood are achieved.
- Providing intelligent garden sprinklers and other plumbing; the lawn is watered only when it is needed, and you can enjoy a quiet stroll through your garden without risking a drenching.
Disadvantages
The convenience of domotics comes at a cost. The systems can be expensive to install. There is also the fear that a system crash could leave the house without an effective heating or lighting system.
As early as 1957, the foibles of an early version of the "automatic" house were gently mocked in the witty film Mon Oncle by Jacques Tati. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1958.
See also
X10, ZigBee, Information appliance, HVAC, fire alarm,
