11 Innovative Smart Home Technologies

The evolution of smart home technology has been an exciting trend to watch. In the mid-20th century when artists rendered paintings about what they thought the future would look like they often depicted flying cars, orb shaped homes, and other Jetson-esque innovations. Sadly, we haven’t quite reached that point, but every year our in-home tech never fails to disappoint.

If you’re looking to fill your home with the latest in assistant technologies or virtual realities then look to no further than this list. Whether you own a penthouse in King West or a rural family home, these technologies are sure to help improve your life – or at least make it feel more futuristic!

Here are my favorite smart home technologies on the market today.

Nest:

I remember a number of years ago when Nest was first in beta testing. The company promised to reengineer how we thought about the most boring of home devices: the thermostat. The Nest CEO was on camera discussing how his employees had taken home the device to test it’s most impressive feature – learning.

Today Nest is a successful thermostat company that allows you to adjust your thermostat from an app on your phone, whether you’re home or at the office. It learns your habits and will grow to adjust itself accordingly, so when you leave it can lower the heat in the house saving you on propane or electricity costs.

Withings Wireless Blood Press Monitor for Apple and Android

One of the saddest aspects of growing older is the thought of being unable to live without assistance of medical staff. Technologies like the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor bring us one step closer to a world where our elderly citizens can live independently for as long as possible.

This blood pressure monitor makes it easy for people to access their blood data and compares it against the World Health Organization’s blood pressure standards, making it great for both the elderly and diabetics to easily track their blood results. The device can sync to your phone or other Apple and Android device for real-time information.

Lifx Color 1000

I remember back when it was cool to have lightbulbs which clapped on and off. You’d walk into a room with your friends and clap them on to impress them. Today those are seen as lame, but another lightbulb has taken its mantel. This second generation light bulb is a color-changing bulb that adjusts to whatever setting you’d like.

It’s amazingly well integrated too. If you have other devices such as a Nest and Amazon Echo it will be able to be adjusted along with those devices, making your home well synced and saving your eyes anymore pain than necessary. Few things are more annoying than an early morning bright light.

Chili-Pad:

Have you ever laid in bed and tossed around until your covers feel off because it was too hot? If you’re like me, you probably struggle to sleep without a blanket, making your struggles even worse. The Chili-Pad steps in to remove that issue for good. You place the pad under your sheets and on the machine you select the temperature you want. The machine then runs cool water under you so you never get overly hot again, no matter the temperature. The pad is a bit pricey at about $500, but well worth it.

The Coffee Alarm:

No morning should be without coffee. The coffee alarm clock allows you to set a time for when you wake up in the morning. Instead of blaring an annoying sound, it will begin to brew you a fresh cup of joe and the combination of the brewing noise and the coffee aroma will wake you up. Unless you’re an incredibly heavy sleeper that is.

As an avid coffee drinker I love the idea of this alarm clock, but it also means you need to put it on your nightstand which is a bit of a hazard in my opinion. I’ve spilled coffee in bed one too many times.

Barking Mat Dog Housebreaking Tool:

While this invention is a little silly, it’s useful if you work from home or are often away from your front door. If you have a dog who uses the bathroom outdoors you place the mat at your front door. Every time your dog sits on the mat to be let out a notification is sent to your phone. But this could also mean that anytime someone walks into your house and steps on it you receive a faux notification. Otherwise this is a uniquely interest piece of smart home technology.

Arlo Pro Security Camera:

The Arlo Pro is great for those who want to protect their belongings and are worried about someone breaking in. This security camera is versatile, being able to be placed indoors and outdoors. It doesn’t even have a wire. It’s motion and sound activated and comes with 2-way audio in case you want to scare the hell out of your burglar with the voice of god.

In addition to that cool feature there’s a 100+ decibel siren that could drive everyone from the neighborhood dog to the meanest thief away. Your video can be synced to your phone or any other Android or Apple device. Everything can be controlled remotely.

Amazon Echo:

No smart home tech list can be complete without a mention of the Echo. This hands-free personal assistant allows you to do just about every task you ask of it but clean the dishes. It can play music on a number of softwares like Spotify or Pandora, set alarms, give you information from Google searches and even allows you to order groceries or other goods.

If you have it fully synced with other connected smart home technologies you’re able to turn on lights, sprinklers, open your garage door, and so much more. This piece of tech is amazing.

Essential Oil Diffuser:

If you’re looking to spruce up the smell of your living area, then investing in an oil diffuser is the way to go. Though more expensive than something like a Glade plugin, this device works much better. You can select a range of scents to relax, set the romantic mood, or keep things fresh in case someone stops by.

Husavarna 450X Automower Lawnmower:

For those who want to up their lawn game, welcome the lawn mowing robot! This epic device allows you to press start and walk away. It will easily move across your yard to cut your yard to perfection without hitting any objects or staring away. It can even incline up massive hills.

It achieves this through the use of a GPS-assisted navigational system. It’s surprisingly affordable too at $3,500. The price may seem high, but when you think of a Cub Cadet lawnmower and the high cost of those, the automated one doesn’t sound too shabby. It’s able to take on up to 1.25 acres.

Automatic Sensor Touchless Trash Can:

If you want to start small in the smart home tech game then check out the Touchless Trash Can. This device is simple, but is a helpful hand in the house. Simply walk up to the trash can and it will automatically open for you preventing an awkward spillage that ultimately lands on the lid.

While we still don’t have products such as the flying car or flying saucer-shaped home as a commonplace products, we have improved greatly in smart home technologies. Thanks to the invention of personal assistance the market continues to grow to product new technologies to help us around the house.

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