The Jetsons’ Home: A Reality For The 21st Century
In 1962, American television audiences were treated to a clever programming strategy by animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Wishing to capitalize on the sheer success of “The Flintstones,” a family sitcom set in the Stone Age, Hanna-Barbera created “The Jetsons,” a family sitcom inspired by the Space Age and set in the far future.
“The Jetsons” captured the imagination of American families during a period of prosperity and substantial technological advancement as the United States was preparing its first Moon landing. A lot of attention was paid to the home kept by Jane Jetson, a fashionable American woman who was proud to provide a charming and comfortable household for her family; this domestic feat, however, had more to do with advanced technology than Mrs. Jetson’s own efforts. In the future depicted by this sitcom, all gadgets at home could be controlled by means of voice commands or by pressing a single button.
Something very interesting about “The Jetsons” is that its creators were not only futuristic but also visionary. At a time when LCD televisions or DVDs had not even been considered, Jane Jetson followed aerobics routines on a flat screen display, vacuuming chores were handled by robots, and her children talked to household appliances. In other words, “The Jetsons” painted a picture of a world similar to the smart home trend currently sweeping across the world.
Here are some of the smart devices that will make our homes feel as if they were tailor-made for the Jetson family:
Smart Home Speakers
Most people get started with home automation by acquiring devices that connect to the Internet of Things (IoT), which means that they have components and firmware that enable connections to smartphones or Wi-Fi networks. Let’s say a homemaker buys a set of Phillips Hue smart light bulbs; she can simply install the corresponding smartphone app and start controlling her home lighting system. If she decides to get smart locks, thermostats and security cameras, installing apps for all these devices will eventually get confusing.
In an effort to consolidate control, Amazon and Google have introduced special speakers that serve as control centers and hubs for all smart home devices. The Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers feature voice and speech recognition technology augmented by virtual assistants; these hubs are becoming the first devices that homeowners install as they enter the world of smart home systems.
IoT Security Systems
As soon as the bandwidth of residential broadband increased to a level sufficient to support video streaming, internet-connected security systems gained popularity. These days, security cameras have become smarter thanks to features such as night vision, motion detection, facial recognition, and the ability to send video to the cloud for future review. Naturally, the ability to access and even control these cameras via smartphones has made them even more attractive.
Smart Locks
Members of the Jetson family never had to bother with keys as they came in and out of their house. These days, smart locks provide a more efficient way to keep doors secure without having to worry about keys getting lost or doors going unlocked. Most smart locks open doors with PIN codes entered on smartphones while others can do so by means of fingerprint scanners; these devices can also be remotely controlled as long as they are connected to the IoT.
In the end, members of the Millennial Generation will be remembered as being among the first to live in truly smart homes. The field of smart home systems is still in its early stages; engineers and developers are looking beyond thermostats, refrigerators, slow cookers, and the items listed in this article. Samsung, for example, is working on a washing machine that would not only dry clothes but somehow also leave them neatly folded and wrinkle-free, something that not even the Jetson family members experienced during their prime time television run.