Houses of the future: Smart mirrors, medical testing toilets, virtual closets

FUTURISTIC houses are almost here with toilets that conduct medical tests, “smart mirrors” that virtually dress people and much more “around the corner”.

TAKE a glimpse into the future.

It’s the year 2040 and drones are darting through the skies carrying boxes of new shoes from warehouses to homes. Delivery and courier services have come a long way since the year 2017.

But it’s far from the only advancement in technology.

A staple inside most homes is an internal server known as “the Motherhen” which runs the house by connecting everything from beds and wardrobes to one central technology system. The home’s energy consumption, room temperatures, security and occupants’ personal schedules can be viewed on the same screen that displays the weather.

The virtual wardrobes in bedrooms receive the data and suggest outfits to wear each day based on the its contents and the day’s forecast. It knows which items are ready to be worn because the information is automatically logged when the clothes are washed and ironed through a water-free laundry unit. Decision-making is easier than ever with a smart mirror that virtually dresses each person who selects outfits to try on.

It might sound a bit far-fetched. But these inventions are already in various stages of development and are set to become part of the houses of the not-too-distant future, according to Property Buyer Expo event producer Kylie Mayer.

In the future, try on various outfits without really trying them on with this ‘smart mirror’ and virtual closet. Picture: Property Buyer Expo.

Doing the laundry never looked so cool.

‘ATTEND A CONCERT WITHOUT GOING’

Ms Mayer is part of a team that has created an interactive installation called “House of the Future” to show how housing might look based on “current global opinions” in the year 2040 and beyond.

“There was a team of us (including) architect studio NSS, based in Sydney and Russians, French, Italians who scoured the globe and read stuff from futurists, economists and sustainability experts and looked at where appliance technology is going so we could come up with what it might look like in 2040,” she told news.com.au.

Technological advancement and maximising sustainability was the primary focus of the team’s research.

“What every house is going to have in a very short period — we called it ‘Motherhen’ — is some form of server within the home that runs the home,” Ms Mayer said.

“It’ll know how much energy you’ve got, it’ll connect in with smart grids, your phone, internet, it’ll be cloud based, it’ll stream all of your TV’s.

“There will be pay-per-view and a camera at concerts or, say, the NRL grand final, placed in a fantastic seat and you’ll be able to attend without going.”

Kitchens could look something like this by the year 2040. Picture: Property Buyer Expo.

Just another day in the office.

Need a new outfit to wear? In the near future, it could be delivered by air within a few hours with the click of a button.

“Given that drones are being used in medical, to deliver heart rate things and medications, why couldn’t they deliver a pair of shoes?” Ms Mayer said.

Some of the designs of the future have the potential to be revolutionary, particularly those relating to health.

In bathrooms, toilets will analyse body waste products that conduct medical tests and identify any health issues, according to Ms Mayer.

“It’ll be analysing sugar levels for diabetics or hydration levels, there are some really simple tests that can be done,” she said.

Bathrooms of the future could have toilets that diagnose health problems. Picture: Property Buyer Expo in Sydney.

‘POOR GRANDMA IS NOT GOING TO DIE BY HERSELF’

Once it comes to life, the “Motherhen’s” work will never end. Not even when occupants of each house are asleep.

Beds will help maximise sleep cycles by monitoring sleep patterns, breathing and heartbeat, Ms Mayer said.

“If you’re wearing a wrist band and you have sleep apnoea, there will be clever sensors in the bed. If a person’s heart rate is dropping, there’s going to be (a central technology system) that knows it. So your poor grandma is not going to die by herself, if you have a wrist band on, it will be like a Fitbit on steroids. It’s on your pulse, knows where you are, where your kids are and connects to house.”

The main thing holding the development and rollout of many of the inventions back was a lack of infrastructure to support them, according to Ms Mayer. She said many of them were only 5-15 years away from being made available to the public.

“It’s not far around the corner now,” she said.

“Technology is moving very quickly.

“The only thing that holds us back at the moment is our infrastructure.”

The “House of the Future” will be on display at the Property Buyer Expo next week.

“It’s meant to challenge people in that we’re still going to have dining room tables and our homes will still be meeting points for family but technology is going to underpin our homes more so than we could have ever imagined,” Ms Mayer said.

The interactive activation for the House of the Future will be on display at the Property Buyer Expo in the International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour from October 20-22.

We don’t think the TV is quite big enough.