"Smart Home: Green & Wired" exhibit featured at Chicago Museum
Posted by Eileen Komanecky on Tue, Oct 04, 2011 @ 12:36 PM
Too bad we don't live closer to Chicago. It would be fun to visit the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry to walk through the Smart Home exhibit. Even if a trip to Chicago is not in your plans, at least you can get a sense of the home through a virtual tour.
The stated mission of the exhibit is to "provide examples and ideas for sustainable living with contemporary style and in harmony with the environment." Because any true Smart Home requires smart technology, the home, which originally debuted in May 2008, had a technology makeover for 2011. Among the smart home features this home includes are:
- A media server that can start a custom music playlist when you walk in the door. The house can adjust its shades when it gets too hot and the whole house can be set to hibernation mode to minimize energy use while away or on vacation.
- An energy monitoring system that tracks usage by room and even by appliance. It also monitors the energy being produced by the home's rooftop solar film and the 45-foot wind turbine.
- The master bathroom's mirror can report the time, temperature, news and traffic....even access your Facebook account.
- An anti-bacterial solar toothbrush that cleans without toothpaste by using electrons that react to acids in saliva.
- Self-watering plants that monitor their own moisture levels.
It's important to realize that this home is not some futuristic concept ala The Jetsons. With the exception of the solar toothbrush and the self-watering plants, all the other features noted above are the types of solutions that we at simpleHome provide to our clients every day.