None of those more extreme dystopian visions is a reality yet.
Yet.
Don't kid yourself that a future government wouldn't like to monitor all it's citizens all the time.
Cars have been "automated" for some time in as far as things like rudimentary engine management and peripherals like motorised wipers are concerned. You really have to go back to the nineteen twenties to find the sort of cars that you are describing. But of course back then, and until much later cars were about the actual driving experience, and not about the amount of electronic toys that were installed in the car. Colin Chapman of Lotus fame didn't tell his people to "Simplify and add lightness" for nothing.
House wise, the things you describe, lights that can be turned on and off and monitored remotely, and windows that open and close in response to external conditions are interesting technology, but I can't help feeling that they are solutions looking for a problem, and that they bring more problems with them.
Having a problem with these systems will not be as simple as getting a locksmith to let you in if you lose your keys. If there is a problem with these systems you'll need a skilled automation technician who understands electrical, electronic, and mechanical systems. Any that are any good will be expensive, as they can make good money in industry.
Once the system is a few years old, you're going to get windows that won't close, locks that won't work, sensors or switches that fail, and ultimately ecu (or whatever it's called in a house) failure, whereupon you can't lock the doors, put the lights on, or close the windows. Then someone will come along, suck their teeth and say, "This is the old XYZ model A. I haven't seen one for ten years. Sorry but the whole system is incompatible with the new units and it all needs replacing. . ."
So no, as I said in an earlier post, home automation isn't for me. I can turn my own lights on thanks, and do all the other things that might need turning on or off . I don't want or need to be able to turn them on from a smart phone app. I don't even want a smart phone!
I'd have a Lotus Elise, but driving is spoiled these days by other road users updating their social media, and turning their house lights on and off.
Yet.
Don't kid yourself that a future government wouldn't like to monitor all it's citizens all the time.
Cars have been "automated" for some time in as far as things like rudimentary engine management and peripherals like motorised wipers are concerned. You really have to go back to the nineteen twenties to find the sort of cars that you are describing. But of course back then, and until much later cars were about the actual driving experience, and not about the amount of electronic toys that were installed in the car. Colin Chapman of Lotus fame didn't tell his people to "Simplify and add lightness" for nothing.
House wise, the things you describe, lights that can be turned on and off and monitored remotely, and windows that open and close in response to external conditions are interesting technology, but I can't help feeling that they are solutions looking for a problem, and that they bring more problems with them.
Having a problem with these systems will not be as simple as getting a locksmith to let you in if you lose your keys. If there is a problem with these systems you'll need a skilled automation technician who understands electrical, electronic, and mechanical systems. Any that are any good will be expensive, as they can make good money in industry.
Once the system is a few years old, you're going to get windows that won't close, locks that won't work, sensors or switches that fail, and ultimately ecu (or whatever it's called in a house) failure, whereupon you can't lock the doors, put the lights on, or close the windows. Then someone will come along, suck their teeth and say, "This is the old XYZ model A. I haven't seen one for ten years. Sorry but the whole system is incompatible with the new units and it all needs replacing. . ."
So no, as I said in an earlier post, home automation isn't for me. I can turn my own lights on thanks, and do all the other things that might need turning on or off . I don't want or need to be able to turn them on from a smart phone app. I don't even want a smart phone!
I'd have a Lotus Elise, but driving is spoiled these days by other road users updating their social media, and turning their house lights on and off.
