Debuting over 50 years ago, the Jetsons portrayed an idealized, fantastical version of what living in the year 2062 could be like: Video calls, flying cars, our deepest culinary desires at the push of a button. Although we're only halfway to the Jetsons Age, the recent home automation boom has brought us closer to Rosie the robotic maid than we've ever been. We're still a lightyear or two from jetpacks replacing bicycles. However, there's definitely electronic gadgetry available today that evokes Jetsons-level futurism. By implementing home automation technology like the device mentioned here, we can ebb closer and closer to living in a Jetsons world.
We might not have a robotic maid that can fold our laundry and help us raise children, but we've got something close. Many of the smart appliances on the market today have the ability to speak to us. No, they won't ask you how your day was or discuss philosophy with you. However, many new appliances - washing machines, robotic vacuums, ovens and more - have technology that lets you communicate with them via texts from your phone.
You could, for example, tell your oven to preheat for dinner in a text message, then read the text from your washing machine letting you know that the laundry you threw in an hour ago is ready to go into the dryer. You can even check the status of functions that are already in progress such as asking how much time is left on a wash cycle. The technology used by LG, which is called HomeChat, is one of the first of its kind and there's likely to be many more.
In the Jetsons' world, the entire home was like one big computer. Although each of the Jetsons' devices functioned independently, they were all connected and controlled by a central user-interface or perhaps an artificial intelligence. This is one area where our current tech offerings seem to foreshadow connectivity and innovation at the Jetsons level. Specifically, its the central home automation systems available, those pieces of the puzzle that unify otherwise disparate technology and give us a single locus to control all our home automation tech, that's making us much more like the Jetson family.
If you need proof, look at the Wink Relay made by Quirky. The Wink Relay is a wall-mounted touchscreen command center that runs a version of Android and gives us control of all the automation tech throughout our home. It has a long list of compatible third-party devices that continues to grow and impressive functionality offerings with the promise of more as updates continue to be released for it.
At present, the Wink Relay touchscreen controller connects via WiFi to your smart thermostat, electronic deadbolt, motion sensors, security system, window and door sensors, and light controls. By default, it can sense your home's temperature and humidity so that it knows at what temperature it should set your thermostat. You can also download the accompanying app onto your smartphone and have all of Wink Relay's controls in the palm of your hand. With an update expected to be released soon, the Wink Relay will be getting two-way intercom functionality as well. In short, the Wink Relay - and other similarly-capable home automation systems - gives us at least the prelude to Jetsons-level functionality in a single centralized location.
About the Author Tim Smith is a home automation and energy efficiency enthusiast. He lives in Austin, TX and enjoys hanging with his family in his spare time. You can follow him on Twitter.
