Smart homes are becoming increasingly popular as home automation technology is becoming more readily accessible and affordable to the average consumer. According to a report published by Allied Market research, it has been forecasted that the market for smart homes and buildings will grow at a CAGR of 29.5 percent by 2020.

Here are some of the key products and gadgets that are increasingly seeing the light of the day in smart homes.

1) Smart Fridge

With the advent of Wi-Fi, electronic sensors, internal cameras and touch screen panels, it was just a matter of time before refrigerators were able to do more than preserving your food and beverages: smart fridges can now act as your personal butler/valet helping you see what is inside even when you’re far away from home, determining when a particular food commodity needs to be replenished and suggesting meal options and recipes based on available ingredients.

The information is stored away on a computer that also records the expiry date of the perishables so that food sensitive to spoiling is closely monitored. Alerts are sent each time any food item reaches the point of deterioration. The screen displays the details, while a text message is sent across to your mobile phone.
The only downside: If your spouse was already giving you a hard time for forgetting items on the grocery list at the supermarket, the arrival of smart fridges means absolutely no more excuses!

2) Wireless Charging Device

The new smart wireless charging device charges gadgets faster with easier, alternative ways to power up your electronic devices instead of scrambling to connect your device to an electrical outlet everytime. Now you merely need to place your smartphone next to the wireless charger or on top of it. When the base unit plugs into your electrical outlet, an electromagnetic field is generated to charge the device. Wireless charging can be further improved by increasing the distance between mobile and charger by using more efficient induction coils.

3) Smart Elevators

Generally, elevators are installed in buildings; however they can now be installed in homes too, especially if it is a smart elevator that knows which floor you want to go on to! It can be retrofitted with a camera that observes people’s body language and determines if they are passing by or waiting to get in.

4) Dual TV

Dual view TV allows two people to watch TV simultaneously using special glasses with inbuilt speakers in it. Basically 3D glasses are used to watch different images on same screen simultaneously as each of the viewers can watch images in 2D as required. This TV is handy when playing multiplayer games that support split-screen gaming.
Dual TVs with big screens are a boon for busy households and gamers too.

5) Smart Smoke Detectors

With the latest smart smoke detectors; you can not only detect smoke caused by fire or high level of carbon monoxide but also monitor air quality that will tell you if the air is pure enough for you to breathe; or if there are any poisonous fumes present. These detectors can be controlled using the smartphone and alerts can be sent when you need them. These detectors are smart enough to detect if there’s a fire, or someone is just smoking, or if there is pollen present in the air.

These innovations in technology for home automation are becoming widespread and taking the user experience to a whole new level.