Domotics

Encyclopedia : D : DO : DOM : Domotics

Domotics is the application of computer and robot technologies to domestic appliances. It is a portmanteau word formed from domus (Latin, meaning house) and informatics.

Contents

1 Remote control
2 Automatic activities
3 Disadvantages
4 Intelligent systems
5 See also

5.1 Standards

6 Organizations

6.1 Others

7 External links

7.1 Standards
7.2 Other links

Remote control

Most modern houses have appliances that allow some degree of remote control. Domotics aims to integrate and extend this throughout the house. A house with a domotics system installed might have many computers, perhaps built into the walls, to allow the homeowner to control applications in any part of their house from any other.

Automatic activities

A house with domotics is expected to be able to call the police or the firemen by itself, with more subtlety and a wider variety of allowances than normal alarm systems. On a daily basis, domotic systems are often supposed to be able to automatically gather data from several sensors and do such things as adjust lights and music to the personal preferences of each member of the household, as they come into or leave a particular room. The simplest systems require that each person wear a marker, such as an RFID tag, while the more sophisticated ones detect movement, body heat, and other individual characteristics.

Some tasks that domotics fulfills:

Work with your utility company to take advantage of off peak electricity rates and provide choices for comfort, safety, and energy conservation.
Control curtains, window blinds, and sun shades from one location, all day, without human interaction.
Opening or locking and unlocking gates and garage doors, under either separate or global control.
Controlling indoor climate. Press one button to set the heating to night mode; the lights go out, the gates close....
Control your hi-fi and home cinema from any room, using buttons, panels, or remote control.
Ensuring that the right light is on in the right place; domotics can also ensure that the right lighting intensity and mood are achieved.
Providing intelligent garden sprinklers and other plumbing; the lawn is watered only when it is needed, and you can enjoy a quiet stroll through your garden without risking a drenching.
Provide personal task lighting at appropriate intensity for each user to address the health effects of lighting.

Disadvantages

The convenience of domotics comes at a cost. Some systems can be expensive to install, but not all of them require installation (see X10). There is also the possibility that a systems crash could leave the house without an effective heating or lighting system. These issues can be largely overcome, however, using newer technologies and techniques, such as INSTEON.

As early as 1957, the foibles of an early version of the "automatic" house were gently mocked in the witty film Mon Oncle by Jacques Tati. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1958.

Intelligent systems

The great potential of these systems lies in their ability to apply computer programming to act in what could be called "intelligent" ways. This involves the programming of logic that takes into account variables such as temperature, time, power status etc., e.g.: TURN ON kitchen lights IF light levels are low AND person is home ELSE TURN OFF kitchen lights IF on.

Organizations

Others

External links

Standards

[EIB, Konnex(KNX)], the world's First standard for Home and building control (EN 50090).
[CENELEC Smart House Forum].
[ETSI Smart House Standards Steering Group (SHSSG)].
http://www.lonmark.org LonMark International - organization for the creation interoperability standards based upon the LonWorks control networking platform
[INSTEON] - Home automation wireless home-control networking technology

Domotics

Remote control

Automatic activities

Disadvantages

Intelligent systems

See also

Standards

Organizations

Others

External links

Standards

Other links