Your home could eventually be part of a test-bed for solutions to enable smart living. Under Singapore’s drive to become the world’s first Smart Nation, existing public housing estates will participate in a technology trial to see how devices can be integrated into daily life.
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will conduct the trial, with more details to be provided at a later date. It will gather residents’ feedback, and assess their receptiveness towards adopting technologies for day-to-day living.
HDB is already experimenting with smart home solutions at its Centre of Building Research in Woodlands, affectionately called “The Kitchen”.
“It’s important to trial, test, these things in real homes,” said HDB chief Cheong Koon Hean. “It is important to select an existing estate where there are real life people living in it, because you want to test their reaction. Of course, it will be very important for us to learn from that test because we want to then bring some of these solutions and devices into greenfield sites.”
National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan had a first-hand look at ongoing technology trials cooking in “The Kitchen”. Seventeen companies are participating in the trials, including the likes of Samsung, LG Electronics and StarHub.
Said Mr Andy Sim, vice president and head of enterprise business at Samsung Electronics: “Today we can have a fridge with sensors. And that would allow us to maybe measure the inventory in our fridge. Now to provide better services, we can now connect the inventory activities to a grocer and then that would save me a trip to the grocery store.”
The possibilities may be endless, but there are priorities when it comes to testing out solutions. A key thrust is to test out solutions for the elderly to live easier and safer, including systems for caregivers to monitor the health of senior citizens. Utilities management solutions are also being tested, for homeowners to check water and energy consumption patterns.
The technology involved has applications in rehabilitation too. Smart health solutions enable those undergoing physiotherapy to conduct self-checks and quided therapy sessions, reducing the need to make trips to hospitals and clinics.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 8 Jul 2015