What Will Our Homes Look Like by the Year 2100?

March 23, 2017 – With today’s posting we welcome back Susan Finch, a freelance writer who has provided content here on three previous occasions. Susan writes about small businesses finding their online voice through content marketing, blogging, and social media. She and her family love to travel and she uses these trips to help her in authoring guidebooks, and articles. You can reach her website at BySusanFinch.com.

The Internet of Things is already upon us with Gartner Research reporting that by 2020, an estimated 25 billion “things” will be in use. We’re already seeing advancements in smart home technology through the hyper-connectivity of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and appliances from smart fridges that inventory what is in them and then place reorders, to ovens that turn themselves on and adjust temperatures to what is being cooked.

But there’s more to the future of homes than automated kitchens. There is a next generation of technology and tools to impact our lives daily and revolutionize the places we inhabit. From subterranean communities to bio-enhanced security, here is what the home of the future might look like by 2100.

Subterranean Communities

Samsung’s Smart Things Future Living Report predicts we will see the introduction of “Earth-scrapers,” subterranean homes and buildings where we will work, live, and play. The report highlights a planned 300 meter-deep building in Mexico City, proposed by Bunker Arquitectura, and you can also learn about the latest London trend, building multi-storey “super basements.” Is this evidence of where urban dwellers may live in 2100? Or will it be aquatic cities in the ocean that include housing complexes, recreational areas, gardens, and an ocean playground and resource for the next urban wave of sustainable communities?

Bio-Enhanced Security

We’re already living in a world of home automation enhancements with wireless security cameras, high-definition image recording, and the ability to monitor our residences from anywhere. Doorbell Home, a blog written by a tech geek called Casey (no last name), reports that keyless home entry systems will soon be capable of telling family members apart as well as recognize guests using biometrics like body temperature and heartbeat. Bio-security enhancements could be the keys that automatically open doors to family members and approved guests while shutting out unwanted intruders.

Central Hub Control

Today’s smart homes are run from a centralized computer hub. Nest, the smart thermostat, can learn our home environment desires adjusting temperatures to meet our needs by knowing when we get home from work and turning down the thermostat when we are not. In the future homes will include more gadgets like Nest that will be tied to a centralized communication console, capable of running the house without us. Imagine our house doing everything from maximizing energy efficiency to turning appliances on and off as needed, ordering groceries, and sending out requests for support when an appliance malfunctions. Instead of waiting for us to determine what needs to be done, the home running with a central hub controller will figure all of this out for us and act accordingly.

Robotic Helpers

It’s now mainstream to have robots in our homes such as the Roomba vacuum that can run on a schedule, maneuver past furniture and avoid stairs. Techradar, a technology buying advice website, predicts we’ll see more robots and devices doing our dirty work in the near future, from cleaning windows to making minor home repairs. In a recent Fortune interview of Rob Coneybeer, Managing Director of the venture capital firm, Shasta Ventures, describes his vision of what life in our homes will be in the next 20 to 25 years, with humanoid robots taking care of day-to-day work in homes, from cleaning rooms, doing laundry and folding and putting away clothes.

So What Choices Should We Make as Future Technologies Change Our Homes?

Make smart choices by avoiding the gimmicks and gadgets that don’t improve your daily life. Focus on how the technology can help reduce daily chores and home maintenance. The real value of the future smart home will be about quality of life, not on whether the eggs get replaced in the refrigerator, but more about spending time with loved ones and relaxing after a long day.