Imagine coming home after a long day of classes. The lights turn on automatically, your favorite playlist starts softly, and the temperature is perfect.
No, it’s not magic, it’s home automation! Home automation, a contraction of ‘domus’ (house in Latin) and ‘informatics’, is the technology that makes our homes smart. It allows us to automate and remotely control various household equipment, from heating to security, including lighting and household appliances.
What is home automation?
Home automation refers to the set of technologies that make a house “smart”, “that is, to control and especially to” automate certain tasks. Its main goal is to make daily life easier and more comfortable. Thanks to connected devices, occupants can control lighting, heating, security, and even household appliances remotely, often via a smartphone or tablet.
But beware, home automation is not here to make us lazy! It indeed improves our daily life in several aspects:
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Improve comfort: Think of your lights turning on when you enter, your thermostats anticipating your needs, or even your blinds lowering automatically according to the sunlight. In the long run, this is a real time-saver!
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Ensure security: Connected cameras, motion detectors, alerts on your phone… who needs a guard dog when your devices are there to watch over your home?
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Optimize energy consumption(and therefore save it!): Thanks to intelligent management of devices, it is possible to make substantial savings on your bills and live in a more eco-responsible way. For example, lights that only turn on when necessary. Believe us, the planet will appreciate it!
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These optimizations offer new perspectives, such as higher productivity potential, as well as time savings and a reduction in mental load in the long term (certainly small, but every little bit helps!).
How did we get here?
The history of home automation dates back to the 1960s, at the same time as the beginnings of the internet. The first research on automated homes emerged then. Similarly, the first home control systems emerged with the use of electromechanical relays and timers. This allowed remote control of basic equipment such as lighting.
In the 1980s, home automation gained momentum with innovations in household appliances and automated security systems. The introduction of standardized communication protocols, such as X10, which allowed household appliances to communicate via the electrical network, was a turning point. This paved the way for more integrated home automation systems.
However, it was with the “explosion of the Internet and the” arrival of smartphones in the 2000s that home automation really took off. More and more everyday objects became connected and “smart”, allowing centralized home management and better remote control. Home automation devices began to incorporate Wi-Fi, allowing users to control their homes via applications on their smartphones.
In the 2010s, the IoT (Internet of Things) revolutionized home automation by enabling connectivity between various devices. Companies like Nest and Philips Hue popularized smart lighting and heating systems. Devices like Amazon Echo (with Alexa) and Google Home made controlling household appliances even more accessible through voice command, allowing more intuitive interaction with home automation systems.
With the increase in connected systems, concerns about data security and privacy became more prominent. Developers and lawmakers began to implement security regulations and standards to protect users. Moreover, home automation is increasingly moving towards ecological solutions, with systems to manage energy consumption, optimize resource use, and promote renewable energies.
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of home automation technologies, as many people seek to make their homes more comfortable and functional while spending more time at home. This has also led to an increased demand for solutions that facilitate remote work.
Major advances in artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) are making home automation more accessible and intuitive. And this is just the beginning!
III) What About Women in All This?
It is often big male names that are remembered, such as Mike McGinnis, a pioneer of modern residential automation and inventor of systems that have set standards, or Elon Musk with his vision of smart homes powered by renewable energy systems, which has propelled home automation to new horizons! But as everywhere, women are also part of it, and some of them play important roles.
Lucy Rogers: Passionate Science Communicator!
Born in 1973 in the United Kingdom, Rogers studied mechanical engineering at Lancaster University, with an industrial placement year at Rolls-Royce Power Systems. She obtained an engineering degree, then stayed at Lancaster to do her PhD. It focused on bubble formation in equipment used to fight fires in the petrochemical sector.
In 2008, she published her first book: It’s ONLY Rocket Science, a guide in simple English on the mechanics of space flight. Three years later, still on the theme of space, she participated in the graduate program of NASA’s Singularity University, where she co-wrote a report on space debris.
In parallel, Rogers hosts the DesignSpark podcast with comedians Bec Hill and Harriet Braine, and founded the Guild of Makers in 2018. This group aimed to bring together inventors from all disciplines and skill levels, until its dissolution in 2020.
In 2017, she published her second book Wiring the IoT: Connecting Hardware with Raspberry Pi, Node-Red, and MQTT. In summary, a step-by-step guide to connecting your own networked computer objects (thus to the internet, but not only).
In terms of distinctions, Rogers is a chartered engineer, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2020. The Rooke Award committee commended Rogers for her efforts in promoting engineering to the public, including her two books and podcast. She is also a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
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In 2019, she received an award given by alumni to high-flying graduates of Lancaster University.
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In 2013, she was shortlisted for the WISE campaign award. This campaign aims to promote girls and young women pursuing careers in scientific fields.
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In 2022, she won the Women in Aerospace and Aviation Committee Award from the Royal Aeronautical Society and became an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineering Designers.
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In 2024, she received a prestigious civil medal for her services to engineering, called The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Finally, here’s a glimpse of her own website:
See her Website…
Harriet Green: Accomplished Businesswoman!
Born in England on December 1, 1961, she studied medieval history, then business psychology in London. She graduated in 1985. At the beginning of her career, in 2002, she worked in the electronic components industry, notably as Managing Director of Macro Group, then President of the Asia/Pacific sector of Arrow Electronics. In 2006, she took on the role of CEO, this time at Premier Farnell, a global electronic products distribution company.
In 2012, she turned to the tourism sector and became CEO of the Thomas Cook group. During her presidency, the market value of the company (the price at which it can be sold) increased from £148 million to £2 billion, or €2.4 billion (that’s quite something!!). The value of shares also increased on the stock market.
At the end of 2015, she was appointed president of the “IBM Watson Internet of Things (IoT) unit. As General Manager of Watson Customer Engagement, Watson Internet of Things and Education at IBM, Green is responsible for driving innovation-led growth, according to IBM’s policy and objectives”.
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- From 2019 to 2021, she was a board member of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
- In addition to her careers in major firms, she has accumulated numerous honors.
- In February 2013, she was ranked among the 100 most powerful women in the UK by BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour program.
- From 2017 to 2020, she featured on the “Heroes Women Role Model List – Champions of Women in Business”.
- In 2016, Harriet Green won the Women in Technology Institute award and was inducted into the Women in Technology Hall of Fame.
- In 2017, Fast Company named her one of the 100 most creative people in business for her work in raising awareness among companies about the power and potential of IBM Watson.
- In 2019, she was ranked 30th on Fortune’s list of the most powerful women internationally. The same year, she was recognized by LinkedIn as a LinkedIn influencer.
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One might think that with so much occupation, this woman has dedicated her life to her career… And yet! She married Graham Clarkson and the couple had two children. In addition to this, she practices hatha yoga and reads several books a week, stating that literature allows her to escape and relax away from business. Her secret to accomplishing so much? She often sleeps barely 4 hours a day!
Her role in home automation is indirect. She worked in the sale of electronic components without ever really having studied them. However, she has made a significant contribution to the growth of companies specializing in this field!
Home automation represents a major advance in our way of living. It offers comfort, security, and energy efficiency in our homes. We can expect new progress to be made, to always go faster and further!
For now, however, we’ll have to be content with turning off the light ourselves, and remembering that “this isn’t Versailles here”.
