Imagine coming home after a long day at school. The lights come on automatically, your favourite playlist starts up smoothly, and the temperature is perfect. No, it's not magic, it's home automation!
Domotics, a contraction of ‘domus’ (Latin for house) and ‘computer’, is the technology that makes our homes intelligent. It makes it possible to automate and remotely control various
What is home automation?
Home automation refers to all the technologies used to make a home ‘intelligent’, i.e. to control and, above all, automate certain tasks. Its main aim is to make everyday life easier and more comfortable. Using connected devices, occupants can control lighting, heating, security and even household appliances remotely, often via a smartphone or tablet.
But don't be fooled: home automation isn't designed to make you lazy! In fact, it improves our daily lives in a number of ways:
Improving comfort: Think of your lights that come on when you enter your home, your thermostats that anticipate your needs, or your blinds that are lowered automatically according to the brightness of the sun. In the long term, it's a real time saver!
Ensure security: Connected cameras, motion detectors, alerts on your phone... who needs a watchdog when your appliances are there to look after your home?
Optimising energy consumption (and therefore saving energy!): Thanks to intelligent appliance management, you can make substantial savings on your bills and live more eco-responsibly. Take, for example, lights that are only switched on when necessary. Believe us, the planet will appreciate it!
These optimisations offer new prospects, such as higher productivity potential, as well as time savings and a reduction in mental workload in the long term (admittedly small, but there's no such thing as small profit!).
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. It was then that the first research into automated homes began. Similarly, the first home control systems emerged using electromechanical relays and timers. This enabled basic equipment such as lighting to be controlled remotely.
In the 1980s, home automation gained momentum with innovations in household appliances and automated security systems. The introduction of standardised communication protocols, such as X10, which enabled 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 ‘intelligent’, enabling centralised management of the home and greater remote control. Home automation devices are beginning to incorporate Wi-Fi, enabling users to control their homes via applications on their smartphones.
In the 2010s, the IoT (Internet of Things) revolutionised home automation by enabling connectivity between various devices. Companies like Nest and Philips Hue popularised smart lighting and heating systems. Devices such as Amazon Echo (with Alexa) and Google Home have made control of home appliances even more accessible through voice control, enabling more intuitive interaction with home automation systems.
With the rise of connected systems, concerns about data security and privacy have become more prominent. Developers and legislators have begun to introduce regulations and security standards to protect users. Home automation is also increasingly geared towards environmentally-friendly solutions, with systems for managing energy consumption, optimising the use of resources and promoting 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. It has also led to increased demand for solutions that facilitate teleworking.
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!
And women in all this!
It's often the big male names that are remembered, such as Mike McGinnis, pioneer of modern home automation and inventor of systems that have set standards, or Elon Musk with his vision of smart homes controlled by renewable energy systems, which has propelled home automation to new horizons! But as everywhere, women are also part of the game, and some of them play important roles.
Lucy Roger: a passionate populariser!
Born in 1973 in the UK, Rogers studied mechanical engineering at Lancaster University, including a year's industrial placement at Rolls-Royce Power Systems. She obtained an engineering degree, then stayed on at Lancaster to do her doctorate. This focused on the formation of bubbles in equipment used to fight fires in the petrochemical sector.
In 2008, she published her first book: It's ONLY Rocket Science, a simple English-language guide to the mechanics of spaceflight. Three years later, still on the subject of space, she took part in the postgraduate programme at NASA's Singularity University, where she co-authored a report on space debris.
Meanwhile, Rogers hosts the podcast DesignSpark with comedians Bec Hill and Harriet Braine, and in 2018 founded the Guil of Makers. The aim of this group was to bring together inventors from all disciplines and skill levels, until 2020, when it disbanded.
In 2017, she published her second book:Wiring the IoT: Connecting Hardware with Raspberry Pi, Node-Red, and MQTT. In a nutshell, it's a step-by-step guide to connecting your own networked computing objects (i.e. to the internet, but not only).
Rogers is a Chartered Engineer and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2020. The Rooke Prize Committee commended Rogers for her efforts in promoting engineering to the public, including her two books and her podcast. She is also a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
In 2019, she receives an alumni award for ‘high-flying’ Lancaster University graduates.
In 2013, she was shortlisted for the WISE Campaign Award. The campaign aims to promote girls and young women pursuing careers in science.
In 2022, she won the Royal Aeronautical Society's Women in Aerospace and Aviation Committee Award and became an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineering Designers.
In 2024, she was awarded a prestigious civilian medal for ‘services to engineering’, known as ‘The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’.
Finally, here's a glimpse of her own website!
Lucy Rogers developed home automation, democratising the famous IoT (internet of things) for the general public!
Harriet Green: an accomplished businesswoman!
Born in England on 1 December 1961, she studied medieval history and then business psychology in London. She graduated in 1985. At the start 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 returned to the role of Managing Director, this time at Premier Farnell, a global electronics distribution company.
In 2012, she turned to the tourism sector and became CEO of the Thomas Cook Group. During her presidency, the company's market value (the price at which it can be sold) rose from £148 million to £2 billion, or €2.4 billion (no less!!). The value of the shares also increased on the stock market.
At the end of 2015, she was appointed President of the IBM Watson Internet of Things (IoT) business unit. As General Manager of Watson Customer Engagement, Watson Internet of Things and Education at IBM, Green is responsible for driving innovation-led growth in line with IBM policy and objectives.
From 2019 to 2021, she is a board member of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
In addition to her careers with major firms, she has a string of honours to her name.
In February 2013, she was named one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK by BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
From 2017 to 2020, she is 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 as one of the 100 most creative people in business for her work raising awareness of the power and potential of IBM Watson.
In 2019, she was ranked 30th on Fortune's international list of the most powerful women. In the same year, she was recognised by LinkedIn as a LinkedIn Influencer.
You might think that with so much going on, this woman has dedicated her life to her career... And yet! She married Graham Clarkson and the couple had two children. On top of that, she practises hatha yoga and reads several books a week, claiming that literature allows her to escape and relax away from business. Her secret to achieving so much? She often sleeps just 4 hours a day!
Her role in home automation is indirect. She worked in the sale of electronic components without ever really studying them. However, she has played a non-negligible role in the growth of companies specializing in this field!
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