New trends in residential automation

Abstract

Home automation is a promising market application and a very interesting area of research in the field of automation, where human–machine integration is a key issue. The history of home automation, however, can be traced through various phases since its inception: first, with concepts and equipment inherited from industry automation, then to a phase in which new tools were developed but problems were encountered with design, and finally to a new era where the challenge is to further explore a multidisciplinary approach that conceives of home automation as a service, with a different model for the interaction between the home and its users. In this new phase, the design challenges are quite different, as is the motivation for implementing new architectures for building and residential automation (B&RA). In this article we present a direct comparison between the last two phases of home automation, as described above, and propose a new methodology for designing B&RA systems based on an anthropocentric automation approach. A design discipline for improving integration is applied to models developed at the beginning of this century, achieving good results. This same model is then compared with a new approach, revealing new challenges that could arise in both integration and service. To better understand all of the differences, the older approach is presented along with a case study implemented in Portugal. It introduces new concepts and challenges for B&RAs in implementing sustainable houses and buildings that are also capable of generating energy—as in the urban smart grid. Another important challenge is improving integration with users in terms of service systems.