Awesome Smart Home

Artificial intelligence has become a major subject of today’s technology conversations. In 1983, one company marketed an early smart home product designed to control home appliances via voice control like Siri or Alexa. Kevin from Popular Science got his hands on the costly Butler in a Box to explain how it worked without Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or the Internet.

Smart home gadgets can make controlling your home easier, from turning on lights when you walk in the door, to seeing who’s at the door from your phone, to keeping your place secure. Our friends at batteriesplus.com and Batteries Plus Bulbs stores offer an array of smart home tech, including these great products from Geeni.

With the help of Amazon Alexa and various smart home tech, Josh of MAKE. ART. NOW. built a studio packed with automation. The space incorporates smart power strips, smart light bulbs, and a security system that can all be remotely controlled. Using Alexa to turn off noisy appliances while recording is a really smart idea.

With tech like Alexa, Nest, and Hue already in our homes, it’s already feeling pretty futuristic around here, but Grant Imahara and The Verge take a look at some of the other things we might look forward if we rethink the way we design and build homes.

Apple’s great-sounding smart speaker can fill a room with big sounds and learn your tastes in music, while Siri can assist with all kinds of information and home automation tasks. Now you can win one (valued at $349) from The Awesomer Shop. (Contest ends 4/3/18)