Kitchen & Bath Design News

JAN 2018

Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.

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Smart motion sensors can be used to turn lights on at night, and alert caregivers that motion is happening in the home. This could be used to alert a caregiver that someone has gotten out of the bed in the morning in a way that doesn't require the use of a camera. If there's no movement, the caregiver could check in to see if everything's okay. Smart thermostats can be used to monitor the health of heating and cooling units in the home, and allow a caregiv- er to schedule maintenance and repairs. Outside cameras could be used for basic security, but also to make sure that sidewalks and driveways are clear of debris and snow. Smart locks could be set so that the home automatically locks at night, and can be un- locked remotely by a caregiver if the residents lock themselves out or lose their keys. These are just a few ex- amples of how some of these devices can be configured in ways that are beyond their basic utility. Hacks rarely do happen on connected smart home devices, but being on the inter- net means the chance of that happening is more than zero. Ask yourself for each client, 'What's more important: The tiny risk of a hack or the added convenience and safety that these devices can offer?' In the case of a celebrity or a govern- ment official, an offline system may be prudent. For the rest of us, it's my belief that the bene- fits can far outweigh the risks. It's up you to think through all the pros and cons, and make an informed decision. I hope this column helps you think through these issues. ▪ Eric Schimelpfenig, AKBD, has been an innovator in design and 3-D tech- nology for many years. He has worked with KraftMaid, Google, Masco and many other prominent companies in the kitchen and bath industry teaching Google Sketchup, speaking about technology and writing about innova- tions in technology. Read past columns and features and send us your comments about this article and others at KitchenBathDesign.com " I think as designers, we can leverage today's smart devices in ways that far outweigh the obvious benefits." 32 Kitchen & Bath Design News • January 2018 DESIGN TECHNOLOGY Circle No. 20 on Product Card

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