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Which of these will YOU install in the Home 2025?

September 13, 2013 | By Anthony Capkun



September 13, 2013 – GE has imagined the technological enhancements that will change the way we live and how our homes will look a dozen years from now, after studying advances in food science, demographic shifts, ecological issues, healthcare services, water scarcity and home delivery.

“To project what the Home of 2025 may look like, we first took a high-level look at where we think society, culture and technology are taking us, and intersected that with ways in which we could make our lives less complex and more enjoyable,” said Lou Lenzi, director for GE Appliances’ industrial design operation.

Before they began designing, the teams started with research. “Our first step was to extensively review macro trends and the latest advancements in technology,” said Lenzi. From advanced materials to energy efficiency, the team took a broad view on the biggest macro trends impacting our society.

Key themes and future concepts of the Home of 2025 include:

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The death of one-purpose appliances
Much like the smartphone has become a TV, navigation system and phone, so will appliances integrate disparate functions into super-appliances. This becomes more important as the size of homes and apartments continues to shrink.

Return of the milkman!
Smart appliances perform inventory management and automatically place online orders for food. As consumers desire more fresh food delivered to their home, refrigeration units can be installed with access outside of your home, so you need not be present for delivery.

Water scarcity means innovations in washing
Grey water will be recycled and repurposed through our appliances.

Indoor gardening
As the desire for fresh food grows, indoor plants become a food source with synthetic beehives providing pollination.

The clothing store becomes one machine
A laundry machine not only washes and dries, it stores clothing items in pellet form, then revives them for immediate wear or dispenses them in compressed form for travel. Commercial compressors and revivers are found in public areas.

Aging in place
As older consumers rely on fewer people to take care of them, appliances that take biometric information and dispense medication can mean independence for many years to come.

What do you think? I look forward to your COMMENTS below.

Photo 1: No need to remember which medications to take when living in GE’s Home 2025. Just place your hand on the mirror, and the medical dispenser reads your vitals and decides the amount of medication needed for the day.

Photo 2: With the in-sink dishwasher in GE’s Home 2025, wash small loads in just five minutes. Integrated sensors in the sink alert you when chemicals or bacteria are present in your produce, so you can keep washing until the readout says the contaminants are gone.

— Anthony Capkun, Editor, acapkun@annexweb.com .


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