Gimme Shelter: Homes of the future
Automated homes will offer 'Jetson'-style living

By LEE LITTLEWOOD

Guest Writer

The smart house of the future, highly touted 15 years ago, is still more a dream than reality. But as we approach the 21st century, that dream is quickly coming true.

Today's homes, many of which have microwave ovens, programmable thermostats and lights that turn on and off automatically, could be considered barely conscious compared to what lies in store.

Futurist Joseph Coates, author of "2025" (Oakhill Press), sees the day when homes are totally automated, with furniture that adjusts to your body's shape at the mention of your name, robotic chefs and diagnostics that call for necessary repairs.

The 70-year-old Coates, who peers 25 or 50 years down the road, has in mind an ingenious house. Coates predicts homes will harbor rooms that know all who enter and automatically change the temperature to suit their preferences. He also sees sensors that monitor indoor air pollution and health conditions, and systems that allow owners to review and change their energy-use patterns for greater efficiency.

Kitchens especially will change enormously. What Coates believes are now "domestic monstrosities" will contain automated pantries, chefs and waste-management systems. He says kids won't know the meaning of "take out the garbage." Coates says every family member will be able to "order" a different meal at the same time, and a robot will clean up after them.

According to some experts, 5 million homeowners will remodel their kitchens in 1999. Most, though, are unlikely to make changes with any of these technological breakthroughs. What will they alter?

Kitchens that look old are new, with bright colors and chrome appliances. But incredibly futuristic amenities are also hot. Most highly touted now at kitchen shows is a refrigerator that looks like an entertainment unit, with built-in computer on the door panel. Owners will be able to simply swipe a needed grocery item's bar code by the computer, and that item will automatically be ordered. The computer will also be able to pay bills and let kitchen dwellers check their e-mail and watch TV.

What else will be hot? Rhode Island School of Design students have come up with a stove that includes an automatic faucet so pots of water don't have to be lugged from sink to stove. There also are sinks designed to steam veggies right there.

People living in studio apartments may find useful a combination refrigerator, washing machine and complete cooking quarters, all in one compact center.

Baths, too, will grow to be more than simply utilitarian.

At a recent kitchen and bath show in Orlando, Fla., peddlers showed off their highly impressive bathroom wonders, including a unique polar ventilating system that instantly clears odors. When a toilet seat is raised, the ventilating toilet system begins and clears and purifies the air.

Steam showers, portable aromatherapy spas and natural sinks made with granite, stone and darker woods are also hot for the near future. Kohler's new bath, complete with rushing rapids, and many companies' automatic sinks are also expected to be popular.

But back to Coates. He seems most excited about the totally integrated systems most homes will show off. He believes residents will be able to monitor and assess from a central command module how opening doors, windows, skylights and passive ventilation systems affect energy consumption, and make adjustments accordingly. Safety sensors will not only detect crime and fire, but warn us about possible accidents and dangerous weather.

What will all this cost? By 2025, Coates predicts the upscale home will have a combined $40,000 of "mechatronics." But he adds nearly all new homes will have at least basic systems made affordable by advances in construction materials and methods.

Homes on wheels, those monstrosities every motorist hates to follow on the freeway, will also reign. Coates, and fellow authors John Mahaffie and Andy Hines, think nine out of 10 houses will be produced in modules in a factory. They'll be just as good, says Coates, built with zero-skill labor, making alterations easier and moving possible.

Environmentally friendly should reign, too, as more homes will be built with recyclable materials.

With all the positive benefits, though, what drawbacks do smart homes pose?

Some may feel that the drawbacks of systems that measure heat loss or gain when opening or closing a door or window could be that inhabitants might begin to exhibit "prisoner behavior" by restricting their trips outdoors.

And some old-fashioned folks may really miss such household chores as washing dishes, vacuuming and ironing.

But others, such as San Francisco millionaire Larry Ellison, find "smart" home life much more comfortable. Ellison's estate hires no butlers since a computer lowers shades, dims lights, plays movies and even changes an opaque front door to clear when a doorbell rings (in order to see visitors).

Other trends in future home life? Floor plans will be more open, with the formal dining room going the way of the dinosaur. After all, who really needs another dressy mail-sorting room? The huge, monstrous homes of the present will shrink in size, and people will make the most of what they have, with built-in cabinets, cutaways for refrigerators and cubbies for necessities.

What will replace the dining room? Life magazine's special "1999 Life Dream House" features an "away" room, a small, out-of-the-way enclave where parents or teens can read or get away.