Some of us are already enjoying new technology when designing or building our homes – such as IoT [Internet of Things] devices, interior design apps or even AI. It’s predicted that soon most of our homes will enter digital age. Here is a rundown of the major features of a house of the future, according to the folks at Planner 5D (www.planner5d.com), an interior design platform.
 
° Smart interior apps. Why hire a designer, when a room can be professionally designed by the owner? Such design apps as Planner 5D gives its users the possibility to create floor plans and furnish their apartment or house based on a catalogue. The users can move furniture around, choose texture, color and size of all the pieces. It also analyzes projects crafted by millions of other people, and offers creative ideas for turning one’s apartment or house into an original, tasteful home.
 
° IoT devices. Smart homes filled with Internet of Things devices are already making lives more comfortable. Connecting thermostats, light bulbs, and other devices to smartphones, a future home will regulate house temperature even when the owner is away, order take out and save energy and costs. According to a study by the Consumer Technology Association, IoT could help avoid up to 100 million tons of CO2 emissions, and reduce energy consumption by 10% per household.
 
° Wi-Fi in the walls. The Wi-Fi Alliance, the nonprofit organization that certifies Wi-Fi enabled products, is ready to start the new era of smart homes. As homes are becoming filled with IoT devices, a strong Wi-Fi signal is needed throughout the house. As a further step, one American homebuilding company, Lennar, is bringing Amazon's Alexa as part of wall Wi-Fi. The integration will come through Amazon's Echo speakers, and enable the home to be optimized for smart devices.
 
° Virtual Reality (VR). Designing a home but not sure about how it will look in reality? Virtual Reality goggles will help! Integrated with some of the interior design apps, VR offers a walk-through the house with an ability to actually move the furniture around, change colors and textures. At the same time, VR might soon be used for many other things in the house - it could be wearable at all times in the future, and can even enhance a person’s cognitive abilities even when they are sleeping at night in their bed.
 
° Augmented reality (AR). AR is already being used to create interactive home models, which provide accurate construction and renovation plans. It’s possible to interact with these 3D models and to see what one’s future house will look like in reality.

° AI is going to be used everywhere in the future home: from designing the interior to entertaining kids. For example, AI-powered robots can learn children's habits and favorite things, and entertain them by playing with them. Same bots can be applied to assist the elderly. AI can also help play favorite music, clean homes and protect the property.