6 3 Blum Inspirations There are three main reasons why not ever y household has embraced smar t home technologies: lack ing interconnectivit y bet ween dif ferent systems, complex provider landscape and users’ concerns about cybersecur it y. This applies in par ticular to Germany. There is less scepticism in the USA and Great Br itain. However, forecasters believe that the number of smar t homes in Germany is set to hit 18.5 million by 2025. Intelligent lighting systems top the popular it y char ts followed by net worked secur it y cameras, doorbells and smar t household gadgets that can be controlled via an app. What is the motivation behind it? According to a sur vey by Statista, 72% of the inter viewees are convinced that smar t technologies provide enhanced convenience and a bet ter qualit y of life. 65% say that the desire for greater secur it y is a deciding factor. Bet ter energy management and consequently increased energy ef ficiencies are also among the dr iving forces of this development. Last but not least, smar t Ambient Assisted Living helps older people and those in need of care to stay living independently in their own homes. What trends are emerging? In the future, a single wireless standard will ensure that all devices are compatible with each other. Solutions that are independent of WLAN connections are also in the of fing: users will be able to control their smar t devices even when of fline, in other words without having to connect to the provider’s cloud. Another home tech trend is voice controlled smar t displays that simplif y operation. Can fit t ings solut ions be smar t? We at Blum have been investigating the topic of smar t homes for many years because we want to be able to suppor t future developments and living trends. We believe that furniture of the future will be a ‘home’ for smar t devices. We’re already work ing on infrastructure for charging devices inside furniture – via the most commonly used inter face USB-C. And we’re interested in the operation of furniture via voice command. •
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