Is the "Smart House" the future of assisted living?

"Smart House" - University of Flordia

At the University of Florida, engineer students have created what they call a “Smart House”.  This Smart House consists of a full kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and furnished living room.  This set up could be the future of assisted living for elders who do not want to move into an assisted living home.  Within the Smart House there are features like a microwave that recognizes what food is put in the microwave and automatically determines how long to cook the food and a computer network that knows where the elder is located at all times by sending signals between the computer network and sensors on her clothes.  Other ways it makes living easier for people that have a hard time taking care of themselves is if there is a water spill on the floor then the house senses it and alerts the person via cell phone.  It is also possible for the resident to unlock any door in the house through the cell phone.  If someone is at the door then the video camera shows the resident a picture of the person outside and they can unlock the door by using their cell phone.

 

I think this is going to become the new wave of assisted care.  No one really wants to depend on someone else to care for them when they are older and this is a way to avoid the assisted care living centers.  With the future advances in technology, there will become more improvements to the house and it will become more user friendly.  The Smart House is the new wave of the future for assisted living and is soon going to be taking over the assisted living business because people want to become and stay independent.