Domestic technology is the incorporation of applied science into the home. There are multiple aspects of domestic technology. On one level, there are home appliances, home automation and other devices commonly used in the home, such as clothes dryers and washing machines. On another level, domestic technology recognizes the use of applied science to construct homes to achieve a particular goal, such as energy efficiency or self-sufficiency. For more information, read about self-sufficient homes. It has been claimed that domestic technology has led to decreases in the time people spend on household work, although the factual basis of this claim is disputed.
Types of domestic technology Many technologies are now routinely used around the home. For example, microwave ovens and washing machines, among others.
Cleaning equipment
Broom Mop Sink Shower Bath Vacuum cleaner Dishwasher Washing machine Clothes dryer Hair dryer
Electric lighting
Fluorescent light bulb
Incandescent light bulb LED light bulb
Cooking appliances
Barbecue Bread maker Blender Coffee machine Faucet Food processor Microwave oven Mixer Oven Rotimatic
Food storage and preservation
Food storage container Canning Refrigerator
Home maintenance
Groundskeeping equipment Garden tools Paint sprayer
Air conditioning Air conditioner Central heating unit Fan
Computer systems
Data storage device Personal computer Telephone Video game console Knitting machine Plumbing Home router
Power generation
Solar panels Wind Turbines
Home security
Surveillance cameras Alarm systems Electronic locks
Home automation
In the 21st century, especially by the 2010s, home automation has increasingly been introduced into the modern household, colloquially referred to as smart home technology. While the technology was already in development in the 1990s, only in the next two decades was local area networking ubiquitous in the home, thanks to the introduction of computer networking. Since modern home networks often make use of wireless networking (e.g. Wi-Fi), modern automation can easily be set up without having to run wires through the building. Alternatively, they can be connected to wired networks.
Types of home automation
Smart home appliances Automatic vacuum cleaners and other Domestic robots Smart locks Smart speakers, with voice controlled digital personal assistants.
Concerns towards home automation
Unlike older forms of domestic technology, smart appliances are Internet-facing, and there have been many concerns that cyberattacks may be conducted on insecure home appliances. A kind of attack is to deploy malware on smart home appliances known as botnets, which can be controlled by a remote attacker.
See also Air pollution Food safety Home automation Major appliance Water quality
References
Further reading Cowan, Ruth Schwartz. More Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave (Basic Books, 1983) ISBN 0-465-04731-9. Habib, Laurence. Computers and the Family: A Study of Technology in the Domestic Sphere. PhD Thesis, London, UK: London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE) 2000 (PDF file). Siddiqui, Shakeel, and Darach Turley (2006). "Media technologies: Mediated families" In: Gavan Fitzsimons and Vicki Morwitz ed. Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 34, Association for Consumer Research: Orlando.
External links ICS 97.040.30 Domestic refrigerating appliances Archived 28 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Plan website