In this article: Home organization in principle and practice Using AI to organize your home • Smart Home Automation • AI and IoT Devices • Voice Assistants • AI in Home Security How robots are used in households • Cleaning Robots • Companion Robots • Education Robots • Gardening Robots The future of AI and robots in home organization • Amazon's "Astro" • Sanctuary AI's "Phoenix" Conclusion
Home organization in principle and practice
Home organization refers to the process of designing an environment and implementing systems to simplify the running of a home.
It involves decluttering (removing items you no longer need), storage (creating a manageable space by maximizing and making sense of each area of the house), keeping track of finances and bills, cleaning the house, and even efficiently preparing meals.
The goal is to make every room as functional as possible so you can spend less time looking for stuff and more time enjoying your space. It’s a skill and an ongoing process.
When trying to stay organized at home people often struggle with dedicating enough time to organizing their homes, finding the physical and mental energy to maintain an organized home, and becoming distracted from organizing efforts.
Some people struggle with making decisions about what to keep, donate, or throw away.
Other people may need assistance with organizing but struggle to get the help they need.
Common mistakes that exacerbate these struggles include buying organizing tools before decluttering, not taking measurements when planning storage, and developing habits that lead to clutter, such as tossing mail on the kitchen counter, throwing everything in the closet, piling clothes on a chair in the bedroom, and leaving shoes around the house.
AI technologies and home robotics can help you and your family overcome these challenges, serving as great aids in home organization.
Using AI to organize your home
AI technologies are primarily software-based and are designed to automate, enhance, and streamline tasks. They can analyze data, learn from it, and make decisions.
Smart Home Automation
AI can be used to automate various tasks around the home, such as controlling lighting, temperature, and security systems.
Devices like Philips Hue and Lutron Caseta support smart lighting systems using AI to learn your habits and adjust lighting accordingly while devices like TP Link Kasa Mini and Eve Energy are smart plugs that use AI to optimize energy usage. Smart home hubs like Google Nest Hub Max can control multiple IoT devices from a central location.
AI and IoT Devices
AI can be used to operate Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as smart refrigerators, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners.
Robot vacuum cleaners are one of the best-known smart home technologies. Today, these devices use AI to navigate and clean your home efficiently.
Smart washing machines use AI techniques to autonomously regulate the washing strength and detergent to be used according to the load weight and the type of fabric.
Smart refrigerators, like the LG smart MoodUP refrigerator, feature an LED panel, Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth connectivity, and other smart features that allow it to learn a user’s habits and preferences over time.
Voice Assistants
AI-powered voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri can be used to manage and organize many tasks around the home.
You can just give commands to voice-activated assistants like Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa to operate a variety of home automation features. AI-powered assistants can save you time and effort by doing things on your behalf, such as ordering groceries, playing your favorite music, or adjusting the lighting.
AI in Home Security
AI can also enhance home security systems, including facial recognition technology and anomaly detection.
Smart cameras, for example, use AI to detect and record different events and potential threats accurately and effectively.
Devices like the SECURAM EOS Wi-Fi Fingerprint Smart Door Lock offer smart door lock features 1-touch fingerprint recognition and 128-bit AES Encryption protocols, providing top-level security.
How robots are used in households
Robotic technologies are primarily hardware-based and are designed to perform physical tasks. They can interact with the physical world, move around, and manipulate objects.
Cleaning Robots
Of course, one of the most common applications of robotics in homes is the use of robots for cleaning, which helps homeowners save time and energy.
Cleaning robots can help with various cleaning tasks around the house, including, of course, vacuuming, but also mopping, window cleaning, and lawn mowing.
Robots like Roomba (for vacuuming) or Braava (for mopping) have sophisticated navigation systems that allow them to sweep, vacuum, and clean without causing any damage to the surroundings.
And if that weren’t enough there are also grill cleaning robots, such as Grillbot, and pool cleaning robots, like Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus which can keep your pool clean without any effort on your part.
Beyond robot vacuum cleaners, here are other examples of how home robotics can aid in home organization.
Companion Robots
Robots like Jibo can help manage your schedule, set reminders for tasks, and even control other smart devices in your home.
Education Robots
Robots like Sphero can be used for educational purposes, engaging your kids in productive activities and making learning fun.
Gardening Robots
Gardening robots like Tertill can weed your garden.
The future of AI and robots in home organization
Future advancements in AI and robotics technology could further revolutionize home organization.
Amazon’s “Astro”
For example, in a May 2023 Forbes article titled, “The Future Is Here: Amazon Is Now Selling Astro, An AI Driven Household Robot,” Forbes contributor Dr. Sai Balasubramanian, a physician and a healthcare strategy executive who specializes in digital innovation and healthcare, described Amazon’s Astro smart, home robot.
Astro is characterized as an all-inclusive home assistant that provides a wide array of services. These include enabling users to remotely monitor their homes in real-time, learning their daily routines, and assisting with reminders around the house. Crucially, this device utilizes sophisticated learning algorithms to identify known users, traverse complex home environments, and effortlessly become a part of the household.
With these capabilities robots like Astro may one day provide invaluable support for older adults, helping them to manage memory, mobility, and health conditions as they age and making it possible for them to continue living independently at home.
Sanctuary AI’s “Phoenix”
In a similar vein, in an August 2023 article published on bbc.com, BBC Technology of Business Editor, Ben Morris, posed the question: “How long until a robot is doing your chores?”
Morris discussed the efforts of Sanctuary AI, a Vancouver-based firm, to develop a humanoid robot dubbed Phoenix. This robot would be designed to understand human commands and carry them out in an unstructured environment. This is no easy feat, Morris noted, because teaching robots to intuit context and consequences remains a fundamental barrier in robotic technology and many tasks which seem simple to humans are still significant challenges for robots.
While developing AI that would enable a robot to understand how objects in that world relate to each other – allowing it to navigate the physical world and complete useful tasks – is still a long way from realization, companies like Sanctuary AI and also Dyson and Tesla are hard at work developing robots that one day might be in your house, doing your laundry, folding your clothes, cleaning your bathroom, and completing other household chores.
Conclusion
In summary, while both AI and robotic technologies can automate tasks and make life easier, AI technologies are more focused on data analysis, decision-making, and virtual tasks, while robotic technologies are more focused on physical tasks and interaction with the physical world.
Both technologies have their unique strengths and can complement each other in many applications.
And today many household robots incorporate AI technologies to enhance their capabilities.
No matter how smart the tool, buying organizing tools before decluttering is not … smart.
While AI technologies and home robotics can be a great aid in home organization it is best to begin the organizing process before you buy so that you have a clear idea of the challenges you are trying to solve and can best identify the tech tools that will serve your specific needs.
Elsewise these high-tech gadgets may only serve to add to the clutter.
K. ("Kristen") Powell is a technical writer and ghost writer for a firm that represents advanced degree STEM professionals, many of whom work on the cutting edge of AI and robotics. While fascinated by the research and the high-tech innovations she learns about through her professional life, in her personal life Kristen seeks simplicity and a welcoming and uncluttered home.