Homes get smart with new technology

You’ve probably heard about this home design trend and maybe even used it, and it’s about to be everywhere: Voice control technology.

According to National Public Media, about a third of Americans own a smart speaker that connects to digital voice assistants like Alexa or Siri, and 86 percent agree that the speakers provide a convenient living experience.

Voice technology is moving out of those little pods and into everyday appliances and fixtures, especially in kitchens. Right now, only one in 10 homeowners have voice assistants to control devices in the kitchen, according to the Research Institute for Cooking and Kitchen Intelligence. This number is dominated by high-income homeowners and, as you might expect, millennials.

About four in 10 users of digital voice assistants use them for kitchen activities and, in particular, recipes. That is changing.

What would the world look like with a voice-activated kitchen? According to Appliances Connection, while you mix up the meatloaf, you can ask the stove to turn itself on and preheat. Then, remotely turn on the faucet as you move to the sink to wash your hands. In fact, voice-controlled ranges and faucets are among the top-selling voice-controlled products.

Smart refrigerators will help homeowners decrease food waste by tracking what’s in the fridge and when it expires. They can even search for recipes based on what ingredients have to be used now.

Associated phone apps will help people create digital shopping lists while standing at their fridge or even looking inside their fridge at the grocery store.

Of course, future consumers might never go to the store. They will shop from their phones and order delivery. This kind of convenience may appeal to the disabled and older people.

While just 30 percent of designers routinely incorporate technology into their kitchen projects, technology that fully integrates into kitchen designs is in demand.