Five technology trends set to take foothold in the Australian household in the next five years

Samsung Australia has partnered with Australia’s leading futurist Steve Sammartino to publish results of consumer research into the five key areas where technology is likely to change Aussie households by 2029.

The five areas identified were Ambient AI, Rolling Lounge Rooms, Soft Robotics, Energy Management and Transparent TVs.  If you are not sure what some of these are you are not alone but read on to see just how we will be living in 2029 (still waiting on my hoverboard though).

“We are entering an age where future fantasy will become daily living realities. This in home revolution driven by AI, will astound everyone as to how more human centric technology is becoming with benefits that go beyond convenience and enter important territories like energy, travel, and entertainment in a seamless symbiotic system design for and by end users,” said Sammartino. 

Jeremy Senior, Vice President, Consumer Electronics, Samsung Australia said “At Samsung, we’ve been committed to understanding Australians’ habits since our inaugural Australians@Home report, making us uniquely positioned to share insights on how technology will transform and enrich consumers’ daily lives.”

Ambient AI

One in five (21 percent) consumers believe that there will be an AI-powered connected device system that will be capable of controlling your entire home.  This will apparently be possible without having to leave your couch – it is already there for a lot of fully connected homes in 2024.

Nearly one third (29 percent) of consumers also believe that this whole home system will be possible using their TV remote control – open the garage door, turn on lights, start the washing machine etc, all from a TV remote (not sure why you’ve have the TV remote in your car but…).

This year looks set to be another big year for manufacturers of smart home devices as well with nearly two thirds (63 percent) looking to buy smart devices in 2024.  As you would expect, the younger the consumer, the more likely they are to be buying a smart device this year according to the device.

Rolling Lounge Rooms

If you’re like me and was wondering what a rolling lounge room was – a vehicle and lounge room combined.  Vehicles are getting smarter each year and with all-electric fleets being upgraded to mirror our lounge rooms the infotainment system in a car will work side by side with your lounge room.

The cars and your lounge rooms will learn from their interactions with you and adjust settings accordingly thanks to AI integration.  

Soft Robotics

Mobile AI robots are believed to become a companion device offering screens, information and connectivity to smart devices wherever you are.

Nearly one fifth (19 percent) of consumers see these AI robots playing an integral role in performance of tasks around the house with them being a welcome source of assistance.

Energy Management

As a country we are in the midst of a transition of our energy supplies, storage and generation (a long time overdue).  AI is expected to help homes and their smart devices to use this energy efficiently without wastage.

Energy efficiency is front of peoples’ minds when purchasing new appliances with 61 percent of consumers prioritising a device’s energy efficiency.

Transparent TVs

I may not be sure where I would use a transparent TV but Samsung seems convinced about the use of them.  Although they have not provided any figures from their research it is apparently a thing.  

We’ve had a close look at them from LG and Samsung and we still cannot fathom the true value in them.  Your thoughts may differ from ours.

Maybe we need to revisit this report in 2029 but for now if you want to check out the Australians@HOME report for yourself here.