Intelligent World 2030

Personalized Spaces with Novel Interactive Experiences

By 2030, we will no longer have to live with clutter. We will manage our possessions with a digital catalog powered by a 10 gigabit network, holograms, and other technologies. Automatic delivery systems will bring household items from shared warehouses to our doors whenever we need them. Intelligent management systems that control our physical surroundings for automatic interactions will mean that the buildings where we live and work may produce net zero carbon. Next-generation IoT operating systems will enable people to live and work in adaptive environments that understand their needs.

Predictions

By 2030, there will be 1.6 billion fiber broadband subscribers

By 2030, 25% of homes will have access to 10 gigabit fiber broadband

Directions for Exploration

Adaptive home environments that understand your needs

Today, we expect more from our homes than ever before. Homes should be more than just a place to live: They should also offer superb experiences. The homes of the future will intuitively understand all of our needs. The moment we arrive home after a long exhausting day, the lights, sound systems, air filters, and television will switch on automatically. When we walk into the kitchen, the refrigerator will push healthy meal suggestions adapted to our personalized dietary needs. In the bedroom, air conditioners will check air quality and automatically adjust temperature and humidity based on what we are doing. From the comfort of the sofa or bed, we will be able to share incredible photos and videos with our loved ones, or finish some mundane paperwork anytime we want. In the event of an emergency, like a fall, where someone is unable to call for help, the home system will come to help by notifying family members, doctors, or security guards.

There are perceptible and imperceptible factors that determine how comfortable our home is. Perceptible factors are those we can instinctively feel, such as temperature, humidity, lighting, ease of access to household items, and ease of information sharing. Imperceptible factors usually include indoor air quality and safety. Intelligent automated systems can enable real-time control of both types of factors.

Snapshot from the future: Whole-house intelligence that understands usage and creates intuitive experiences

Smart home systems collect data from a wide range of smart appliances and sensors, over highly-reliable, high-speed networks that reach every corner of your home. These systems synchronize data on cloud and local storage to make smooth data flow possible. They also use AI engines to determine what is happening in your home and run appropriate applications. The AI engines, in turn, need distributed processing and computing to understand your behavior, indoor environment, and hardware systems, and then make smart decisions to configure your home appliances. These steps could be taken independently or in collaboration with other systems, to meet your needs. When implemented properly, smart home systems deliver immersive, personalized, and intelligent experiences that evolve as your usage needs change.

The variety of smart home appliances we will see in the coming years is expected to explode. They will work together to intelligently anticipate and meet your needs in different situations. Everything, from smart beds and pillows to lights and audio devices, will be able to collaborate. A sleep support solution could easily be created for the bedroom by designing a system that automatically adjusts the softness of your mattress and pillow to suit your body and sleeping habits, and changes your bedroom lighting to stimulate the production of melatonin – the hormone that helps you fall asleep. Bedroom speakers could play music to relax you, and air conditioners could keep track of temperature, humidity, and oxygen levels. Such a system could even identify snoring and curb it by rapidly adjusting the softness of your mattress and pillow. Temperature and humidity regulation could also be achieved to stop you from tossing and turning in bed . In the future, the way we interact with home appliances will also change through touch panels, apps, voice commands, and gestures. Sometimes interactions will be so subtle that we won't even be aware of them.

All members of the family will be able to store videos and photos together in a cloud-connected storage system, and access the system on any device from anywhere. 35% of homes will use cloud storage. Traditional computers at some homes will become cloud computers and work seamlessly with gadgets and home appliances with screens, delivering a consistent experience across all these devices. Cloud computers will be in use in 17% of homes.

AI-powered home cameras and optical sensing devices will be able to recognize people's movements, and identify if someone takes a fall or is in danger so that help can be quickly notified. Cameras with 3D radar optical sensors will be adopted in 8% of homes to support home nursing while ensuring privacy. These systems could also identify intruders and send alerts to police or security guards. In China, 24% of homes will be equipped with surveillance cameras; globally, the percentage is 15%.

Net-zero-carbon buildings with IoT and intelligent management systems

A net zero carbon building is "a highly energy efficient building that is fully powered from on-site and/or off-site renewable energy sources and offsets." Net zero carbon is achieved when the amount of carbon dioxide emissions released on an annual basis is zero or negative.

Snapshot from the future: Net-zero-carbon buildings

One day, net-zero-carbon buildings will be able to automatically interact with their environment through sensors.

Sensors monitor and generate data about the building in real time, including its environment and condition.
The Internet of Things connects sensors, cloud-based control systems, and core systems such as lighting, electricity meters, water meters/pumps, heaters, fire alarm systems, and water chillers.
Intelligent, cloud-based systems utilize sophisticated algorithms and real-time data to automatically decide how the building can minimize energy use. For example, a complete automated system could use IoT devices to check the number of people in a building in real time, and then decide when to switch air conditioners and lights on or off in different parts of the building. Such a system would also be able to manage elevators, hallways, and shutters, depending on actual human activity.

In addition to the environmental benefits, net zero-carbon buildings will also make people's lives more comfortable. Automated systems can keep indoor temperatures at agreeable levels, while soundproofing materials can keep outside noise down to a minimum. There will also be health benefits: Automated systems can decide how much sunlight should pass through a window, to help limit UV exposure, encourage natural sources of vitamin D, support regular sleeping patterns, and combat seasonal affective disorder.

New infrastructure provides comprehensive services for communities

One potential solution to the overwhelming amount of possessions that now fill households is offsite storage. Some proposed solutions include digitalization and cataloguing of all household items, with technologies like 3D scanning, and then storage in local shared warehouses.

Digital cataloguing and automated delivery for offsite storage

Smart doors, smart smoke detectors, falling object alerts, delivery notifications, and many other smart services are becoming increasingly widespread. This means that residents are much more closely connected with their communities and local authorities. In the future, new communities will deliver comprehensive services to residents, powered by the Internet of Things (IoT), 10-gigabit fiber networks, and other new advanced infrastructure. Services such as virtual community events and smart pet management will bring residents and their communities more closely together. Groundbreaking new design concepts will also start changing the way our homes look at the household level.