Cutting-Edge "Smart" Appliances for the Home

Law enforcement officers search near the home of Dr. Timothy Jorden in Hamburg, N.Y., June 14, 2012. Inset is a file photo of Jorden. / CBS/AP

LAS VEGAS - At the massive Consumer Electronics Show, you can get a glimpse at what manufacturers hope is the future, and one expert says the future is now, as far as "smart" products for the home are concerned.

More than 120,000 people came to Sin City for the show, with more than 20,000 products on display.

New tablet computers, 3-D TVs, video games and more are creating buzz - as are "smart" home appliances, CNET.com contributor Kara Tsuboui reported on "The Early Show on Saturday Morning."

Complete Coverage: CES 2011

CNET's Scott Ard remarked to Tsuboui that, "For about 20 years, they've been promising us this smart home … and it's here now."

Designed to make your life easier, the ovens, washers, dryers and fridges are built to try to save you energy and time.

LG says one of its refrigerators, for instance, alerts you when your food has spoiled.

Your home can be in your pocket, Tsuboui observes -- lock your doors, adjust your heater and turn on your lights, all with the tap of a finger.

"Home automation allows you to manage your devices from anywhere in the world," says Hassane Bouhia, a Verizon product manager.

But could a smart home make us lazy?

"Sure," Ard responded to Tsuboui. "That's what technology should do, right? That should free us up for other things."

Tsuboui also showcased some other "smart" products for the home:

The following descriptions were prepared, at least in part, with information from and assertions made by the manufacturers or retailers

iRobot Scooba 230
$299.99, Available in sSpring
The world's most compact floor washing robot, the iRobot Scooba 230 scrubs your tile, linoleum and sealed hardwood floors. At 6.5 inches in diameter and 3.5 inches tall, the robot easily cleans in tight spaces, including under and around cabinets and furniture and around the toilet.
• iRobot Scooba 230 is easy to use: just hit the Clean
button and the robot does the dirty work!
• iRobot Scooba 230 is specifically designed for
tighter and hard-to-reach areas.
• Intelligently navigates the room using iAdapt
Responsive Cleaning Technology, a suite of software
and sensors that respond to your home environment
and ensure a thorough clean.

ThinkEco Modlet
$50, Available in spring
The Modlet eliminates wasteful energy use by automatically turning off power to your appliances when they are not needed, so you can effortlessly save on your electricity bill. Simply plug the Modlet into an existing electric outlet and plug your appliances into it. Then use your web browser to wirelessly monitor and manage your power consumption. The Modlet can save you 10% off your electricity bill, with minimal effort. The actual amount depends on 1) the types of appliances you have, and 2) how much the modlets are used, so we've seen plenty of people who have been able to save more. The price for a starter kit, which includes one modlet and a USB is expected to be $50. Each additional modlet will be $44.95.

WOWee ONE PRO
$120, Available in spring
"WOWee" is a portable speaker system. It's a subwoffer that uses common surfaces as an amp. It's the size of an iphone, and to your music player via bluetooth. WOWee turns everyday home tables and surfaces into stereo system.

ION Health USB Insta-Scan Thermometer
$69.99, Available in April
ION, a leader in consumer technologies, announces a collection of four new health products: USB Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor, USB Insta-Scan Thermometer, USB Body Mass Scale and USB Pedometer. Simply point and press the button for instant temperature readings using USB Insta-Scan Thermometer. This easy-to-use thermometer features non-contact measurement technology that allows quick, accurate temperature reading from a forehead or temple. A simple, digital display and nightlight provide straightforward results and the ability to use the thermometer in the dark without disrupting the patient's sleep. USB Insta-Scan Thermometer is the only computer-based, contactless thermometer system with professional grade accuracy. Capture and store results on the thermometer itself, then connect the unit to a computer to quickly upload and monitor the results.

4 Comments Add a Comment

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Jaylah54 says:: ""That's what technology should do, right? That should free us up for other things."

Like going to the gym 7 nights per week to burn off all the fat we used to burn of by actually doing our own housework?; reply

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barbaram99 says:: I am a legally blind lady with C/P. I was born in 1954. I have to walk.I am slower now. A wheelchair won't help me nor a walker. All the sp needs things are costly. I use a white cane. The lady brought out good points. I have no answers.; reply

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annjoewin says:

After watching the TV spot on all the new items from the consumer electronics show, I am wondering why none of the advances in electronics have been incorporated into medical equipment for use in the home. Equipment that would make it possible for family caregivers like myself to keep our loved ones out of nursing homes. My husband has advanced Parkinson's. Often he is unable to support his weight himself or he is unable to move of even speak. The equipment like power chairs, patient lifts, walk-in tubs, bed rails, walkers, are all either ridiculously expensive, or not really adapted to home use. Take for instance the power chair. When we got it we thought this would be wonderful. That it would let him get around the house and to events like concerts or grand-kids' sporting events. The problem is the controller is a joystick that is so touchy that it is impossible for him to use it in the house without running into the walls or furniture. The first time we used it to go for a walk, he had a freezing episode, during which his hand on the controller froze and the chair lurched forward toward the curb. It would have dumped him into the road if I had not been able to catch it and pry his hand off the controller at the last second. I cannot get a wireless controller that I could carry, that would allow us to use the chair outside without worrying about him having a freezing episode. The technical ability to keep the chair from running into things or driving over the edge of a curb, stairway or threshold already exists. The roomba, a robot to vacuum the floor, has sensors to keep it from running into and damaging walls and furniture, other sensors keep it from going over the edge of stairs and other sensors can keep it contained in one area even if the doorway is open. We have cars that park themselves, or prevent you from getting too close to the car ahead of you, electronic games with wireless controllers that can be purchased for $50 but I cannot get a power chair with any of these capabilities. Also after only a few years of use the controller quite working. To replace it would cost from $900 to $1200. A reconditioned one cost me $500. Those walk-in tubs you see advertised can cost as much as $20,000 installed. I did find one for $6,000 about 3 yrs ago. But that only paid for the tub delivered to my garage. The faucet that came with it is already starting to fall apart. Also it takes quite a while to fill it. However, the 2-man whirlpool tub it replaced had a faucet that filled that tub in about half the time even though it was a lot larger. The biggest problem for us is the lack of a patient lift that can be used in the home. This lift would enable me to get my husband in and out of bed into a chair, on and off the toilet, and off the floor when he falls. All available lifts are made for nursing home or hospital use. The casters do not work very well on carpet, they are difficult to maneuver around beds and chairs and the slings they use to hold the patient tend to make them feel less than secure. There are power lifts available but Medicare will only cover a manual lift. And even the power lifts only have power to the lift itself not for moving the unit around. We have self-propelled vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers but not patient lifts. My husband is 6' 2" and weighs about 200#. I am 4'11" and have rheumatoid arthritis. Not a good combination. Twice I have had to place him in an extended care facility after a hospitalization left him too deconditioned for me to care for him at home. Both times he was kept in diapers 24 hrs a day, lost weight because he couldn't or wouldn't eat, and became so angry and depressed I took him home and hoped to God somehow we would make it. Both of those stays cost Medicare a lot of money, and they could have been prevented if I had access to equipment that would allow me to keep him home. And before you say "That's too bad but not my problem" remember Medicare paid for those ecf stays. Which means we all paid for them. Also I was born in 1946. Which means I am just the beginning of that much maligned pig in the python group, the baby-boomers. We do not want to be a burden to anyone. We want to take care of ourselves. But we need the equipment to do so, and a shift in the thinking of how health care dollars should be spent. So, come on all you techies out there. The technology to make home equipment that will keep us in our homes and out of expensive ecfs already exists. All that is needed is for one of you to figure out how to put it all together. This type of innovation will make a much bigger impact on the day to day lives of the average person than all that alternative energy development that is being touted, and would go a long way toward controlling health care costs for all of us aging boomers.


rf35 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; The problem here is not a lack of technology or even the lack of that technology being adapted for the uses you mentioned. All the things you talked about and more have been thought of?and promptly killed by those with a financial interest in keeping your husband in a nursing home/assisted living facility. That, and the difficulty in navigating the murky seas of Medicare approval. Even FDA recognized medical devices might not meet the standards for Medicare or private insurance. Remember, your private insurance is a business that, like all businesses, seeks maximum profit. Therefore, the devices that you need would not be covered if deemed too expensive. Without insurance companies willing to shell out the money, there is no profit for the manufacture and no reason for them to develop, adapt, or market the device. In the case of devices that are approved, especially by Medicare, the manufacturer suddenly sees a cash cow ready to milk and will charge amounts few consumers could hope to afford, knowing that the insurance will line their pockets. Also, many devices are so expensive that only an institution with large financial reserves could hope to purchase these. The point I'm trying to make is that the tech exists and the manufacturers are not to blame for the lack of availability. The insurance and medical industries are the driving forces behind insane prices and limited availability. Healthcare and insurance are for-profit businesses and run themselves accordingly. Price the specialized equipment out of reach of the private citizen and force the patient into an extended care facility that will pay the huge price, passing that on to the user. The insurance pays the ridiculous prices charged by the facility and then raises premiums for everyone to protect their bottom line. The med industry sees this and hikes their prices and the cycle goes on.