If you could invent ANY appliance for your home, what would it do?

Hi all,

I am leading a discussion with middle school students interested in Engineering, and I am looking to give them some "Innovative" discussion topics. But I first wanted to come here and ask this crew a question. With the advent of Smart-Grid connected appliances, and the integration of our homes with the internet, I am looking for cool new ideas for home appliances to present to these students.

If you could invent ONE appliance for your home, what would it do?

Watch the Jetsons.... I think I'd invent Rosie the household robot.

Everything else exists in one way or another:
- automatic vaccumm cleaners -- chck
- dishwasher - check
- electric doors/windows/blinds - check
- robot mowers - check
- robot pool cleaners - check
- automatic ovens/stoves -- check
- automatic cooler - check
- nest -check
- automatic wifi-controlled laudry/dryer -- check
- android power outlets and switches --- check
- creepy cameras that follow you around -- check
- sensors for gas/water leaks -- check

Anyway, being more serious, I think something largely missing is a protocol that unifies all these appliances. They all live in their own little world.

Another option would be medical devices that non-intrusively check the health of everybody and automatically detects health problems/conditions.

For example a "camera" that detects if somebody has a heart attack or a stroke.... or insulin levels are going real high.

Baby cleaning and diaper changing machine. It's unbelievable that such dirty work now still is being done manually!

ArticCynda said:

Baby cleaning and diaper changing machine. It's unbelievable that such dirty work now still is being done manually!

Click to expand...

Lol! yeah, great one.

It would automatically take the washing out of the washer, put it on the drier and dry it then take it & iron it all and then put it in the wardrobe (on the correct shelves) as well as pairing up my socks.
If a machine could do that I'd want it.

Then if it can also cook I'd want a divorce as I'd be a happy chappy then

At the moment a machine to play with then walk the dog would do me

sock sorter
laundry folder
robotic dog that plays chess

This question was asked by the design department in a huge multi-national electronics manufacturing company. They asked all the staff, mostly production line people and mostly female. The answers were limited to things that could be done with current technology and it had to be for a home appliance. The top answer was "a VCR with voice recognition so you could tell it what and when to record". When followed up, almost everyone confessed they had no idea how to program their VCR and had to leave it to the kids!

Brian.