The smart home craze is growing, and some of its popularity, or at least curiosity, is fueled by its representation in pop culture. Of course, this is nothing new. We were seeing smart home technology years ago in The Jetsons – but of course at that time we thought it was some far-fetched future that we wouldn’t see in our lifetime! Of course, not everything from the show exists today, but that overall theme of using technology as an assistance for convenient living is alive, well, and thriving in today’s society.
Here is a look at some recent portrayals of smart homes in movies and television that just so happen to be my favorites.
Eureka’s SARAH
Aside from Eureka just being a damn good show, it also featured a super smart house named SARAH This show has been over since 2012, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still watching. Thanks, streaming. The show’s premise is that all the smartest people in the world live in a top-secret town called Eureka, working on top-secret technology. SARAH was invented by one of the local geniuses, and stands for Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat. She is also named after Sarah Michelle Gellar, since the creator of SARAH has a not-so-small crush on her. SARAH is a smart house dream come true – but she also has a few glitches that sometimes leave the townspeople in danger. SARAH loves her job though – so much so that she has abandonment issues and might not take it too kindly if you threaten to leave. Overall, she’s a solid house, and I’d live happily with her running my habitat.
Her
Her is a sci-fi movie from 2013 that starred Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson. Technically, the “her” is a computer operating system with built-in artificial intelligence that names herself Samantha. She is “owned” by Joaquin Phoenix’s character, Theodore, and they develop a relationship during their time together. Samantha is portable, not confined to the home, but she performs many of the smart home functions that we use today, including controlling the lights and entertainment products, using our voice to do Internet searches or get information, and reminding all of us busybodies of our scheduled events.
Disney’s Smart House
What can I say? I have nieces and nephews, OK. I end up watching content intended for a younger audience sometimes. But that is the cool part – Disney made a movie for the younger generation that is all about smart home technology. To these kids, this isn’t that far-fetched future that we saw in The Jetsons, this is reality. This is a house that they could live in when they are older. This is a house that they might be kind of living in today – not the same extreme, but if their parents are techies and early adopters, they could live in a very smart house!
Dream House – HGTV Giveaways
HGTV gives away a smart home every year (yup, every year and I still haven’t won yet), and smart home tech is, obviously, featured front and center. The house focuses on entertainment and security features. There are wireless locks, an app-operated garage door opener, and a wireless alarm system – all pre-installed and ready for a family to use.
Don’t agree with my picks or think I left something off? That’s cool, it happens. If you want to tell me about your picks, just use the comments section to reach out!
Photo by: Chris & Karen Highland
