thumb|alt=A kitchen with a range of types of domestic technology, including an oven, a microwave oven and a refrigerator |A kitchen with various types of domestic technology, including an oven, a [[microwave oven and a refrigerator]]

Domestic technology is the incorporation of applied science into the home. There are multiple aspects of domestic technology. On one level, there are home appliances, home automation and other devices commonly used in the home, such as clothes dryers and washing machines.

On another level, domestic technology recognizes the use of applied science to construct homes to achieve a particular goal, such as energy efficiency or self-sufficiency. For more information, read about self-sufficient homes. It has been claimed that domestic technology has led to decreases in the time people spend on household work, although the factual basis of this claim is disputed.

Within domestic technology, devices like air purifiers and humidifiers are employed to manage indoor air quality by removing airborne particulates or adjusting humidity levels, respectively. These technologies contribute to home comfort and health, evolving alongside broader advancements in home climate control

Types of domestic technology

Many technologies are now routinely used around the home. For example, microwave ovens and washing machines, among others.

Cleaning equipment

thumb|alt=A picture depicting two front-loading washing machines.|For many, washing machines form an indispensable part of modern household laundry

  • Broom
  • Mop
  • Sink
  • Shower
  • Bath
  • Vacuum cleaner
  • Dishwasher
  • Washing machine
  • Clothes dryer
  • Hair dryer

Electric lighting

  • Fluorescent light bulb

thumb|Air Conditioners

  • Incandescent light bulb
  • LED light bulb

Cooking appliances

  • Barbecue
  • Bread maker
  • Blender
  • Coffee machine
  • Faucet
  • Food processor
  • Microwave oven
  • Mixer
  • Oven
  • Rotimatic

Food storage and preservation

  • Food storage container
  • Canning
  • Refrigerator

Home maintenance

  • Groundskeeping equipment
  • Garden tools
  • Paint sprayer

Air conditioning

  • Air conditioner
  • Central heating unit
  • Fan

Computer systems

  • Data storage device
  • Personal computer
  • Telephone
  • Video game console
  • Knitting machine
  • Plumbing
  • Home router

Power generation

  • Solar panels
  • Wind Turbines

Home security

  • Surveillance cameras
  • Alarm systems
  • Electronic locks

Home automation

In the 21st century, especially by the 2010s, home automation has increasingly been introduced into the modern household, colloquially referred to as smart home technology.

While the technology was already in development in the 1990s, only in the next two decades was local area networking ubiquitous in the home, thanks to the introduction of computer networking.

Since modern home networks often make use of wireless networking (e.g. Wi-Fi), modern automation can easily be set up without having to run wires through the building. Alternatively, they can be connected to wired networks.

Types of home automation

thumb|A [[robotic vacuum cleaner is an example of a domestic robot]]

  • Smart home appliances
  • Automatic vacuum cleaners and other Domestic robots
  • Smart locks
  • Smart speakers, with voice controlled digital personal assistants.

Concerns towards home automation

Unlike older forms of domestic technology, smart appliances are Internet-facing, and there have been many concerns that cyberattacks may be conducted on insecure home appliances. A kind of attack is to deploy malware on smart home appliances known as botnets, which can be controlled by a remote attacker.

See also

  • Air pollution
  • Food safety
  • Home automation
  • Major appliance
  • Water quality

References

Further reading

  • Cowan, Ruth Schwartz. More Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave (Basic Books, 1983) .
  • Habib, Laurence. Computers and the Family: A Study of Technology in the Domestic Sphere. PhD Thesis, London, UK: London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE) 2000 (PDF file).
  • Siddiqui, Shakeel, and Darach Turley (2006). "Media technologies: Mediated families" In: Gavan Fitzsimons and Vicki Morwitz ed. Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 34, Association for Consumer Research: Orlando.
  • ICS 97.040.30 Domestic refrigerating appliances
  • Plan website