An adult home will bring the future back to Disneyland.
What does a modern teenager dream about when entering his room?
Perhaps, first of all, about the most sophisticated computer and game console.
What does a modern adult dream about? About a fully automated house that serves only as “entertainment” that could be enjoyed after a hard day at work.
This is the kind of illusion for adults that is being revived at the famous Disneyland amusement park in California.
Millions of visitors to Walt Disney World Amusement Park will soon see the “House of the Future” again.
Either the attraction or the exhibition complex will open after half a century of “non-existence”.
The new building will again contain everything (at least from a technical point of view) that will fill the home of an ordinary earthling in the next five to ten years.
The previous «House of the Future», made entirely of plastic, was opened to public viewing in 1957.
Even then there were hands-free phones inside, TVs with a wall-sized display (well, almost) and electric toothbrushes. However, over time, this “attraction” ceased to generate income. And a decade later it was closed.
Over the past half century, in different countries and by different companies, attempts have been made repeatedly to create something similar.
By the way, Walt Disney did not stand still. He came up with a utopian project for an entire city of the future with the dissonant acronym EPCOT, but, unfortunately, he was never able to implement it.
Now the Walt Disney Corporation has announced the imminent opening of a new building that will be located on the territory of Tomorrowland (literally “Tomorrowland”), one of the nine themed parts of the Disneyland amusement park in Anaheim.
In collaboration with giants such as Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, Walt Disney is creating a building with an area of almost 500 square meters. Software developer LifeWare and US construction firm Taylor Morrison are also involved in the project.
The new “attraction” will cost the corporation $15 million. Inside there are two bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and an office.
There will also be a backyard. It is not yet clear what the building will become. It will probably look like an ordinary house made of wood and steel (Taylor Morrison is talking about a beige-brown “warm” color). But it is known for sure that inside the “smart home” will be equipped with a variety of equipment and detectors that “adjust” the house to the owner.
Let’s imagine this: one of the family members enters the room, and immediately the lamps, thermostats and even the pictures on the walls automatically switch to the preferences of this particular person.
The kitchen table top with a touch screen will automatically determine what products are laid out on it and offer a probable menu. In a dressing room or bedroom, a closet will tell you what items are currently in dry cleaning or washing, and mirrors will help you choose clothes for a party.
In the office, music, photos and videos can be transferred to a computer located in another room, or displayed on the TV screen with one click. And the “smart” tabletop will then transfer them to a cell phone, which for this you just need to put on the table. In the living room, the music will turn off and the lights will slowly go out if a person picks up the TV remote and starts watching a movie.
The family of four will be played by specially selected actors. Visitors to the “House of the Future” will actively participate in the life of the owners.
By the way, a similar experiment with a real family was carried out in an equally interesting project in the UK.
According to legend, the family is preparing to travel to China for the world football championship, in which their son will participate.
The hosts, periodically moving from room to room, will come into contact with different guests. Show them equipment, demonstrating both its entertainment and work functions.
Unfortunately, nothing is said about how environmentally friendly the new house will be, because people will probably care about this no less than about filling their homes with various ultra-modern devices.
However, who said that it is necessary to take care of absolutely everything and think through all the details? After all, this is all just a fantasy!
«House of the Future» will not become an advertising stand for this or that product,» assures Dave Miller, director of development for Walt Disney Parks.
According to Cynthia King, dean of California State University at Fullerton, it will be more of a «fantasy for adults»: «Walt Disney has always considered himself a man of the future and always loved innovations, which he was happy to show to the public.
It was not difficult for him to invent his own world, even if it was the world of the future.»