So, what does the home of the near future, say 2010, look like? A visit to the Microsoft Home in the Executive Briefing Center at Microsoft’s Redmond, Wash., campus offers a glimpse.

Built in 1994 and last updated in May 2002, the home is not much like a house on the outside, but inside the completely furnished one-storey abode has a hallway, a dining room, a family room, a working kitchen, an office and a bedroom.

“The purpose of the Microsoft Home is to explore the various ways technology can change lives in the near future,” says Jonathan Cluts, director of consumer prototyping and strategy at Microsoft, who was doing double duty as a well-versed tour guide.

Cluts says this “smart” home — a computer-controlled dwelling complemented by smart appliances, voice recognition and wireless high-speed Internet access — is expected to be a reality within five to eight years. While there are not any Microsoft products obviously displayed (save for a Media Centre-branded PC and a Xbox video-game system), behind the scenes its Windows platform runs the concept home’s ecosystem.

Best of all, Cluts says, it will not be cost prohibitive, and will be easy to integrate into existing homes.

As an example of how fast the prices of these technologies are falling, the iris scanner built into the front door was more than $10,000 US when it was implemented in 2000. In 2002, when the Microsoft Home was updated, the same scanner cost $500 US, and it has dropped by half since.

Some points of interest in the home include:

Doorway: The front door has one glaring omission — a keyhole. Instead, there is the iris scanner, a small camera lens that uses “biometrics” technology to identify visitors. When the home acknowledges the owner, it grants entry by unlocking the door and temporarily disabling the alarm. As a backup, residents can opt for a personal identification number, or wear enough “RF-ID” tags (inexpensive identification tags that transmit data via electromagnetic waves) on their clothes to grant access.

Hallway: Inside, we were greeted with Cluts’s favourite music, while in the family room, a TV automatically turned on and tuned to his preferred channel. Before heading to the kitchen, Cluts checked a console for video messages left by visitors to the home.

Kitchen: Easily the most impressive room, the kitchen tour began when Cluts plopped ingredients down on the countertop. The home asked if we would like help with dinner (it knew the time of day). After replying in the affirmative, a hidden ceiling projector beamed recipe ideas and mixing instructions on to the countertop. They were relevant recipes based on the available ingredients (e.g. flour, chicken) because of the food’s RF-ID tags. Think of a smart bar code that contains product information. Imagine a fridge that will tell you when the milk has expired. Or a cupboard that informs you when you are out of breadcrumbs. That is what the information stored on the RF-ID tags can do.

Family Room: The widescreen high-definition television does not look much different than a 61-inch high-end plasma screen, but it will cost a fraction of the price. Viewers will be able to chat with friends or pick up e-mails while watching TV, or play an online video game.

Before ordering a pay-per-view movie via video-on-demand technology, Cluts begins to read a child’s storybook. The home asks if he would like it enhanced. He agrees, and each page is accompanied by changing light patterns, images on the TV screen and well-timed sound effects.

As for lighting, tiny LED lights in the family room are a “simple light source with good brightness — but much more energy efficient, with a 100-year life span.

I was fascinated with this technology and how seamlessly it was integrated into what appeared to be an ordinary home, but I still wonder if it is wise to live in a home that is smarter than I am.

© The Vancouver Sun 2004