Low-cost smart home solution to support thermal comfort, health and security

The effects of global warming caused by human activities have impacted people’s daily lives around the world with more frequency in the last 20 years. The heatwave of 2003 in Europe evidenced that overheated houses could increase the excess deaths which particularly affects those in vulnerable conditions (due to illness and/or advanced age) at a large scale. According to a report by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), 2024 has been the year with the highest temperatures recorded around the world on record. In Mexico, particularly in the north, the main cause of death prior to COVID-19 is related to cardiovascular diseases, and in the case of vulnerable populations (children, people with chronic diseases and older adults) it increases the risk of death. It is estimated that by 2050 the global temperature will increase by 3˚C with respect to 2020. These increases in temperature have been noticeable in recent years with heatwaves, extreme temperatures, and draughts. The main objective of our proposal is to investigate the design and development of a low-cost smart home prototype using Internet of Things (IoT) and Data Analytics technologies to improve the thermal comfort, health and safety of older adults and regular users. By “smart home†we refer to two cases: (i) an existing building in which IoT sensors are placed, and (ii) the design of a building in which IoT sensors are embedded. In both cases the idea is to provide the “smart†functionalities of using IoT sensors, analysing data collected, and interpreting the data to improve the wellbeing of the occupant(s) of the house. The low-cost smart home prototype we propose covers aspects of: (i) health, (ii) thermal comfort, (iii) low-cost, (iv) user friendly interface, and (v) safety. We acknowledge that there are alternative commercial options available, however the proposed low-cost smart home system is intended to provide wellbeing in the daily lives of users. The IoT sensors that we are planning to use are: temperature, humidity, contact, proximity and thermal. The main research areas involved in the proposed project, and in which the researchers involved have experience, are: (i) Thermal Comfort, (ii) Architecture, (iii) Internet of Things, (iv) Artificial Intelligence, and (v) Data Analysis. The research question is: how feasible is to design and develop a low-cost smart home that provides benefits of health, thermal comfort, user friendly interface, and safety to its occupants?