The word automation and its derivatives is probably the most widely used word today. Phrases such as “the team acquired automation”, “the device is automatic”, “production is automated”, “reacted automatically” etc. are in our daily lives.

Automation originally meant standardizing a process by identifying well-defined steps that must be followed to produce a desired result.

In this sense, automation is nothing more than the division of a complex task into discrete steps performed sequentially, or the construction of an autonomous mechanism that performs these sequential steps without human intervention, when properly triggered.

So automation is not something new.

Various mechanisms have been known since antiquity, with perhaps the most well-known being the Antikythera mechanism.

With the Industrial Revolution, the widespread introduction of automation into the productive process led to the development and use of machines, to the rapid development of productivity, and to the liberation of man from heavy muscular labor.

Automation gained new importance in the 20th century, as a field of engineering science dealing with the control of processes and their maintenance in a defined state. For example, automation aims to maintain a constant level of the temperature of a room, the course of an airplane, the speed of a car, etc.

Automation utilizes a variety of specialized electronics and information technology products (eg microcontrollers, real-time systems, supply chain information). The importance of automation is great in industry, where it significantly reduces the need for human intervention (eg in telemetry, automatic control of production lines, etc.).

Modern automation frees man from arduous intellectual work. Devices undertake to collect and process data, to make and execute decisions, so called “smart”.

A special case is the building automation for a house, known as the “smart home”.

A home automation system monitors and / or controls home features such as lighting, climate, entertainment systems and appliance data. It may also include home security, such as access control and alarm systems.

A home automation system usually connects controlled devices to a central node of a smart home (sometimes called a “gateway”). The user interface for controlling the system uses either wall-mounted terminals, tablets or desktops, a mobile phone application, or a web interface over the Internet.

Home automation has great potential for data sharing between family members or trusted individuals for personal safety and could lead to energy saving measures with a positive environmental impact in the future..

Despite the obvious advantages of utilizing automation, its adoption was not without problems. As it changes people’s lives, resistance to change appears (affected by the change in the production process, suspicion, ..).

This reservation could not be absent when modern automation comes and goes in the narrow “personal space”, the house.

The idea of ​​the “smart” house, which may not be completely controlled by him, arouses various, valid or not, reflexes of rejection and questions such as “In my house I will do what I want” or “if it breaks what will happen” or “I do not want another trouble in my head” or “if a stranger gains access”.

All these doubts may be delayed, but they are not able to prevent acceptance and adoption.

Simplicity and user-friendliness are the catalyst. The user does not need to know how the algorithm works to use it effectively.

Internet installation is a fact for the home. We operate more and more through smartphones and computers.

The new appliances will now be smart (smart TV, smart kitchen, smart washing machine, smart socket) and it will be up to us to reap the benefits of communicating with them.

Automation products (sensors, processors, servers) are constantly evolving, adding value.

In an effort to save energy, the state itself institutes the mandatory integration of automation systems when issuing new building permits. At the same time, funding is increasing through a variety of development programs.

No one would want their home investment to have a reduced value, because although it has the best design, the best materials, it lags behind functionally and does not provide the levels of health, safety, comfort and economy that today with the development of technology are possible . Of course, as in any other investment, the adoption of automation solutions, in order to add value, must be properly designed and implemented.

Many companies promote proposal packages, usually closed source, creating a commitment to future choices. Misguided choices lead to frustration and rejection.

Designing an automation system requires a holistic approach. Requires good knowledge of electromechanical installations, automation products and programming.

It requires the ability to communicate and diagnose needs, search for the best option, according to the possibilities.

As we choose the Architect, the Civil Engineer, the Mechanical Engineer, the "smart" move is to choose the company or the designer that we consider to provide the above guarantees and to discuss the possibilities of integrating automation solutions for the house we have and much more for the house we are building now.