House of the Future (Dream Home) AP Preview!

[PEZZ Lightyear]

I went to check out the new House of the Future (Dream Home) in Innoventions a couple of days ago during one of the AP sneak peek times (8AM-9AM).

Here are a few pictures and observations of the place!

Observation #1 - It was early.



See the sun coming up over Innoventions?
Neither had I - until that day.



The House is set up to be like an actual lived-in place inhabited by the Elias family. Here is the front entryway:





Observation #2 - There are no bathrooms in the Future.

Observation #3 - The Future has really cool light fixtures.



These can be seen throughout the House.

Observation #4 - The Futures loves digital picture frames.


They are everywhere.

Nice piano area:



I love this road sign, so it gets a close-up:



Digital bench next to piano to get your favorite music.

Future musical instruments above the piano:


The Elias family is celebrating their son's soccer victory and the team's (The Astro Blasters) imminent departure to China for the finals.

Here is the (closed off) party area:








Notice something familiar?


Observation #5 - Why have a book when you can have a computer screen?


They are everywhere as well.

This is a really pretty fountain:


And it changes colors:


The floor is constantly going from hard to soft - and sometimes a little of both:


Anyone say BBQ?


Cleanest one I ever saw:


Overhead fan controller:


Overhead fan:


Peek into the laundry room through glass door:

Nothing in the washer or dryer. No family I ever met...

Nice sign:


More plasma:



The young boy's room is decorated Peter Pan and pirate style.
Here is the bed:


Desk:


More cool lights:


The dresser is Big Ben and the CM reads Peter Pan (with amazing visual effects):


Little touches on the walls:




Ceiling:


And above the entry door:


Knick-knacks abound:



In the dining room, the table has 4 screens (3 of which worked):


You can make the image ripple when you touch it:


It's a smart table, so you can put a jar of Pixie Dust:


And make cool trails:


Or put a puzzle piece on and put together a 6 piece moving image:



Let's step into the kitchen:




Do we have wine? Yes!


And cake:

Well, just enough for me...

Light fixture:


And a smart counter top that knows what you put down and gives you recipe suggestions:


The coolest thing, though is the kitchen sink!

Here is a short (17 second) video of the sink in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=Xp8wmar0woU

Lighting controls all done by screen:


Looking up at the Techno Tree:


Going into the office/entertainment room, we see another old favorite:




Look up!


The shelves hold a pretty neat thing. It's a 3D printer. It makes 3 dimensional objects from plastic - in just a few hours!


Above, here is a train:




It doesn't move but it still looks cool.

Desk area:




Fireplace:


This is one of the few non-digital horizontal surfaces in the House:


And a sweet sofa from which to watch the huge screen TV (and kickin' surround sound, natch):


Young girl's room:




This is the famous mirror that shows you how you look in your clothes before you put them on:


It was not working that morning, but you can see that it's a projection rather than a reflective surface. There is a slight delay, so you can take your own picture and not get the flash!


Observation #6 - Nosing around a strangers house is kinda creepy.
While I appreciate the fact that Disney is trying to personalize the technology being showcased, it's a little anxiety-causing to have CM's act as if they live there and are inviting you into their House. My natural reaction is to play along, like improvisational theater (which is very taxing). I would much rather have CM's who show you around the place and gadgets with detached politeness. Like... no one really lives there, but wouldn't this be cool if you and your family had this stuff!

That's it for my two cents. I am looking forward to going back and seeing the rest of the place (and gadgets) when they are up and running!

[Micoofy Duck]

OH WOW! Innoventions, here comes Micoofy Duck! Well in November/December that is but now I have a real reason to enter Innoventions and not pass by it repeatedly. Thanks!

[PretzelSouls]

That is very cool

[aashee]

Thank you, thank you for posting this Pezz. I'm actually looking forward to seeing this exhibit. First time ever Innoventions has been a must see for the family.

[Dan - Tasmic!]

That is so cool, thanks for sharing, Pezz!!!

[I Heart Disneyland]

It's cool, but, I'd rather see the Monsanto house again.

[DisneyFan28]

Got to see this in November!

Looks cool

[techskip]

Pezz... welcome to my world... that is they type of stuff I work with on a daily basis!

The "inviting in with detached politeness" would make it what the trade commonly calls a "display" or "show" home. Most dealers showcase there products within their office (think like a high tech "IKEA" or "Lving Spaces" but others outfit entire homes. It's kind of cool being in this line of work, but at the same time I am a lot more critical of the technology being used. I recognized several of the products just from the pics...

Overall a huge thank you for posting the pics. I'll walk through once the crowds die down.

[Aladdin]

It does have a more "lived-in" look, compared to how it was set up before.

So how did you happen upon these gadgets? Do you just poke your way around the "house" and "Mrs. Elias" comes up to you and says "Oh, look how my new sink works!" Do they pretend to be audio animatronics?

I don't know, but I will have to check it out in person to get a broader picture of this "attraction". Even with the suggestions you offered, this concept still seems to be missing something. I see some things that would help update the last section of Carousel of Progress.

That's it. This looks like something that would be an after show for the Carousel of Progress, BUT as the Main Course, it just doesn't cut it.

[butterflylark]

Wow, that actually looks really neat. I wasn't sure what to expect but it is definatly on my list of things to see for my next trip in July.

[Disney Analyst]

That sink is amazing!

[PEZZ Lightyear]

Good questions, Aladdin.

The CM's are located throughout the house and are easily recognized from the yellow Astro Blaster jerseys they wear. They say Hello and offer to show you their neat stuff.

[Wendygirl]

Thanks for this visual preview. I'll be stopping by on my next visit.

[b236en]

Thanks for the great pics, I cant wait to see it in person..(well I guess i can)

[giddygirlie]

Thanks for the photo update! Great shots! It's all great stuff, but like people have said, it's all stuff that is available now. The company that I used to work for has a "digital home" in the office (they sell this stuff) and so I have seen some installations like this before (and even better). So it's cool to see more people understand/embrace that kind of technology.

The only thing that I can think of that will be an ongoing problem for Disney is that a lot of this technology is evolving fast and being implemented quickly all over the place. Anyone who has stayed in Vegas lately has probably seen this already (especially in the new developments). So it's going to seem very "now" instead of future in a very short time.