Artificial intelligence in the domestic environment

The past two decades have witnessed a revolution in the capability, and complexity, of electronic products for the home. In an attempt to make more competitive products, more and more functionality has been added to the basic product. Unfortunately, the man-machine interfaces are often inadequate, with the result that many products now seem too complex for the average home user to make full use of. Custom-built electronic logic has proved too expensive as an implementation method for these enhanced facilities, so that many products now incorporate one or more microprocessor system to provide this functionality. This ability to provide processor power within the product has tempted designers to add even more ´intelligence´ to the system, not always with beneficial results in terms of the user friendliness of the system as it is sometimes difficult for the user to fully comprehend all the facilities, and the full implications of what may appear to him or her to be simple commands.<>