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mart building technology incorporates efficient and automated controls and applications that use smart energy products, networked sensors, and data analytics software to monitor environmental data and occupants’ energy consumption habits to improve buildings’ operation and energy performance. Smart technologies and controls are becoming increasingly important not only in research and development (R&D) but also in industrial and commercial domains, leading to a steady growth in their application in the building sector.
Today there is a different type of smart energy control to ensure energy is consumed efficiently without compromising residents’ health and productivity [1]. No matter what type of smart energy control is placed the cost of energy bills is always proportional to the amount of energy consumed at a particular point in time. That is why smart building owners are advised to use energy wisely based on necessity and priority[2]. The majority of the energy outlet and providers lower the cost of energy whenever the energy demand from customers tend to be lower than expected, and vice versa. Recent smart energy control enables the customer to categorize the electric appliances into shiftable and non-shiftable appliances, this enables to use of eclectic appliances based on their priority level toward energy usage[3].
Shiftable appliances are those appliances whose demand for energy usage can be scheduled later or can be interrupted by smart energy control when the energy price is at its peak. Non-shiftable appliances are assigned a fixed energy consumption schedule and their energy demand cannot be scheduled or interrupted[8]. The majority of studies consider television, personal computers, and lighting system to be non-shiftable appliances this is because their need can arise at any given time and their total energy consumption is not significant enough compared to the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air condition) system. Even though HVAC systems account for an average of 50% of total energy consumption by building residents some studies considered them as non-shiftable appliances to improve productivity in the working place or avoid health risks associated with compromising thermal comfort satisfaction [3]. The choice of the HVAC system being a shiftable appliance is controversial among scholars however in our option, the choice relays highly on thermal comport behavioral adaptability and meteorological condition of the surrounding[2].
Recently research in academia and industries have designed and developed intelligent gadgets and standalone devices ranging from smart lighting to smart furniture with a proper pattern of operation [4]. The market for smart building control is gaining momentum globally. Recent research suggested that the vast majority of studies are transforming traditional buildings into smart buildings that are plugged with advanced networked-based electronic appliances. This innovation allows residents to control several electrical appliances remotely in achieving a convenient living environment. Current trends show the smart building market rapidly getting momentum with increased shipments of smart building electric appliances globally as a result of its affordability and security [5]. With the current energy crisis and an increasing population, a smart building has the potential to assure a smooth, clean and comfortable environment with a feasible energy supply [6]. A study in [7] shows the adaptation of smart building allows residents to purchase energy at a low price and utilizes it efficiently thereby supporting its expansion to the global market. The global market has reached $76.6 billion in 2018 and the growth is expected to increase by 28% in 2015 [3]. This rapid growth is influenced by key playing factors that include accessibility internet, widespread awareness of the benefit of smart buildings in ensuring a healthy and comport lifestyle environment, greater fitness, simplicity in remote building monitoring, and energy efficiency offered [8]. A smart building can be further described into dependent segments serving its purpose as described below according to [3][8].
Entertaining appliances: Sound and visual effects played a major role in the entailment industries and theatre that boast the capacity of the smart entertainment market. These appliances provide convenient features for automatic favorites song or movie selection, accessing most played songs and movies as well as a remote control. The market shares for smart life entertainment have reached $225 billion with the potential to increase by 6.3% from 2019 to 2040 [8][3]. LG Electronics, Inc Panasonic Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, Sony Corporation; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation are among the companies with high market share in smart life entertainment. These players practice acquisition strategies to maintain their position in the market. More than 100 countries currently enjoy smart features offered by Apple TV and Samsung Smart TVs app launched in 2019.[2]
Challenge: The current smart entertainment appliances are not featured to perform proactive intelligent communication towards the users. Users are being restricted from getting based knowledge of both real-time and historical energy data consumption. Integrating proactive features in the upcoming appliances would attract both international and local investors that help to boost the market share of the smart home in the global market.
The smart lighting system is one of the major consumers of energy for home residents, however, the current provision of energy-efficient connected lighting controls available in the market reveals the increase in demand for the smart lighting system, especially for upcoming smart city projects in developing economies. The current market stability has allowed the home residents to plug smart LEDs together with modernized light infrastructure to minimize energy costs and consumption. Today the smart lighting system growth reached over $20 billion and is estimated to reach $40 billion by 2024 [3][8]. Some of the industries with the highest smart lighting share in the market include Signify Holding (Netherlands), Legrand S.A (France) Eaton cooperation (Ireland), General Electric Company (US), and OSRAM Licht AG (Germany). These industries strive to make smart lighting systems to reality investing purchasing more shares in other smart lighting control-related systems by adapting acquisition strategy. In 2019 majority of these industries acquired the technology developer of the Wiz Wi-Fi lighting control system [8]. This helps to expand the leadership position and maintain its position in competition with the regional supplier and control the lighting ecosystem price.
Challenge: Studies shows smart lighting control is one of the fasters growing segment in the smart home market due to the rising demand for automated street lighting, and LED occupancy lighting system in developed and Asian Pacific countries. One of the major challenges faced by the smart lighting segment is compatibility issues. Report shows in 2018 end users have experienced connectivity issues while connecting their appliance with Google Wi-Fi setup and it seems the company is aware of the challenge. To maintain the lead in smart home market share, the smart lighting segment need to overcome such challenge and allows connectivity across a range of connecting technologies
Integration of other sighting systems into the smart cities like parking-lot lights, traffic lights, pollution detection sensors, and energy meters is a logical approach to boost the smart lighting share in the market. Furthermore, with increased magnitude in voice controlling research, the industry could consider voice control lighting system development solutions together with other innovative lighting applications like horticulture, specialty, solar, and human-centric lighting. Another opportunity is the integration of LED wireless-based technology into the automobile. This could serve as a major advancement for a luxury car to be incorporated with smart lighting.
Conventional access cards remain big player in the market, however today many industries have focused on smart application Bluetooth based technology to offer residents remote access control over secured elevators, doors, and turnstiles. This feature provided the potential to revolutionize the digital security market industry and get rid of security access card management and maintenance burden through the provision of smart access security control via mobile application. Furthermore, inadequate standard secure architectures that suit current smart device requirements are key factors that slow the market growth of smart access control. Even though the smart access control market is still evolving, however, recently the market observed increased demand for smart locks and smart cameras to record and monitor both customer and employee activities. According to a recent forecast on the global crime rate the estimated market growth to rise from $7.5 billion to $12 billion by 2025 [3][8]. Reliability and affordability of smart access control over traditional proximity and magnetic stripes cards are key driven factors bringing new investors on board. The key market player of smart access control includes ASSA ABLOY AB (Sweden), Johnson Controls International plc (Ireland), Dormakaba Holding AG (Switzerland), Allegion plc (Ireland), Honeywell Security Group (US), Identiv, Inc. (the US), Nedap N.V. (Netherlands), Suprema HQ Inc. (South Korea). These market players use product acquisitions, partnerships, and product launches as competition strategies to keep and bring new foreign and local investors to the market[3][8].
Challenge: Although research on IoT in academia and industries is still in its infancy, most of the current access control provides user authentication and validation of identity without provision of end-to-end security communication of resident credentials that are being broadcast among other smart home appliances. Therefore, there is a need for an upgrade on the current smart access control to ensure an end-to-end security solution to achieve an adequate level of security for the user credentials.
Smart HVAC heating, ventilation, and air condition system is one of the advanced achievement in smart aimed at providing thermal comfort satisfaction to residents as well as to purchased energy at a low price and avoiding unnecessary energy consumption [1]. Today different smart thermos including occupancy detection, senssensor and light , and thermal-based control are available in the global market to ensure stakeholders achieved substantial energy savings and help to obtained real-time information on energy consumptions. Recently there is an increased deployment of smart HVAC platform equipped with sensors that offered remote sensing to regulate the thermostat. This remote sensing application can configure to monitor and manage room temperature, humidity, and refrigerator. The global market for HVAC control accounted for $14 billion in 2018 and is estimated reach $27 billion by 2023 [3][8]. The major factor that drives market growth ongoing demand for building automation, and its energy consumption management efficiency. The major market player for smart HVAC control include Jonson(US) Siemen(Germany) and Honeywell(US).
Challenge: Researchers in [1] have shown concern regarding practice employed to regulate smart HVAC thermostats, which have proven to reduce their life Span. For example, current practice for handling temperature control is mainly based on the classical binary approach which tent causes frequent OFF and ON of the appliance whether n desire value set is not stable, especially in the afternoon period which tend to reduce their lifespan. Industries should consider fuzzy control algorithms that would help to regulate temperature efficiently even in situations where the temperature is not stable.
Another challenge is maintaining thermal satisfaction or residence which is major factors that influence the market of smart HVAC system for healthy living and higher productivity at the workplace. Future design for smart HVAC systems should feature techniques that manage and maintain the thermal comfort satisfaction level of resident to avoid health challenge.
Smart healthcare system is one of the important of IoT technology that exist today. The technology allows doctors to treat and care for patient at home [9][10]. There is wide range of applications in the market that allows doctors to determine the health status of the patient at home such as potential heart attack, drug usage, blood pressure level of the patient at home. Other advancements include mechanical application such as smart robot, ambient assistant agent are the industry focal point that would be used to treat viral disease remotely without the risk of being infected. Recently an automated robot to reduce the spread of Covid-19 virus among citizen of China [8]. The robot can determine the potential victim, deliver food and water to quarantine patient, provide oral treatment. This is one of the major factors that the Chinese government adopt to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus to medical personnel[8] . Today there is increased demand for smart mechanical healthcare assistant agent to monitor and assist patient suffering with diabetes, heart ailments, asthma and joint pain. The global market for smart healthcare system already hit $6 billion and is forecast to reach $30 billion by 2026 [3][8]. The major key player in this sector includes Health Care Originals, Apple, Google and Medical Guardian LLC.
Challenge: Smart healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing segment in the smart home market today. This is driven by improving and ease of access to healthcare applications infeasible cost. However, with the current increase in world population, viral disease outbreak and increase number of aging requires an ambient assistance. There is an increase of innovative application to provide assistance to treat patient and assist elderly people.
any the smart healthcare applications require integration of many technologies to connect patient with doctors and in many occupations. these applications faces Interoperability challenge [11][12][13][14][15][16]. It’s required researchers in academia and industries to focus on developing cross platform that address Interoperability issues in smart healthcare applications.
Privacy and security have a long history in smart healthcare system and became bottleneck for global acceptance of this advancement to the society [17][18]. Smart healthcare system usually communicates and share data among various platforms and technologies to establish mutual communication between doctor and patient. Recent studies shows patient data are been shared without other technologies without any concealment which are available for public for research or other purpose. This practice represents threat to patient privacy and there is need to integrate technique for privacy-preserving in the future smart healthcare system for wide acceptance of this innovation into society. While on the other hand, imaging smart healthcare application being hijacked in the middle of the theatre operation or communication being intercepted or denial of service as recent studies shows these smart healthcare system are been developed without security considerations [19]. Therefore, to protect patient life against cyber murder through smart healthcare applications, the industries should immediately focus on modeling classes of advanced traditional security mechanism to suit smart healthcare applications and integrate them in the next generation of smart healthcare system to avoid smart healthcare cyber crime[1]
Smart kitchen uses different sensors designed to provide comfortable and convenient kitchen activities. The facilities are well equipped with wireless and Bluetooth based connectivity features in order to provide communication with other smart house appliances such as tables and other remote handheld appliances. Today academia and industries are focusing on smart kitchen integration and other start up products with number of smart kitchen appliances available in the market equipped with sensors for easy operation and help resident regulate kitchen activities remotely. Smart kitchen appliances are energy efficient compare to conventional kitchen appliances which expected to raise their demand in the market in upcoming years. The global market growth for smart kitchen has already reached $2.7 million and expected to $8.5 million by 2027[2][3][8] [20]. The major participant in the market includes LG (US) and Tovala.[1][1]
Challenge: Whenever we talk about smart kitchen everyone will think of phenomenon where you have kitchen system control by artificial intelligence to prepare our favourite meal. The numbers of smart kitchen appliances available at market today are handy. With today’s people reliance on technology its big opportunity for smart kitchen industries to consider automated smart kitchen that would adapt to your favorite meal based on your historical data and by the time are in the kitchen your meal is ready. Featuring the next smart kitchen generation with ability to recognize your favorite meal historically order recipe and ingredient and cooked resident favourite food will the game changer in the smart home market.
Smart furniture is the segment o smart home solutions that monitor resident surrounding information to ensure comfort satisfaction and integrated functionality[20]. Increase in individual income and country economy is a key factors influencing individual lifestyle changing. The technology mainly monitors resident fitness such as bedtime, nutrition, hygiene and total burned calories. Additionally, smart furniture has features that provide wireless charging to smart phone and Bluetooth speakers. Recently it was announce the upcoming smart furniture will feature technology that monitors employee work productivities, status of closet and alarm for messy environment. The global market for smart furniture has reached $174 million and is estimated to hit $795 million by 2026 [3][8]. The market players in smart furniture include Smart Living LLC, Ori Systems and Ikea Group.
Challenge: The current smart furniture available in the market can monitor the status activities style of residents within the surrounding which includes standing, seating, sleeping, and eating and this information is being shared among other smart home appliances such as smart home meter autonomously without any authentication mechanism. This practice also can introduce privacy challenges that can lead to theft or committing a high-level crime since criminals can manage to gain access smart furniture and deduce the time resident is at sleeping or not present at home. The industries should consider advanced security mechanisms in the future smart furniture to ensure prove identityify before the establishment of communication among smart homes and outsiders.