The revolution expected to sweep the consumer technology industry is in danger of backfiring, researchers warned this month. Much as it may seem a dream come true to have your wardrobe advise you what to wear each day and the kettle to switch on as soon as you set foot through the door, technologies must make life simpler rather than overload everyday appliances with endless functionality for its own sake, according to experts. The issue was considered pressing enough to bring technologists, designers and academics from around the world to Bristol last week for 1AD, the world's first international conference on creating appliances for the future. Unless technology developers change their approach, they warned, their products could suffer a negative response from the public. We have been promised that within a decade many of us will be living in 'smart' homes filled with 'intelligent' objects. But will they be too clever for us? How to put sensors, processors, wireless links and displays into mass-market consumer products without alienating the very people they are designed to help has become an important issue for the hi-tech engineering and design communities. Some are increasingly concerned that a rush to make the technological Utopia a reality will instead create bafflement, frustration and even fear.
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