Futuristic modern homes are no longer relegated to CAD renditions and ingenious Hollywood sets thanks to the large technological advancements that are happening each year. The last fortnight saw some exciting developments take place around the 3D printer technology that promises to deliver an entire house in just 24 hours! Just a week we back, we also showcased some staggering gadgets and smart home technology that are already available for home users. Today we go a step further as we look at some of the brilliant smart home innovations that stole the show at CES 2014.

Are you’re sitting in your living room and dreaming about a home of the future that has robots doing all your work, from cleaning to mixing an intoxicating drink after a long hard day? Well, sorry to wake you up from the slumber, but the future IS here and now!

A home that welcomes you on your arrival, artificial intelligence that puts you out of your misery by taking care of the household chores, and a printer that might make shopping redundant (What you just heard was a collective exasperation from the gals out there) are just a few of the many marvels of science that await your company…

Grillbot and Winbot: Robotic Cleaning

Cleaning those tall and beautiful windows of high skyscrapers in some of the biggest cities of the world is a job for those with nerves of steel. It is also a thankless task that is highly perilous. But the Winbot is here to put an end to this perennial clean window problem. Its built-in vacuum system ensures that it sticks to the window with great ease and offers unparalleled spotless shine. The Winbot from Ecovacs obviously garnered plenty of attention at CES 2014 thanks to its compact size, efficiency and simplicity in usage.

Another amazing robot that seems set to handle the more complex cleaning tasks is the Grillbot. This shiny little guy will leave all those grills dazzling with a metallic glint in absolutely no time. By now, you would have guessed that some of us absolutely hate cleaning. So, it is no surprise that we rate these twin tiny robotic wonders very highly…

Budgee: A Lighter Life!

Budgee is like a toned-down version of Wall-E. It seems to have one crazy eye, plenty of space for all your groceries and unflinching loyalty! Budgee is a smart friend that will offer you help whenever it can and in any way possible. Lugging your office files, following you in the park with all the stuff you packed for the kids and helping you out with shopping; it is a robot designed to take some weight off of your shoulders.

Controlled using a smartphone and equipped with a rechargeable battery, Budgee is currently a Kickstarter campaign that costs anywhere between $1,300 to $3,000. It might be limited in capabilities, but at least you will not hear it crib and whine while carrying all your bags!

Makerbot Replicator Z18: Print Out Some Cutlery

We did talk about 3D printers that are currently engaged in trying to print out a house in Amsterdam. But the Makerbot Z18 is about toning down the size and revving up the utility. One of these amazing 3D printers looked like a giant fossil that barely did anything for most of the day at the CES event. Then, all of a sudden you saw utensils and lamps emerge out of nowhere. If you want to bring home a piece of the future, the Makerbot Z18 is it. While the large model sets you back by $6,499, the Mini version is available for just $1,375. A small price to pay for the convenience of being able to print out everything from spare parts to small toys at home!

There was a time when we flicked on the TV, saw the Jetsons roll out stuff by simply pushing a button and thought “Man, that is ridiculous and fun.” But with the Makerbot, it is Hanna-Barbera who look like visionaries and some of us doubters who have been relegated to the pessimistic simpletons section.

Monsieur – Mixing Robotics with your Drinks!

It is generally said that mixing anything with drinking is a bad idea. (At times, mixing even a couple of drinks at odds with one another can wreak havoc inside.) But the ingenious Monsieur is all set to gleefully mix your intoxicating evenings with cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI). This robotic bartender is an absolute dream and comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Zigbee support, along with automation protocols. It can mix your favorite drinks without any fuss and is bound to be the toast of the party that you host each weekend.

Do not worry about the quality of drinks that Monsieur serves, though it promises to serve you with drinks that are as good as any. At $4,000, the machine might tug a touch too tightly on your purse strings, but it sure is well worth all that green. Apart from mixing the best martinis, it also can auto-recommend some exotic drinks based on your past selections, it helps monitor alcohol intake, and it gives out alerts about responsible drinking. Just add a voice system that doles out life philosophy and advice in the voice of William Shatner and we are sold!

Mother: Nagging with Care

You have met our early version of Wall-E above. Now it is time to meet a little smart home gadget that reminds us of Eve. The traditionalists might see a cute little Russian doll in here, but then Mother is much more than a mere toy. Thus cute and cuddly gadget created by Sen.Se connects with a wide variety of sensors called cookies to serve a multitude of tasks around the home. These cookies can monitor, store data and send alerts for various tasks that range from your coffee intake habits to home security and medication cycles.

Strap on the little cookies and use the many programs devised by Sen.Se to hook them up to the interface. Each Mother figure with four little cookies comes with a price tag of $222. You can obviously buy additional sensors that will cost you $99 for four, and each of these sensors can be reprogrammed and reused after a certain task is done. Smart, easy and fun, this is the perfect way to keep your life organized and hassle-free.

Dacor Discovery IQ 48” Dual-Fuel Range

Many have been clamoring for the smartphone-enabled cooking range to take over in the kitchen for awhile now. Obviously some of us believe that when pots, pans, ovens and stoves start to be Wi-Fi enabled and can cook with the wave of a hand, it will make up for our poor culinary skills! Maybe that will happen at some point in the future. But for now, we will have to do with the stunning Discovery IQ 48” Dual-Fuel Range by Dacor, which makes for a pretty compelling stop-gap alternative.

Equipped with a beautiful Electronic TiltVue Control Panel that features a clock, two timers and a 10-key touchpad, this dual-oven range is all about elevating your kitchen to a new level. You also get a four-part convection system, six burners, six cooking modes, and automatic hold for the oven, along with the self-cleaning technology. At $11,999, it is does command your attention in every sense of the word!

Home automation is stepping up its game and taking smart home technology to a whole new level. The real question now is – Are You Ready To Bring Home The Future?