Nairobi, Nov. 2 -- In a traditional home, a refrigerator keeps food cold until someone adjusts its settings, a washing machine runs on a manually selected programme, and a dishwasher completes the same cycle no matter how dirty the dishes are.

The person using the appliances makes most of the decisions. But in the next generation of homes, these routines could happen in the background. A refrigerator, for instance, will learn when a household opens its door most often and adjust its cooling performance accordingly, while a washing machine analyses a load's fabric and dirt levels before deciding how to clean it.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Business Daily....