These short articles explain some of the real-world problems that happen when technology runs an entire home. Use these ideas to help you answer the T.R.A.C.E. prompt.
Imagine your entire home being run by one giant main power source, like a central battery for all systems. In a truly automated "Home of the Future," critical systems like digital door locks, heating, water pumps, and security cameras rely entirely on this central hub and the internet.
This is the main problem with Maximum Automation: if the power grid goes down, or if the main hub fails, the whole house goes silent. Security cameras stop recording. Smart doors lock and won't open with an app. In extreme weather, the computerized heater or A/C might fail, making the house unsafe. This is why engineers must decide if the convenience of central control is worth the risk of a total shutdown. Robust Resilience means adding small, dedicated battery backups to essential devices like fire alarms and routers, or, even better, making sure you can open your front door with a simple, old-fashioned metal key. These manual and small-battery backups ensure the house can still function when the central power is gone.
Software bugs and network glitches are a part of life for any computer, even the ones running a home. Sometimes, a device loses its Wi-Fi signal, an update causes a computer to freeze, or the central hub gets confused.
If you build a complex Redstone machine in Minecraft, and a single wire has a glitch, the whole system breaks. Smart homes face the same challenge. For example, a smart refrigerator is designed to automatically order milk when it senses the carton is empty. If a software bug causes it to order 100 cartons of milk instead of one, you have a big, expensive problem. If the system is Maximum Automation (no backup), you can’t stop it.
This is where Robust Resilience comes in. It requires having simple, manual ways to override the tech. You must be able to flick a switch on the wall to turn off the smart light, even if the app or voice command is glitching. This principle of "always having a manual bailout button" is key to making technology reliable, even when it’s buggy or the internet is down.