Swiss family to become first to live in Internet House

The Internet house - a first for Switzerland. futurElife

A Swiss family from Immensee, canton Schwyz, has been selected to be the first to test an Internet House, where aspects of everyday life will be conducted online, by mobile phone or by voice command.

The show-case house – Switzerland’s first – is in the village of Huenenberg, canton Zug, and will open to the public in November, the organisers said on Thursday.

It is being developed by a foundation set up by Otto Beisheim, the founder of the German retailer Metro, along with partners such as the United States software company Cisco Systems and the German electronics giant, Siemens.

“Speak into the electronic ear on your cordless phone, your laptop or your remote control and you may switch on lights, heat up the oven, turn on the central heating, open or close doors from any room in the house, even from the garden or balcony,” said project leader Jürg Kallay.

“This project is very important because the family will help technology companies to realise what is practical and what is not. For example, do you really want the fridge to order fresh milk on line from the supermarket as soon as it runs out?” he said.

Kallay said that, although the futuristic house is intended for “normal people” – and this is how he believes many people will live in 10 or 20 years time – project leaders selected the Steiner family from 70 applicants for their ability to cope with new technology.

Father Daniel, 38, and his wife Ursi, 41, both gave up their jobs as a computer scientist and teacher respectively and will be paid an undisclosed salary for the work. Their adoptive children Grace, 11, and Carlo, 4, are also well-versed in using the Internet too, he said.

“Ours is not the first Internet House. One opened in Britain last year. But our Internet House will be the first to be inhabited by a real family,” Kallay said.

The Internet house will cost the Beisheim Foundation SFr1.3 million, but many of the 35 firms participating will not charge very much for gadgets which they will get tested for free.

Cisco, the network equipment market leader, will wire the house and Siemens will provide computer software. The major Swiss retailer, Migros, has also joined the project by providing online shopping services.

“The house will be in flux. It will change every few months as we change, adapt and install new technologies,” Kallay said, adding that when the Steiners have had enough of showing visitors around they can retreat to an ordinary family house at the end of the garden.

swissinfo with agencies