Video: Four 'smart home' gadgets that will change the way we live

App-controlled thermostats and lighting systems have been picked out as among the technologies most likely to change the way we live - beating gadgets such as ultra-hi-def televisions and smartphones.

Trend-tracking agency The Future Laboratory picked out four technologies likely to change the way we live - from web-connected thermostats to '3D printers' that create objects in the home.

'Smart home' technologies where apps control everything from lighting to heating are at the centre of the Laboratory's vision of the future.

A simpler steam iron, Philips PerfectCare, with only one setting instead of a dial was also picked out by futurologist Chris Anderson, co-founder of The Future Laboratory.

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 “Very few of us are actually looking for innovations that are cutting edge – most of us don’t like change that is too challenging or scary," says Anderson.

"What we actually crave are things that make simple sense, makes our lives easier and save time.”

Among the technologies and products picked out was Belkin's WeMo system, an app-controlled electrical switching system that allows people to switch lights on and off from outside the home.

Like the Nest Thermostat - created by the 'father of the iPod', Tony Fadell, an ex-Apple executive who presided over 14 models of iPod - the WeMo allows homeowners to control a 'smart home' via an app.

The WeMo system also allows for pre-programmed commands, such as switching on all the lights, triggered by motion sensors inside a room.

“For time-poor and money-sensitive consumers, tools that offer uncomplicated, efficient solutions are becoming increasingly valuable," says Anderson.

“Efficiency is the key word for the 2020 consumer.  We want to save time, effort and energy. But we also want to see these benefits in simple, not complex solutions.”

“Gone are the days of baffling banks of flashing icons and too many switches we never use; we increasingly want straightforward, practical devices that make life easier.”

 “What I like about PerfectCare is that it ticks all the ‘no brainer’ boxes: it isn’t hard to understand, the benefits are immediate and obvious, the savings are in both time and money. These are all the hallmarks of innovation that is enduring, rather than flash-in-the-pan.”