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How to automate your life like you're living in a sci-fi movie

Paul Szoldra

2016-06-01T01:23:00Z

Back to the Future

The future is here.

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Science fiction is morphing into the realm of reality each day, as companies develop Hyperloops, autonomous cars, and devices that work using just the sound of your voice.

If you've been dying to say "illuminate" to turn on the lights in a room, or have your favorite song play right as you wake up, you don't need to wait anymore.

Here's how.

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As technology progresses, we're actually now at a point where your favorite science fiction movies are running smack in the middle of reality.

Blade runner

Companies are building autonomous cars, researching the functions of artificial intelligence, and even looking to transport people in an insanely-fast Hyperloop from city to city.

hyperloop one — Journalists and guests look over tubes following a propulsion open-air test at Hyperloop One in North Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. May 11, 2016. Reuters/Steve Marcus

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And fortunately, you can get in on plenty of that science fiction-y action right in your own home — now.

airbnb container home

The new Amazon Echo has a bunch of amazing features for getting stuff in the home done with just your voice.

amazon-echo-full

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As TI's Dave Smith has explained, you can use it to set alarms, add things to your shopping list, listen to music, or even order an Uber.

Amazon Echo

You can see all the cool things you can do with Echo here.

Buy it here.

And if you connect it with a service like If This Then That (IFTTT), you can have it change the color of your smart light bulbs when a timer goes off, keep a spreadsheet of what music you listen to, or set your home's temperature with your voice.

IFTTT recipes

You can check out all the different IFTTT recipes here.

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Samsung's new smart fridge has a gigantic touch screen on it that gives you TV, a calendar, and other stuff. The craziest feature is that you can also use it to order more groceries for delivery to your door.

New Samsung internet fridge

Check it out here.

Buy it here.

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Or if you prefer a slightly lower tech, and less costly option, Amazon's Dash buttons can reorder the products you use the most with just one tap.

amazon dash button

Check them out here.

Buy them here.

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Samsung also makes a product called SmartThings that can turn "dumb" devices into smart ones. It can tell you when a family member comes home, heat your dinner when you leave work, or give you the traffic report with your morning coffee.

smartthings hub and sensors

Check it out here.

Buy it here.

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The Nest thermostat automatically learns the right temperature to be at over time. When everyone leaves, it'll turn down the A/C for example.

Nest smart home

Check it out here.

But it here.

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Then there are things like smart light bulbs. Bulbs like Belkin's WeMo can be programmed to automatically turn on at sunrise or off at sunset, or turn on randomly to make it like you're still around when you're on vacation.

Belkin Wemo

Buy it here.

You can even have your WeMo lights automatically turn on when you're right outside your door, with an IFTTT recipe that uses your phone's GPS positioning.

Front door

Check it out here.

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Phillips Hue bulbs can do much of what Wemo can do, and has the built-in ability to turn on when you come home. They can also change colors to match your mood, or they can turn on gradually so you can wake up to light instead of a jarring alarm clock.

sleeping lazy weekend bed bedroom

Source: Phillips

But it here.

There are also plenty of awesome IFTTT recipes for Hue, like making the lights blink if you receive an email from a specific person, or having them change to blue when it starts raining. Or you can always make a grand entrance: "When I get home, the lights start turning colors. My kids think I'm magic."

giftguide Philips Hue

Check out the Hue recipes here.

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You don't even have to say "Illuminate!"

demolition man

Speaking of IFTTT, there are a ton of things you can do with it that may not involve your home. It can do things like track your work hours in Google Calendar, or automatically tweet out "Happy New Year" at midnight.

new years

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On your iPhone, the Workflow app can help you order pizza with just a couple of taps. You can also set it up so one tap can text your significant other with your location and how long it'll take to get home.

oakland traffic

You can get it here.

Smart Home Internet of Things

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