When any member of this home's family of five returns to the three-story, Seattle-area contemporary house, they receive a warm greeting. That comes from Cleopatra, an attractive and articulate presence who is employed at the house as an avatar, or an electronic personality.
Cleopatra appears on a 42-inch Panasonic plasma screen that faces the front door (see page 114). She greets each resident by name and announces any events of interest that have occurred during the person's absence, such as visitors, phone calls, voice mails, emails and deliveries. Displayed next to Cleopatra is a summary of other information, including who else is at home, pictures of recent visitors at the front door, home activity and alerts, the local weather forecast, stock market changes, even the national security level.
Cleopatra isn't just a sentinel for the foyer, however. She can roam throughout the house, appearing on other screens and numerous wireless PC tablets. She announces visitors, provides information on any high winds in the area—the house sits on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound—and gives status reports on the home's electronic systems. Microphones built into the home's ceilings allow the family to interact with Cleopatra by requesting information and controlling any aspect of the house.
This house won Electronic House magazine's Home of the Year award.
http://www.electronichouse.com/homeshow/homes/review/372.html | Gallery of other unaffordably cool homes - Thanks David R!