The document introduces the Homesense project, a 3-month open project in Europe to design and build DIY smart homes. Participants will receive a free kit of technology, training, and help from local experts to design fun and interesting smart devices for their home in areas like pets, bathroom, kitchen, weather, energy, lighting, security, plants, and entertainment. Examples are given like a fish tank that changes lights based on temperature or a lamp network that lets family in different places know when someone is home. Interested participants can sign up on the website or contact the email address provided.

1. Introducing HOMESENSE

2. WHAT IS IT? A 3 month long open project about DIY smart homes. October-December 2010.

3. DIY SMART HOMES? Instead of designing what people will use, we will let you decide, help you design & build it.

4. WHY SHOULD I APPLY? If you live in Europe and want to turn your home into the house of the future, then this is your chance!

5. I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY! That’s ok! We’ll teach you everything you need to know.

6. WHAT WE’LL DO We’ll give you a free kit of the latest and shiniest techs and toys. We’ll give you free training in how to use them. We’ll pair you with a local technology who will help you along the way.

7. WHAT YOU’LL DO Design and build fun and interesting smart toys and gadgets for your home. Share the results through blogging, photos and videos.

8. WHAT CAN I MAKE? People have been making all sorts of great things for their home. Here are 9 of them.

9. 1. Pets Fish can be delicate creatures who don’t like the sudden temperature change when their water is cleaned. This system lets you monitor how hot or cold the water tank is, and then entertain the fish with a light display based on the temperature. http://alan-parekh.com/projects/fish-tank-lights-and-temperature-sensor/

10. 2. Bathroom One of the downsides of living in a shared house can be going to the bathrooms to find that the toilet seat up, when you’d rather it was down. Fortunately this Toilet Seat Sensor lets you find out online what’s going on (although probably not which of your housemates was responsible). http://interactive.usc.edu/members/mannetta/2010/02/ctin_544assignment_4_more_and_1.html

11. 3. Kitchen and cooking Who has time to be a domestic goddess? Maybe you’d like to build something that lets you be a little lazier. When you put the t!pot on the repurposed infra-red electronic scale, a display on the wall will let you know how much tea you’ve got left - from ‘Tea’ to ‘No Tea’.

12. 4. Weather and temperature Everything old can be new again. You won’t need to build everything from scratch - this lovely antique clock has been rejigged so that it can connect to the internet, download the current weather forecast, and display the weather conditions and temperature on the newly designed (but still vintage-look) clock face. http://www.seancarney.ca/projects/weather-clock

13. 5. Energy Finding out how much energy you’re using doesn’t have to be an ugly matter. This beautiful ambient orb is rigged up to a power sensor - you can choose which colour it will change to when you’re using unusually large amounts of energy. http://knolleary.net/2009/01/05/monitoring-energy-use-with-an-orb/ .

14. 6. Lighting Lots of us live a long way away from our loved ones, in different cities, countries and time zones. The Good Night Lamp is a family of lamps that you can give your friends and family in faraway places. As you turn your big lamp on, your loved one’s little lamps will come on too to show them that you’re home. www.goodnightlamp.com

15. 7. Security Wondering who’s in your house right now? RFID Sniffer can detect the presence of certain RFID tags. If you put these tags on your bag, your housemate’s jacket or your child’s lunchbox then the RFID Sniffer will know whether they’re home, even if you’re not. http://rfid.marcboon.com/#home.2

16. 8. Plants and Gardens Would you like your plants to let you know when they need to be watered? Botanicalls lets these plants post to Twitter when they need watering, and they’ve even say thank-you afterwards! http://www.botanicalls.com/

17. 9. Entertainment There’s a lot of chat out there your friends lists and feeds - can you ever get a sense of how everyone’s feeling or is there just too much noise? This little mood cube can help - collects updates from Twitter and changes colour depending on whether your friends there are happy, angry or sad. http://hacknmod.com/hack/twitter-based-mood-light-using-arduino/

18. INTERESTED? Sign up at www.homesenseproject.com Or get in touch [email_address]