Study level

  • PhD
  • Master of Philosophy
  • Honours
  • Vacation research experience scheme

Faculty/School

Faculty of Engineering

School of Architecture and Built Environment

Topic status

We're looking for students to study this topic.

Research centre

Supervisors

Professor Tan Yigitcanlar
Position
Professor
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Engineering

External supervisors

  • Wenda Li

Overview

Technological advancements such as information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence, internet-of-things, robotics, and the increasing popularity of the smart city and smart living movements during the last couple of decades have created and intensified a boom of the smart home industry. At present, digital technology applications uptake in homes has become common and increasingly changed people’s lifestyles. Smart home technology provides a suite of independently and remotely controlled software and hardware connected to a network to deliver smart living. Smart homes have immense potential to shape future lives, and the market is maturing, but the externalities influencing the popularisation of smart home technology and products still need further research.

References

A brief background on smart home technologies and adoption issues is available at the following articles:

Li, W., Yigitcanlar, T., Liu, A., & Erol, I. (2022). Mapping two decades of smart home research: A systematic scientometric analysis. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 179, 121676,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121676

Li, W., Yigitcanlar, T., Erol, I., & Liu, A. (2021). Motivations, barriers and risks of smart home adoption: From systematic literature review to conceptual framework. Energy Research & Social Science, 80, 102211, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102211

Research activities

This project will investigate the state-of-the-art of the global smart home industry and the user perspective on the popular smart home products in the ever-growing market in Australia. As part of the research project, you will undertake the following tasks (through a desktop research by utilising web-scraping techniques):

  • investigate the present status of the global smart home industry, e.g., what are the globally renowned smart home companies, brands and products?
  • analyse Australia’s present smart home market status, e.g., what are the renowned smart home products sold in Australia?
  • collect and analyse users’ online reviews on their purchased smart home products, e.g., what are the positive and negative views of end-user experiences with these products, and how will these views influence their intention for continued adoption?
  • present the findings in a concise report and poster formats

Outcomes

The outcomes of this work will include:

  • a concise project report on smart home end-user perspectives
  • a digital poster presenting methodology and key study findings

Skills and experience

  • data collection skills
  • analytical ability
  • problem solving skills
  • adequate methodological background
  • broad understanding on smart homes
  • excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • ambition to complete a research project within a given time frame

Keywords

Contact

Contact the supervisor for more information.