U.S. Army and Nielsen Media Research partner with Boston University to develop home of the future

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, Dec 20, 2004

The Boston University Institute for Leading in a Dynamic Economy (BUILDE) has announced the creation of the "Technologically Connected Home Project." Led by a team of researchers from the School of Management at Boston University, this three-year project will seek ways to improve the daily life of Army families. The team will carefully study 450 military homes that will be connected as nodes within an interactive network of homes, facilities and service capabilities linked together through the latest technologies.

This research program, funded by major grants from the U.S. Army, and Nielsen Media Research, is part of the U.S. Army's housing privatization effort to rebuild 70,000 military homes over the next five years. Designated the Residential Communities Initiative (RCI), this privatization plan creates a partnership with the private sector to finance and build new military housing. Two of RCI partners, Actus Lend Lease and the Picerne Real Estate Group will be providing the sites for the homes as well as additional funding for the project.

"Make life better for soldier families and you can make better soldiers," said William Armbruster, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Privatization and Partnerships. "Army readiness is inextricably linked to the well-being of the whole family. A trained and ready Army requires that soldiers and families have the resources to be self-reliant both when the force is deployed and when it is at home. When deployed, soldiers need to know that their families are safe, housed, and have access to medical care, community services, and educational opportunities. If technology in the home can make that all possible, then everyone wins and the odds of soldier retention are multiplied greatly. Soldier retention is one key to an effective force."

The Technologically Connected Home Project will seek ways to improve the daily life of American military families, studying how health, security, home operations, personal learning and connection to community can be enhanced by networking the home with the latest information technology. Across the US, 450 military homes will have telemedicine, security, distance learning, and the Internet integrated into all areas of the home.