emergenCITY’s research into the role of smart homes in crises and disasters appeared in the press.
emergenCITY generated media interest with a press release entitled “Smart Homes as saviors in times of need” on March 10, 2025. The Rhein-Main-Zeitung, the regional edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung (F.A.Z) and online specialist portals - including gebaeudedigital, wattsup and net-im-web - picked up on the study described. TU Darmstadt researchers Markus Henkel, Steffen Haesler, Hiba Al-Najmi, Frank Hessel and Christian Reuter were involved in this study, which was published in the journal Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies under the title “The House That Saves Me? Assessing the Role of Smart Home Automation in Warning Scenarios”. It dealt with the question whether residents of a smart home would rely on their home’s technology in dangerous situations such as a power failure or gas leak.
The report focused on the finding that people are more willing to accept automated protective measures in particularly critical hazardous situations. At the same time, it also became clear that incorrect reactions can quickly unsettle this trust.
The coverage of the study shows that emergenCITY research on smart homes is also relevant to the general public and that smart homes are perceived as life savers.
News article on smart homes as saviors in times of need: www.emergencity.de
