Way back in 1950, science fiction giant Ray Bradbury wrote a short story, “There Will Come Soft Rains,” about a smart house that did just about everything for its resident family — including cooking breakfast and keeping track of the bills. Unfortunately, all members of that family, along with all inhabitants of the town, were obliterated by a nuclear explosion. The house, though, kept right on going, complete with robotic mice cleaning the floor. Apocalyptic foreshadowing aside, who hasn’t fantasized about a house that makes day-to-day life easier?
