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A 1989 'home of the future' predicted smart homes but got other stuff way wrong

On Mar 13, 2026, archival footage revisited Iowa Power's 1989 model home, built to showcase future home features and updated in archive coverage.
Iowa Power designed the demo to emphasize convenience and electronics, framing the future around integrated technology to show customers how it could shape everyday life, with archive footage revisiting the model house.
The demo showcased a central Home Manager computer controlling heat, lights, security and electric curtains, operable remotely via telephone modem, along with an audiovisual center, multiroom speakers, and a front-door security monitor.
Observers say several 1989 ideas now resemble modern smart-home features, as archive footage prompts reflection on how some appliance and convenience concepts resemble today’s homes.
While not Jetsons-level, Eric Jones, Archive Explained narrator, called the 1989 Iowa Power model house 'pretty impressive' and highlighted its prescient ideas like front-door cameras and period-specific features such as wall hair dryers and bidets.

Insights by Ground AI