Indigo Domotics

Pitching an idea here: my current wife tends to “overcorrect” when she thinks the house is too hot or too cold. This is typically by selecting a setpoint for the temperature that is irrationally, warmer or colder than her desired setpoint. This break down tends to be attributable to her transient emotional reasoning that it will get hotter or colder. “faster” if she overcompensates for the set point.

I, being a dutiful husband and tinkerer, have devised a plan to have large, smash ball, brightly colored blue and red buttons that she can smash repeatedly when she is displeased with the temperature.

I can measure of the force with which she hates them with a load sensor, and obviously the number of times she hates them can easily be measured.

Granted, the actual temperature setpoint is an unknown, so the process variable will really just be an absence of smashing buttons. I’ve considered a profanity detector as well.

Thoughts and feedback welcome

That's amazing. If you implement it, however, she may not be your current wife for long.

Arrange to increase the fan speed in proportion to the button mashing, then slowly reduce it

I'd be fearful of unstable behaviour.

Have you considered relying on the placebo effect? ie adjust the display, but not the actual set point?

mundmc wrote:

I’ve considered a profanity detector as well.)

I built an action group for my wife called, literally, "DAMMIT!" She taps it when she needs to complain about something. Makes it easy to find where in the logs her problem with the system happened.

I think Joe's approach might actually work pretty well. I wish I had thought of something like this before the kids went off to college!

Also, I'm totally stealing the "DAMNIT" logging idea.

This community is the best. Practical suggestions AND humor!

Different Computers wrote:

mundmc wrote:

I’ve considered a profanity detector as well.)

I built an action group for my wife called, literally, "DAMMIT!" She taps it when she needs to complain about something. Makes it easy to find where in the logs her problem with the system happened.

Genius! Doing this!

MartinG wrote:

I'd be fearful of unstable behaviour.

Have you considered relying on the placebo effect? ie adjust the display, but not the actual set point?

Lol- the modern implementation of gaslighting!

mundmc wrote:

MartinG wrote:

I'd be fearful of unstable behaviour.

Have you considered relying on the placebo effect? ie adjust the display, but not the actual set point?

Lol- the modern implementation of gaslighting!

Well... no. There's a huge difference in intent. Utilising the placebo effect (as a low pass filter) to make someone's life better is a different thing entirely.

MartinG wrote:

mundmc wrote:

MartinG wrote:

I'd be fearful of unstable behaviour.

Have you considered relying on the placebo effect? ie adjust the display, but not the actual set point?

Lol- the modern implementation of gaslighting!

Well... no. There's a huge difference in intent. Utilising the placebo effect (as a low pass filter) to make someone's life better is a different thing entirely.

Very good point