Gadgets that could transform YOUR life

The gadgets we think of as home essentials have changed beyond recognition in the past few decades. In 1970, just 35 per cent of homes had a landline telephone and there were no mobiles. Now, technologies that were once the stuff of science fiction are part of our daily lives: take Amazon's Alexa – inspired by the talking computer on the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek. Today, millions of British households own these'smart speakers' that allow voice commands to control everything from TVs to lighting systems. Indeed, as of this year, one in five households will be'smart', with devices that are wirelessly connected to the internet, and controlled via smartphone or a hub.