Home automation is becoming quite a popular topic these days, especially after Google’s recent buyout of the Nest smart thermostat. Countless home automation devices were demoed at CES this year. Even AT&T is getting in on the action with a new service in select markets that allows subscribers to control most functions of their home from their mobile devices.

So what does the future of home automation look like? Or for that matter, automation outside the home? I’ve got some ideas of gadgets that we might see in the not-so-distant future that could improve the quality of our lives exponentially.

Volume Control

The first device I imagine in the future of home automation is a system for situations in which your TV or stereo is too loud. It would be especially useful in apartments, where neighbors above, below, or beside you can be more easily disturbed by the loud noise.

When a...