Mrs. Dennis even uses a remote-control pad to prepare meals. "I can almost cook a whole dinner," she says.

Who says your house can't do the housework? After more than two decades of false starts, manufacturers and home builders are rolling out a wave of "smart" devices that can open the drapes, braise vegetables in the sink and even vacuum the whole house. Though some of these products are surprisingly inexpensive, Americans spent $1.2 billion on home automation last year, up 25% from two years earlier. While experts debate the value of some of this stuff, the assembly line keeps rolling. Coming soon: toilets that record blood pressure and refrigerators that track grocery lists.

Ironically enough, it's the more modest products that are helping bring the long-promised "house of the future" to reality. Instead of trying to wire everything through a central computer -- the goal of the '80s and '90s -- "smart" products today are simpler and have come down in price. Those remote-controlled shades, for instance, are far cheaper than custom curtains. And, in Dallas, David Yates paid $800 for a robotic lawn mower. "People used to watch my neighbor mow her lawn in her bikini," he says. "Now they come over to watch my mower."

Still, some of these devices may be too smart for their own good. "It's a nightmare of responsibility," says Mrs. Dennis of Columbus of her various gizmos. The reason: They came with thick manuals of instructions, including some in German. She still can't figure out how to get her security sirens to stop screaming when she lets out her dog at night. "I feel technically burned out."

The idea of an artificially intelligent house dates at least to the mid-'80s, when the building industry's overhyped "Smart House" failed spectacularly. To this day, people remain skeptical. While Web browsers attached to TVs have attracted a lot of publicity, for instance, research firm NPD Group Inc. recently found that half the consumers it surveyed didn't want one. "Most people want something that is simple, that you can plug right in," says Navin Sabharwal, vice president at research firm Allied Business Intelligence.

They also want something inexpensive. So instead of asking consumers to spend $20,000 to install a computerized "brain" in the basement to control the house, today there is a different approach: Let homeowners decide how much technology they want, be it a rotating bed with a pop-up TV or a Jacuzzi that plays the blues. And give them products such as a barking-dog burglar alarm that cost as little as $70.

But sorting through all the products and hype remains a challenge. So in the past few months, we took a look at some of the gizmos, tested a few and visited some big trade shows. Below, a room-by-room look at what's out there, and what's coming:

"Talking" appliances may be the rage at trade shows, but until manufacturers get the bugs out, don't expect to talk to your toaster anytime soon. In the meantime, the chatting is being done through the Web; last year, LG Electronics, of South Korea, rolled out "Internet" kitchen appliances that it plans to bring to the U.S. soon. Among them: a refrigerator that can double as a radio or videophone and a microwave that automatically determines cooking times.

Among the jazzier new products: Kohler's PRO Cook Center, which lets people cook in the sink. Paul Smitala, of Sheboygan, Wis., tried it out at a recent trade show and is now having one installed in his home. The sink includes a basin that heats water to 212 degrees. "It's not a substitute for a stove," he says, but he thinks it's "great for anything you can steam or boil." He wants it so his two daughters, ages 11 and eight, can cook macaroni and cheese without lifting a pot. Kohler won't give specifics, but says sales are "exceeding expectations." But, at $3,000, this is one of the pricier gadgets.

What's more, on the high-tech hierarchy, kitchen technology has been lagging. (Believe it or not, the microwave was introduced in the 1950s, and the dishwasher came out in the '90s -- the 1890s.) And some experts say the industry's whole focus on things like talking appliances may be off. "People just don't need them," says Bill Kenney, Sears' vice president for emerging home technologies.

When it comes to bedrooms, many innovations encourage pure sloth. For instance, a remote-controlled shade by Hunter Douglas has become one of the company's best sellers since it was introduced in 1998. Easy to use, but we found it a bit noisy and slow.

Lindi Boyer, a Dallas advertising director, likes the fact that she doesn't have to get out of bed at night to adjust the temperature, now that she has purchased a programmable thermostat. (They sell at Home Depot, starting at $45.) "In the winter, I was always too hot, in the summer I was freezing, and the fan was always noisy." Now, her condo stays at a constant 73 degrees.

Lying around gets new meaning -- and a mind-blowing price tag -- from Verstile, of Montreal. Its $9,500 rotating bed eliminates the need for a separate entertainment armoire. OK, so the need for bedroom TV isn't exactly up there with food and water, but the spinning bed does have a high gee-whiz factor. The TV is hidden in the headboard, and rises via remote control. Another button slowly spins the bed 180 degrees so you can face the TV without mussing up the covers. "I like theatricality," says company president Jack Dell'Accio.

While kitchen innovation has been relatively slow, America's odd obsession with the bathroom has morphed it from a spartan "necessary room" into one of the splashiest rooms in many houses. To stand out from the remote-controlled fireplaces, waterfall-spout faucets and built-in towel warmers already on the market, manufacturers have to push the envelope.

And they are. The latest entry: the $20,000 Vizion whirlpool bath by Jacuzzi, with a flat-screen TV, digital videodisc/CD player and floating (yes, you read that right) remote control. Many of these features are also in its "Affinity" spa, at less than half the cost. The difference? Pure snob appeal -- the Vizion is by an Italian designer and will be produced in a limited edition of 100. Already a dozen people have signed up, says Chief Executive Roy Jacuzzi. Maybe no one told these people the '90s are over.

And who knew this is what Big Brother would end up watching? The Matsushita health-monitoring toilet system records data such as weight, body fat and urine sugar, and can zap the data to doctors. But it's still in prototype (on display in a Tokyo showroom), and rollout is at least two years away.

Even the laundry room is getting a makeover. Manufacturers have introduced dryers that "sense" when clothes are dry, and washers that "bounce" rather than agitate clothes so they'll last longer. Friday, Whirlpool will unveil what it calls a "Personal Valet Clothes Vitalizing System," a closet that it claims can de-wrinkle clothes in about half an hour, using a heat-activated detergent and no water. Price: about $1,000. But it will have stiff competition from cheaper options, including ionic clothes "fresheners" -- $90 devices said to "circulate natural ozone" while they hang in the closet.

Once, a living room was a guests-only parlor, while the family room was a place where the kids could make a mess. Now both rooms have become places to show off new technology.

For Jim Lipsit, it happens before he even hits the front door of his Florida home. First, he turns off his security system from his car phone. Once inside, he talks into a microphone on the foyer table, bidding his computer to turn on the lights and start the hot tub. HAL, his creepily named voice-recognition software, complies, in a robotic-sounding feminine voice.

"It's hilarious," says Mr. Lipsit, who, over a year's time has "taught" his HAL system to do these things, as well as practical jokes, like blurting out "I'm not fat, I'm pleasingly plump" when his wife steps on the scale. But Mr. Lipsit, who evaluates cellphones for AT&T, says you need technical expertise -- and the will to spend a lot more than the $399 software price on peripherals (he's spent $2,500) to take advantage of all these features. Home Automated Living, of Laurel, Md., introduced HAL three years ago to the "home enthusiast" (read: gadget freak) market. This month, it's rolling out a "scaled down" version through Lowe's. Price: $99.

What's next? How about settling into a $2,000 leather "e-cliner," putting a brew into a built-in cup holder, and using the chair's keyboard to access the Internet on your TV -- assuming, of course, that WebTV ever catches on -- or listen to your entertainment system. Here's where you can drop the big bucks. Although a store like Best Buy can set you up with a basic system for a few hundred dollars that will play your Santana CDs, a custom system that integrates DVD players, multi-channel speakers and digital "jukeboxes" throughout the house can run up to $200,000.

"At first, customers think the cost is ridiculous," says Scott Ranney, owner of Progressive Audio in Columbus, Ohio. But some, he says, get addicted: "Pretty soon they want everything." In two decades, his business has evolved from simple stereos to installing home systems "so complicated that the customer can't even turn it on without being educated."

In many homes, "smart" products are making the inhabitants smarter, too. But not always in the ways intended. After Jody Forehand's "gadget freak" husband hooked up a TV, two DVD players, a VCR, a cable modem and a networking system in their Carrboro, N.C., family room, it required four remote controls to turn the system on. "Although I haven't admitted it to him yet, I now avoid using the TV," she says.

What does she do instead? Read.

Products for the home are getting smarter, but that doesn't mean they'll all catch on with consumers -- or that they even should. Here's a sampling of products being touted for the house of the future:

What It Does: Voice-recognition software allows you to use a computer microphone to control a home's lights, security, entertainment system and appliances. It downloads and announces information like stock quotes, and recognizes different voices.

Comments: Unlike its movie namesake, this software doesn't think on its own -- it only understands certain word combinations. Helpful if your hands are full -- or if you're starved for conversation.

What It Does: This freestanding spa, designed by Carlo Urbinati, combines a two-person whirlpool bathtub with a 10-inch flat-screen television, DVD/CD player, stereo system and floating remote control.

Comments: The Vizion costs twice as much as the company's popular Affinity spa, which also has a stereo and TV. Still, "you have to be careful when you mix electronics and water," says Robert Hill, a director at the National Association of Home Builders Research Center.

What It Does: La-Z-Boy and WebTV Networks, a unit of Microsoft, created this "e-cliner" with a tray table that holds a Sony infrared keyboard that interacts with a WebTV Plus receiver. The result? You can watch TV and surf the Web at the same time. Also has a cup holder, surge protector, laptop modem jack and built-in electrical outlet. Comes in fabric, leather and vinyl.

Comments: If WebTV catches on in a big way, this might, too. But that's still an "if."

What It Does: Sets off fierce barking -- and 30 seconds later, any lamp you designate -- when tripped by a keychain remote control or a motion detector.

Comments: Doesn't shed, but the annoying barking might startle the neighbors.

What It Does: Robotic mower handles up to a 3,200-square-foot lawn in about two hours. Also has a robotic sense of humor, emitting "boings" when it runs into an object and giving off a bugle cry when its battery is fully charged.

Comments: To keep the robomower within bounds, users must string wire around the perimeter of their yard. It can handle 15-degree slopes, but doesn't do well with tree roots or tall grass, so homeowners still have to pull out those weed whackers.

What It Does: Sewing machine uses a Nintendo Game Boy to sew 150 different stitch patterns, including letters, numbers and buttonholes.

Comments: Introduced to retailers in January, it's targeted to young sewers, who are more interested in sewing their initials on pillows than hemming the kitchen curtains. An earlier version sold well in Japan.

What It Does: Vacuums rooms using a cordless attachment and carries small loads from room to room.

Comments: Operates on a graphical interface on a PC; you control motion by moving your mouse. Can't climb stairs, dust or do windows. And Rachel Cericola, a Wayland, Mass., electronic-product tester, says it's "very primitive -- a novelty at a high price."

What It Does: Uses biometrics built into the mouse to recognize a user's fingerprints, so you no longer need to type in passwords -- or worry about your teenager sneaking a peak at your tax records.

Comments: Since the mouse is inexpensive, and sensitive enough to recognize fingerprints even if you've got a cut, this may prove a winner.