To determine optimum layout, a British builder is tracking the activities of a family in a “concept home” using RFID tags.

The experiment was set up to determine exactly what a modern family wants in a home, which features of the house get used and how often. During six months, the family and their guests have agreed to wear bracelets embedded with RFID tags at the beginning, middle, and end of their stay, for two weeks at a time. The tags transmit signals to 26 sensors throughout the house tracking each family member’s location.

At the end of their stay, researchers will analyze the data, and a consumer-research specialist will conduct extensive interviews with the family.

Details in Business Week.