Our team at FRONTSTEPS is fascinated by the Internet of Things (IoT), and how the growth of connected devices is bringing unprecedented convenience and safety to our homes, as well as the communities we live in. This is an exciting week for smart home technology, as life-changing products are being debuted at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, proving that truly anything can become a smart device. We will be sharing some of our favorite smart home and security products over the next week on our blog. Today we’ll start by highlighting some incredible advancements in the world of smart home technology.
Robots
With multiple consumer robots making a debut at CES, we can officially say that we’re living in the future. Samsung debuted a family of robots they’re currently developing. Their Care Robot, for example, acts as a personal health assistant, checking vital signs like blood pressure, pulse, and heart rate. It also acts as a partner for everyday tasks by providing daily health briefings, tracking medication intake, and providing exercise guidance.
Hate folding clothes? We’ve got good news for you. For $1,000, you can purchase Foldimate, a clothes-folding robot that will be available later this year. This robot will making laundry a breeze, as it can fold anything except bulkier items like sheets and towels.
Mirrors
Mirrors aren’t simply for catching a glimpse at yourself anymore as companies like Capstone Connected Home and Simplehuman debuted a line of smart vanity mirrors. These mirrors are Google Assistant-enabled, allowing you to download apps, stream YouTube, play music, and even compose emails all while getting ready in the morning. The Simplehuman models feature advanced lighting capabilities, allowing the system to simulate natural sunlight, as well as shift to night mode to help promote better sleep.
Air Purifiers
There’s relief in store for those who suffer from sneeze attacks and allergies in their home. Items like uHoo’s indoor air sensor are aimed at keeping the air in your home clean by tracking various things like temperature, humidity, air pressure, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and more. One of the robots in Samsung’s project helps detect poor air quality and hops into action to provide instant relief. If you’re just looking for something to keep your home smelling fresh, P&G is launching Aria, an air freshener that “printsperfume into your home.
Lighting
Philips Hue has paved the way for smart lighting, allowing consumers program lights to slowly fade as you’re falling asleep, as well as fade back on as you’re waking up. The company announced a partnership with Google that will allow users to trigger fades using their voice. That means you can ask Google Assistant for a “gentle wake upwhich will trigger the lights to begin fading up shortly before your alarm goes off.
If you’re looking for a simple way to make a room pop, consider smart lighting strips from Eve. These affordable, color-changing light strips are wi-fi enabled, and can be stuck up behind TVs, under cabinets, or anywhere else in your home that could benefit from a smart pop of color. By syncing these strips with your iOS device, you can ask Siri to turn them on and off and change their color.
Stay tuned to our blog as we’ll continue to follow the latest CES releases you need to know about. In the meantime, learn more about how the IoT is transforming the security space in our latest whitepaper.
