Here are 3 essential products to buy if you want to turn your regular home into an automated smart home

These products go way beyond your average smart speaker and smart bulb… and they’re much easier to install than a smart thermostat. I’m talking about being able to remotely control your lights and fans, kitchen appliances, curtains, and even your door lock using the power of IoT… all without needing to replan your house or even call a handyman.

SwitchBot’s devices don’t require redoing your house. They integrate right into the way things are and help automate your house in a way that brings it into the year 2022. We’re looking at three of their most unique smart home products that just fit into your house the way it is. The SwitchBot Bot, Curtain, and Lock together help turn your home into an interconnected automated space that responds to voice commands or even routines. Together, they make the perfect three gadgets to integrate into your house without breaking the bank. The best part? If you’re in a rented house, you can detach the gadgets and take them with you when you’re moving out!

Exclusive 35% discount for YD readers, use Coupon Code “YANKODESIGN”.

Click here to Buy SwitchBot Bot Now: $18.85 $29.

Click here to Buy SwitchBot Curtain Rod 2 Now: $64.35 $99.

Click here to Buy SwitchBot Lock Starter Combo Now:$79.95 $123.00.

SwitchBot Bot

SwitchBot first made waves with its premier product, the SwitchBot Bot. Designed to be a Bluetooth-connected device that simply sits on top of any switch in your house, the Bot lets you remotely toggle the switch on or off, allowing you to power lights, fans, heaters or ACs, and even kitchen appliances. The Bot simply presses against a switch, turning it on or off, and can be controlled via SwitchBot’s app, or even integrated with your voice assistant, allowing you to set up routines where lights and fans immediately switch on when you enter a room, and switch off when you leave! The Bot simply glues itself on your existing switchboard, and can be easily relocated whenever you want.

SwitchBot Curtain

The SwitchBot Curtain does exactly what you think it does! The award-winning gadget attaches to your curtain rod, and can automatically move up and down, opening or closing your curtains. It’s designed to be compatible with nearly all sorts of curtain rods (it doesn’t work with blinds, though) and can be controlled via the app or even automated to open or close based on your morning routine as a part of your alarm, or better still, based on how strong the sunlight is, so you don’t have to crank up the AC because your room’s getting hot! You can even automate your bot to shut the curtains as you’re leaving the house, or have them automatically close while you’re watching TV to prevent glare. The SwitchBot Curtain also comes with an optional solar panel accessory that sits facing the outside, so you never have to worry about the bot running out of charge!

SwitchBot Lock

However, the latest product in SwitchBot’s catalog is their Lock – a retrofitting device that fits onto any standard single deadbolt lock, allowing you to open it using an app, Bluetooth, proximity, or even voice commands. The SwitchBot Lock simply fits onto your existing deadbolt lock inside your house, and will open or close it using a built-in motor. You can work the lock manually too if you want, or use the SwitchBot app to open or close your door when you’re within Bluetooth range. Besides, there’s even compatibility with the Apple Watch, allowing you to open your door using your smartwatch instead of having to fish around for a set of keys. The SwitchBot Lock can fit onto most standard deadbolt locks, and the company is also working on 3D printed accessories that allow it to work with other designs too. Built to last, the gadget can easily withstand 50,000 locks and unlocks (that’s roughly 14 years if you lock/unlock your door a total of 10 times each day), and runs on two replaceable 3V CR123A batteries that last 6 months based on the same 10-times-a-day metric.

Together, the Bot, Curtain, and Lock are the perfect trio of smart devices designed to upgrade your regular home into a smart one. What’s even more remarkable is the ability to set routines and shortcuts within your voice assistant of choice, turning off lights and opening curtains when there’s ample natural light, or switching on the hallway light and opening the door when you’re back from work. You can set such routines using Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT, Siri Shortcuts, SmartThings, LINE Clova, etc., giving you a wide range of IoT ecosystems to choose from. All of SwitchBot’s products come with a 1-year warranty, and the company is even offering a special 35% Prime Day discount to YD readers. Don’t forget to use the coupon code YANKODESIGN during checkout!

Click here to Buy SwitchBot Bot Now: $18.85 $29.

Click here to Buy SwitchBot Curtain Rod 2 Now: $64.35 $99.

Click here to Buy SwitchBot Lock Starter Combo Now:$79.95 $123.00.

The post Here are 3 essential products to buy if you want to turn your regular home into an automated smart home first appeared on Yanko Design.

Honda 2040 NIKO comes with a tiny Ai assistant, taking the car from a vehicle to your friend!

A Honda autonomous vehicle bot with a compatible AI assistant, conceptualized for the year 2040 where companionship with robotic machines is going to be a common affair.

Just imagine how overurbanization by the year 2040 will change the complexion of living. Due to increased expenses and the dreams of Generation Z, the number of single households will increase exponentially. Solitary life will be more common and interaction with Artificial Intelligence will be the solution to the widespread loneliness. Jack Junseok Lee’s 2040 Honda NIKO bot is that very friend, as in Toy Story words, ‘you’ve got a friend in him!’

This smart companion has a frontal face with larger proportions to emphasize the living character, making the interaction very lively. The animated design of the fenders with covered wheels looks like the legs of a pet animal. This creates an illusion of a seemingly moving gesture like that of a living being. Most of all NIKO has a proud stance like the Lion King while radiating that cute character of a playful puppy. According to Jack, the design philosophy of the bot is centered around creating a very lively object.

The bot inside the movable vehicle will understand the owner’s emotion and current state of mind to provide empathy to them. It’ll laugh or cry with them, hear their problems and give unique solutions or thoughts. It also has storage on both sides to haul any groceries or other things if your own hands are full. When in an open position, these doors act as side tables to keep things.

This is combined with an autonomous vehicle-like bot which is bigger in size which serves as a compact commuter for short city stints to get essentials from the nearby store. Both these AI machines in a way provide the user with genuine support – just like a human would do.

Designer: Jack Junseok Lee

Heineken B.O.T. cooler that follows you is a summertime essential!





Summertime and a chilled can of beer are synonyms for that refreshing feeling. Sure, if you are someone who resonates with this notion, you wouldn’t mind a chilled beer cooler always by the side more often than not. But is it possible to lug a beer cooler always with you? Heineken’s cute little autonomous beer cooler gives you reason enough to think on those lines. Yes, the Heineken B.O.T. (Beer Outdoor Transporter) is a notorious Wall-E with fancy branding to always be by your side, delivering your brew chilled to the perfect temperature.

On first look, you can mistake this one for a mini John Deere mower with a missing front half. However, it can haul 12 chilled beers on its big wheels that virtually follow anywhere you go – giving the machine a charming personality. The tiny robot features four wheels, two big wheels, sensors, a brain running AI, and the capacity to hold a dozen cans in addition to ice. Owning this one will surely make you popular among buddies for its pure chill factor, literally. Heineken B.O.T. is an excellent example of how tech makes life convenient and differentiates from the tons of promotional materials available in the market! The video indicates the design can probably handle rolling on the grass at a park, and nothing running on more rugged terrain. It also shows a small screen and a speaker that allows the robot to greet its person!

Before you ask the question, when is this autonomous beer cooler be available to purchase. The bad news is, it’s only going to be the privilege of a few lucky ones. This limited edition beer cooler bot is up for grabs via a competition held on July 1st. Heineken will take submissions from interested people who like the idea of B.O.T. For now, there is not much known about the dynamics of the competition, but ones who love their beer will want to own this cute little buddy at all costs.

Designer: Heineken

This sleek Star Wars inspired droid serves beverages with a two-axis gimbal to keep them from spilling!





This friendly robot designed by VLND Studio has a strong Star Wars vibe to it, the R2-D2 astromech droid influence in particular. While the acclaimed Star Wars robot served Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker, and Luke Skywalker with reverence – the ARC BOT is the ideal mascot of human-robot relationships. The futuristic-looking bot is reminiscent of the delivery robots who serve their masters with the same devotion. ARC BOT is designed for internet portal NAVER LABS who already uses the robot in its headquarters building and now has plans to deploy the multi-robot intelligence system in its second head office building in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.

The building adjacent to the Green Factory in Jeongja-dong in Seongnam is going to be the first robot-friendly building powered by the artificial robot cloud (ARC) system. It’s going to be a robotic army of ARC BOT AI robots connected to the cloud for efficient service. For now, the minimalistic robot can serve 4 drinks at a time, driving autonomously aided by the ToF sensors and array of cameras. To counter the shakes while moving, there are 4 built-in gimbals each having a two-axis gimbal structure to keep the beverages from spilling. The hinge of the robot opens up elegantly to keep the beverages snug in place for the eagerly waiting personnel.

To give the robot an interactive element, there is an array of 11 dots to express the emotions and make possible human-robot interaction. Those twinkling eyes remind of the cuteness of the WALL-E robot too, cutely working on cleaning the decimated planet earth.  While its curved design aesthetics and futuristic shape make me draw a parallel with WALL-E’s crush EVE. Perhaps it’s the offspring of the two – who’s stopping me from imagining!

Designer: VLND Studio for NAVER LABS

 

 

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