Top 5 Underrated Smart Kitchen Accessories That Are A Must-Try For An Efficient Kitchen

After a long and tiring day at work, I really don’t have the energy to deal with complicated and cumbersome kitchen appliances. I need appliances that are quick, efficient, or to be more accurate…Smart! Smart kitchen appliances are a boon in today’s day and age, they do most of the work for you. All you need to do is adjust a few settings on the touchscreen or swipe through a few options on your smartphone – and most of your kitchen chores are done for you. And, we’ve curated a few of our favorite smart kitchen accessories for you that we believe deserve a spot in your kitchen. These innovative accessories are the ingenious sidekicks you need on your cooking adventures!

1. Hoto Kitchen Scale

Designed by Lu Zheng, Hoto is a smart kitchen scale that integrates the perks of smart technology such as accompanied social media channels and interactive control panels.

Click Here to Buy Now: $35

Why is it noteworthy?

The smart kitchen scale is minimally designed and features stainless steel controls, and a polished reflective sheen. It doesn’t include a whole bunch of controls and buttons, and in fact, consolidates every control into one interactive knob.

What we like

  • Sleek and smart design with one knob operating it
  • Allows Hoto users to share recipes using the accompanying social media app

What we dislike

  • Since it allows users to keep track of how much they’re consuming, it could promote an unhealthy lifestyle if not used in a balanced manner

2. BORA x BO Flex Oven

The BORA x BO flex oven is intended to be the ultimate dream smart oven, that automates many parts of the cooking process for you, allowing you to pay more attention to preparing the dish.

Why is it noteworthy?

Cooking is a complicated and multi-step process that can take up a lot of your time, and can often feel overwhelming. The BORA x BO smart steam oven makes the cooking process easier, and more streamlined, taking care of many of the parts that you may have taken for granted.

What we like

  • Features an animated grid right on the screen
  • You can control all the operations via a bright 19-inch touch display on top

What we dislike

  • The BORA x BO flex oven is a massive kitchen appliance and will occupy a substantial amount of space in your kitchen

3. Suvie Kitchen Robot

Meet Suvie – a smart WiFi-enabled countertop multi-zone cooker and refrigerator that transforms four individual meal components – raw proteins, dry starches, fresh veggies, and chef-designed sauces into one delicious restaurant-quality meal.

Click Here to Buy Now: $299

Why is it noteworthy?

Suvie is designed for those people who want healthy meals made from fresh ingredients but don’t have the time to cook them. Suvie is combined with optional meal kits, providing fresh healthy meals for working parents and busy professionals.

What we like

  • Comes with a fully customizable Suvie Smart Meals delivery service
  • Requires minimal clean-up

What we dislike

  • Serves 2-4 adults, so not the best appliance to cater to a dinner party or provide meals for a larger family

4. Super Smart Fridge

The Super Smart Fridge by Rocco co-founders Alyse Borkan and Sam Naparstek is a compact and stylish refrigerator that looks more like a furniture piece than a modern kitchen appliance!

Why is it noteworthy?

The Super Smart Fridge is a mix between a small fridge and a dedicated wine fridge. The good-looking fridge features a modern and contemporary design, which includes a smart exterior paired with a fluted glass door.

What we like

  • Effortlessly merges with the rest of the home decor and furniture in the room, so you can place it in your living room as well

What we dislike

  • Looks more suited to hold wine bottles than food items or containers, so not the most versatile appliance

5. TOKIT Omni Cook

Dubbed the TOKIT Omni Cook, this all-in-one kitchen appliance is the ultimate kitchen assistant you’ve been looking for. It makes meal prep, faster and more efficient, and with an element of fun involved!

Why is it noteworthy?

It is equipped with innovative technology, an automated cooking process, and step-by-step digital recipes, which makes cooking up delicious dishes super easy and simple. It has 11+ built-in culinary modes and can function as 21 cooking appliances.

What we like

  • Features an integrated 7-inch touchscreen display, allowing you to customize and tweak your preferences
  • Compact design that occupies minimum space

What we dislike

  • The numerous culinary modes and functionalities can make the appliance a bit difficult to use and operate

The post Top 5 Underrated Smart Kitchen Accessories That Are A Must-Try For An Efficient Kitchen first appeared on Yanko Design.

Govee RGBIC Permanent Outdoor Lights Review: It’s a Holiday Everyday of the Year

PROS:


  • Relatively easy to install

  • Durable and weatherproof with IP67 rating

  • Bright and vibrant LEDs with 16 million colors

  • Powerful customization and control via app or smart assistants

CONS:


  • A bit expensive

  • Triangular light pattern might not appeal to some

  • Overwhelming mobile app

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Bright, colorful, durable, and versatile, the high-quality Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights make sure you never have to buy and put up Christmas lights over and over again.

Christmas in Summer? Sure, why not? Especially if you can beat the summer heat and hold a raving ‘outdoor party at night. You’ll need to set the right atmosphere, though, to help your guests forget about the sweltering temperatures. And what better way is there to set a festive mood than with brilliant lights that dance to the music? Of course, those same outdoor lights could provide not only decoration but also safety at night, any time of the year. That’s the proposition that the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights is making, replacing your Christmas lights and staying beyond the winter holidays to be used all year round. These aren’t the first outdoor fairy lights in the market, though, so we took these unique-looking LED lights outdoors, hooked them up, and lit up the house to see if it can rise to the challenge and stand proud apart from the crowd.

Designer: Govee

Click Here to Buy Now: $299.99.

Aesthetics

You’ve probably seen your fair share of outdoor lights, fairy or otherwise, but if you haven’t, suffice it to say that the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights are nowhere near what you’d expect. Instead of bulbs sticking out of a strand of cable, you get LEDs enclosed in 3cm squares with a small clear dome covering the LED itself. Each square is set about a foot apart from each other on the flat cable, forming 6 segments that total a 100ft (50m) long string of light of lights that offers some flexibility in how you install them (more on that later). What all these mean is that the lights are designed to be minimalist and almost invisible, getting out of the way to let the lights take center stage.

Those lights definitely deserve all the attention because of their impressive output. Thanks to Govee’s RGBIC technology, each light is capable of showing any color within a range of 16 million. Of course, you won’t be looking at each LED on its own, and its real appeal comes through the combination of those lights, whether as a single stream of color or in a kaleidoscopic display. At 26 lumens per LED, the Outdoor Lights will definitely be an attention grabber, no matter what color you choose. That might also be a consideration you have to take in mind if there are related regulations about night lights in your area.

All-in-all, the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights delivers a stunning visual, regardless of the holiday or occasion. They’re pretty much like super-powered Christmas lights you don’t have to take down and can use all throughout the year. You can even dim the lights a bit and use a solid swath of color to illuminate your house without making it look like you’re having a party every night. Thanks to its simple and minimalist design, there are no bulbs that stick out from roofs and eaves to steal the show. These outdoor lights are an effective and cost-effective way to make your house pop, any time of the year.

Ergonomics (Installation)

You won’t be handling these outdoor lights all the time, fortunately, but you will have to wrestle with them at least once when you install them on your house. Because they are meant to stay in their place, hence the “permanent” part of their name, you do have to take some time to properly plan out where you’ll be placing them. Fortunately, Govee is making it easy to install these strands of light, giving you plenty of flexibility to run the lights even along areas where you might not want to have any light at all.

That’s because the 100ft (30m) string of LEDs is actually divided into 6 strands, each with clearly-marked waterproof connectors so you can easily tell which end connects to which. There are also extension cables included in the box, in case you need to run the lights down from roof to wall but want to leave gaps in the lighting in those transitional areas. This also means you don’t have to force yourself to use all six segments if you don’t need to. Conversely, you can also extend the length with another 100ft set or the 3-segment 50ft (30m) set that Govee also sells.

Once all the planning is done, installing the lights is relatively painless, though still needs a bit of work to pull off. Each light square has a 3M adhesive that lets you easily stick them to any flat surface outside your house. There are also clips you can use to keep wayward clips in line. Once all the lights have been installed, the last bit is connecting the control box and the power box to finally light up your house. Connecting the lights to the Govee mobile app is just as painless and you’ll be off playing with the settings and features in no time.

Performance

The Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights are definitely one of those things that you have to see to truly appreciate their value. The bright lights can effectively illuminate your house, adding not only flavor but also safety at night. The lights might actually be too bright, so you might want to put on covers or blinds on windows if the lights are anywhere near them.

These Outdoor Lights are also smart lights, which means they’re meant to be controlled through a connected smartphone or via some smart assistants, particularly Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. This is where the lights really shine, pardon the pun, thanks to the countless ways you can change the way they look or behave. In fact, the sheer number of options available on the app might be overwhelming and confusing for new users. Fortunately, there are also plenty of presets available, including over 70 scenes that let you set the right mood for given occasions.

While there are plenty of ways to configure the Govee Outdoor Lights, one of the most interesting and most dramatic is the Music Mode, where the lights react to the music and sound it hears either through the phone or its control box, making them dance to the beat. Even better, you can harmonize multiple Govee products through DreamView mode to create a captivating synchronized Light Show. And when the party’s done, you can just ask Alexa or Google Assistant to turn the lights into a more peaceful hue to call it a night.

Due to its rather unique enclosure design, the light that the LEDs project has a rather distinctive triangular shape that’s even more visible if the lights are placed close to a wall. Unlike most fairy or string lights that wash the surroundings with a more or less even diffusion, the lights coming from the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights look more like mini spotlights with a wide-angle spread. It creates a rather unique visual effect, like sharp ridges or stairs, it’s an aesthetic that won’t appeal to everybody. That could be a deal-breaking design that potential buyers will have to consider before making this rather substantial purchase.

Sustainability

Like many outdoor lights, the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights make use of plenty of plastic and some rubber, not exactly the most environment-friendly materials. Given design and production requirements, however, this is hardly surprising, but it’s definitely a big opportunity for Govee to further take the lead in the smart lighting market. Imagine a brand that not only delivers powerful smart lighting but sustainable products as well. That could be Govee a few years down the line!

The company does make up for it by making sure that its products don’t meet their untimely demise quickly. In other words, Govee lights are built to last, and these Outdoor Lights are no different. In fact, they’re even better, boasting an IP67 dust and water resistance rating that makes them ideal for use even in inclement weather. Even the control box and adapter are IP65 rated, truly marking them safe for outdoor use. As for the LEDs themselves, they’re advertised with a lifetime of up to 50,000 hours, around 5 years if you use them 24/7 (which you won’t anyway). Govee makes these affirmations regarding the durability of the RGBIC Permanent Outdoor Lights:

  • Successful operation test at 140 ℉
  • Successful operation test at -40 ℉
  • Passed operation test at a water depth of 49ft
  • Withstood a tensile force of 11.02lb
  • Endured manual pulling of over 10 pounds

Value

It’s easy to do a double-take when you see the $299.99 price tag attached to these lights, but it’s a first impression that won’t last long. Yes, it is a bit steep and pricier than other outdoor fairy lights, but few or none of those can even offer half of what Govee delivers. Some, for example, won’t even last more than two seasons of limited use during holidays only, let alone regular use both on or off-season. Few can also offer a quick and easy method of installing lights that you’ll leave in place until they die many years later. You don’t have to dread removing the lights after the festivities and can just leave them there for the next occasion or as regular night lights for the house.

The Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights also offer a level of control and customization you might only find in more expensive brands. There is, in fact, an overwhelming number of settings you can tweak to your heart’s content, making these outdoor lights not only beautiful but also versatile. Given all that, the $299.99 figure doesn’t look bad at all, especially when you consider that it’s a longer-term investment that will last you for years compared to cheaper lights where you truly get what you pay for.

Verdict

Summer isn’t just about beaches and camping (or glamping). Night pool parties and quiet times out on the porch are also common activities during this season, both of which require the right lights to set the right mood. You could get different lights for different occasions, or you could get the Govee RGBIC Permanent Outdoor Lights and have a versatile outdoor lighting solution for any occasion.

With a modular design and easy installation process, these Govee outdoor lights offer more flexibility in where and how you want to put them up. The bright and vibrant colors of the LEDs help create the atmosphere that you want, while the powerful mobile app put an almost endless array of options at your fingertips. Whether it’s a holiday, a seasonal party, or just a dark night, the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights will make your house stand out and make you the talk of the town.

Click Here to Buy Now: $299.99.

The post Govee RGBIC Permanent Outdoor Lights Review: It’s a Holiday Everyday of the Year first appeared on Yanko Design.

World’s first smart chain lock brings incredible durability and convenient security for your bike

Personal transportation devices such as e-scooters and e-bikes have joined bicycles and motorcycles as a popular means to get around places. Unfortunately, their popularity has also caught the attention of less-than-savory individuals who might have other plans for things that are not theirs. Making matters even worse is how traditional safety mechanisms like regular chains and padlocks haven’t been able to keep up with the times, let alone effectively protect your precious metal steed from more creative thieves. There are newer “smart locks” that offer convenience but fail to actually upgrade the protection itself. In order to truly protect your bike these days, you’ll need to upgrade your whole security strategy, which is what this innovative chain lock brings to the table, providing a smarter and better way to keep you from losing your precious property.

Designer: LINKA Design

Click Here to Buy Now: $139 $194 ($55 off). Hurry, only 199/300 left! Raised over $180,000.

Your property can be insured when locked with the ART and Sold Secure certified* LASSO.

LASSO can withstand up to 2,100lb-f (9.5 kilonewtons) pull force. Good luck getting through that!

Every inch of the LINK LASSO is engineered to withstand any attack from different tools, including bolt cutters, hammers, and even hacksaws. The square manganese hardened steel chain provides toughness from within, while a 100% recyclable polyethylene sleeve protects the chain from the outside. The lock itself is protected by a corrosion-resistant stainless steel 304 frame. If it sounds like it’s built like a tank, it’s because it’s “obsessively engineered” to provide the utmost security for your bikes.

LASSO’s patented Quick Lock is fast. Lock and unlock in under 1 second.

Don’t worry if your phone battery dies. Simply enter your unique phoneless access code (PAC) into your LASSO and you’re back on the road in no time.

Despite all that toughness, locking and unlocking the LINKA LASSO couldn’t be easier and just takes under a second. Like most smart locks, you unlock it primarily with your phone, but you don’t have to fret if your phone dies even before you could get to your bike. Simply enter the Phoneless Access Code or PAC on the LASSO and you’ll be riding into the sunset in no time at all. Or you could opt to buy a SmartMotion Key (sold separately) to have a dedicated key to unlock the LASSO. The SmartMotion Key only broadcasts when it’s in motion, preventing any hacker-type spoofing attacks. Pairing a SmartMotion Key can extend the battery life of the LASSO from 3 to 12 months.

LASSO is IP 67 water & dust resistant. LASSO can be submersed under water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.

The smart chain lock offers more peace of mind beyond durability and convenience. Its IP67 dust and water resistance rating means it will survive downpours and an accidental dip in a puddle. You can also share your access with family or friends through the LINKA mobile app even if you’re halfway around the world. But for those who try to take it without your permission, the LASSO will sound an alarm when it detects unwanted movement. Don’t worry about embarrassing moments, however, because Travel Mode deactivates the alarm to prevent it from getting triggered accidentally.

The LINKA LASSO is designed not just for bikes and scooters but can also lock kayaks, skis, and snowboards. The largest LASSO 10 Moto can even protect motorcycles, garage doors, and watersports equipment. LINKA is so confident in the chain lock’s durability that is generously giving a 5-year warranty with the LASSO. For just $139, you can get the LINKA LASSO Series 8 together with a SmartMotion Key, offering an unbeatable price to not only keep your bike safe but also give you peace of mind.

Click Here to Buy Now: $139 $194 ($55 off). Hurry, only 199/300 left! Raised over $180,000.

The post World’s first smart chain lock brings incredible durability and convenient security for your bike first appeared on Yanko Design.

Squid-inspired smart windows make buildings more energy-efficient

The University of Toronto researchers have been busy at work – busy drawing inspiration from the fluctuating and color-changing skin of squids and using it to create a multilayered fluidic system that can significantly bring down the energy costs associated with heating, lighting, and cooling buildings. More than a quarter of a building’s energy is lost via its glass-pane windows, and hence the university has developed liquid-filled panels, with the aim of retrofitting windows with them, and in turn, using these windows to supplement modern buildings.

Designer: University of Toronto

Squids move a certain type of pigment in their skin, which quite literally transforms the color and appearance of their skin. The University of Toronto utilizes a device that mimics this very movement and transports various liquids like dye solutions, glycerol, and carbon powder suspensions with the help of channels into thin plastic sheets. “It’s an advantage that this approach can use simple, relatively inexpensive, non-toxic, aqueous fluids,” said Benjamin Hatton, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Toronto.

By producing these liquid windows, the university hopes to make buildings more energy efficient, since currently, buildings consume about a third of the world’s energy. Smart building technologies such as automatic blinds and electro-chromatic blinds have been incorporated into modern buildings, but these systems have their limitations as well. They cant truly differentiate between the different wavelengths of light, nor can they control the distribution of light. The Univerisity of Toronto has instead created a rather dynamic and innovative system using simple and economical elements. Three thin sheets of Plexiglass have been joined together, each sheet holding 2-3mm of patterned channels in them. The researchers insert the different fluids through these sheets – water-based dye solutions or glycerol that absorb light of various colors, carbon pigment suspensions that control light transmission; and titania nanoparticle suspensions that are able direct the light that passes through.

“If we had just one layer that focuses on modulating the transmission of near-infrared light – so not even touching the visible part of the spectrum – we find that we could save about 25 percent annually on heating, cooling, and lighting energy over a static baseline. If we have two layers – infrared and visible – it’s more like 50 percent. These are very significant savings,” said Raphael Kay, who graduated with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. Currently, the panels they have developed are only 30×30 cm, but the team is hoping to build larger designs that can be used for larger constructions. They said that compared to the darkening windows available on the market today, these liquid windows can save 75% on heat energy, 20% on electricity for lighting, and 43% on total energy use annually.

The post Squid-inspired smart windows make buildings more energy-efficient first appeared on Yanko Design.

Man Builds Remote Controlled Bed So He Never Has to Leave It

I’ve heard of couch potatoes before, but never bed potatoes. But here to prove there is such a thing, a 39-year-old man from China named Zhu Jianqiang went and built himself a joystick-controlled bed so he never has to get out from under the sheets to go about his day. Talk about a genius!

The bed moves about as fast as a walking human and gets an impressive 30 miles to a full charge (there’s plenty of room for a large battery). It can tackle steep grades thanks to its large tires and braking system and includes a motor for raising the incline of your head and a canopy for staying out of the sun. Now it just needs a mini-fridge and I’ve found my dream bed!

In the video, Zhu even takes the bed down to a pond to do a little fishing. That’s cool. At least until he accidentally steers himself into the water. Then it’s less cool and more cold and wet. Unless, of course, it can transform into a submarine bed the way James Bond’s would.

[via TechEBlog]

The expandable seat of this smart mobility device can be controlled from your smartphone 

GoSolo is a universal, smart, personal mobility device designed for people to move seamlessly through indoor spaces and controlled outdoor environments.

There’s nothing worse than running late for a flight and having to sprint through the airport with at least two bags in each hand and one hanging from your shoulders. Before you even make it to your terminal, you’re out of breath and your arms are losing circulation. The trek intensifies for those who might require some mobility assistance, like wheelchairs or scooters.

Designers: Alabaster Research and Technologies Private Limited x Prem Shah, Kirti Khadia, Kishan Amin, Chintan Shinde

 

While motorized assistive devices are typically reserved for those with limited mobility, one company believes there’s a larger market for them. GoSolo, a personal mobility device, designed by Alabaster Research and Technologies Private Limited is a smart, universal mobility solution designed for people to move through indoor spaces and controlled outdoor environments with ease.

Expandable by design, GoSolo’s defining feature is its seat that can rise to a height of 71-centimeters. In this mode, users can still drive GoSolo from an elevated height. The semi-standing position was built for users to have access to a sit-to-stand assistive mechanism that, “gives them access to higher desks, counters or shelves on the premises. For people with mobility constraints, the adjustable-height feature…[allows] easy and intuitive sideways transfer to and from the scooter.”

Located just in front of the adjustable seat rest, users will find a footrest that hosts ample room for storing items that users bring with them on the go. The device’s wheels and footrest coverings are both made from the same Elesa+Ganter vulcanized rubber castors to ensure a smooth ride, even on uneven surfaces. Operable from a smartphone or from the device’s intuitive control panel, GoSolo meets users where they are to provide seamless transportation in controlled environments.

Putting it best in their own words, the team behind GoSolo explains the inspiration behind the smart universal mobility concept, “We have to rethink how we design products for a larger range of people including those with limited mobility or strength.”

“Beyond the usual mobility constraints, there are also circumstantial constraints like having too many bags, carrying infants, recovering from surgeries, pregnancy, menstrual cramps, or even fatigue. At some point in time, any of us can have mobility constraints. GoSolo addresses this need.”

GoSolo can glide across all types of flooring, from smooth marble to uneven wood.

The expandable seat rest allows users to adjust their height to meet acquaintances and tall surfaces like check-in desks at hotels.

The team behind GoSolo gave the device a minimalist look to maintain a universal appeal.

Users can even feel free to traverse incline ramps using GoSolo.

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This household greeting service uses AI to register resident’s arrival and welcome them

Dearbell is a smart household welcome service and lighting fixture that employs Artificial Intelligence to register the arrival of each resident and deliver corresponding messages.

It’s been said that with the arrival of each new generation, the more disconnected we become from one another, tightening our grip on our smartphones. It’s no secret that the more technologically advanced we become as a society, the more comfortable we become withdrawing from IRL socialization to prioritize our online lives.

Designers: Juan Lee, Hyebin Lee, Banhu Jeong, and Daeun Yoo

Responding to this generational gap, designers look once more to technology for a solution. Dearbell, a smart household welcome service, is one of the more recent solution-based concepts from a team of designers based in Korea.

Following a research period of interviews and surveys, the design team found that most family members living under one roof feel disconnected from one another. Due to long work hours and technology overload, communication at home is sometimes perceived as “nagging.” In an effort to connect family members together through communication, Dearbell is conceptualized as a customizable, home greeting service for family members to get to know one another better.

Dearbell takes on the look of a light pendant that can either hang from your ceiling or be mounted to your wall. Projecting from the light fixture, holographic messages are created and delivered by family members to other family members. Depending on artificial intelligence for operation, visual haptic sensors register each household resident’s gestures, shoes, and smartphone to ensure accurate message delivery.

The team of designers goes on to explain, “Dearbell projector is motivated from ‘welcoming bell’. Technically, it supports automotive focusing in multi-layers and AI projection mapping that shows the image on a certain object and recognizes gesture interaction.”

Walking through the home’s front door, residents take off their shoes and Dearbell alerts each individual family member of the total number of steps taken during the day as well as any messages left to be read. As the unread message is beamed from the light pendant, the message can be opened by its designated receiver once they put their hand over the message icon.

Once the message is read, the receiver can choose to leave a response in the form of emojis by shaking their fists, a Dearbell-detected hand gesture. In addition to curated messages, residents can ask Dearbell for some daily information as they prepare to leave the home, including, weather, public transportation, as well as a pre-made to-do list.

As residents arrive home, Dearbell projects their corresponding messages via light beam.

Wooden elements ground the stainless steel body with a touch of warmth and rustic charm.

Once home, Dearbell alerts residents of the steps taken throughout the day.

“Through the Wood detail finishing at the bottom, it visually reveals the warm communication with the family, not the technical image.”

“Dearbell consists of soft shapes and textures that are not solid form, luxurious arch-shaped metal frame.”

Dearbell can either be mounted to a vertical service or suspended from the ceiling. 

Following a period of interviews and surveys, the team of designers recognized the generational gaps present in most households. 

The post This household greeting service uses AI to register resident’s arrival and welcome them first appeared on Yanko Design.

This smart eco-friendly shower uses a pressure-sensitive floor panel to turn off the water once you’re done!

Did you know that around 2.5 gallons of water are wasted at home while taking a shower? Imagine the amount of water wasted after an entire month or year of showering. Tremendous, and quite alarming! Now, showering isn’t something we can particularly avoid, so designer Natasha Jadhav decided to create a ‘Smart Shower’. This shower is truly smart, interactive, and not to mention aesthetically pleasing too! Jadhav struck the perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality with this design. Jadhav’s smart shower consists of the actual shower on the ceiling of the bathroom, a sleek white console that holds panels, and a hand shower, as well as a pressure-sensitive panel on the floor.

To start the shower, you need to simply rotate the intuitive center panel of the console. You can rotate it on either side to tactfully control the volume of the water.

The center panel is surrounded by a colored panel! This one can be used to control the temperature of the water. When the panel is rotated to the left, the console turns red (it’s been outlined with LED lights), indicating that the water is now hot.

When rotated to the right, the console turns blue and indicates the intensity of the cold water.

Now for the most interesting feature of this smart shower! The floor has been equipped with a pressure-sensitive panel. Once you step onto this panel, the console on the wall instantly recognizes you, and lights up to welcome you! Once you step off the pressure-sensitive panel to grab some soap or shampoo, or to carry out other activities, the water flow is immediately cut off, preventing any excess wastage of water. Once you step onto the panel again, the smart shower senses your weight and starts up the flow of water again! The shower automatically switches off after five minutes of zero activity!

This smart shower is an intuitive and innovative means of ensuring a comfortable shower experience, while also conserving water! It’s an eco-friendly, creative, and sleek product design that is the perfect integration of aesthetics and utility.

Designer: Natasha Jadhav

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This smart heat press takes on an ergonomic and intuitive design to help beginners feel more focused!

Everyone picked up a hobby during the pandemic. While some of us took up gardening and others learned how to create jewelry, a good chunk of us began designing our own clothes. Finding the right equipment, like gardening or metalworking tools, for new hobbies can be a tough ask since we’re only starting out. Noticing the rise in popularity over designing hand-pressed clothes, Suosi Design created Viso Press, a smart heat press for heat pressing patterns onto clothing that makes the beginner process feel a lot more seamless.

Minimal by design, Viso Press ditches the chunky, hefty structure of the heat press table and takes on a slimmer body formed into the shape of a conventional steam iron. Heat-pressing requires a lot of focus and precision, so the designers at Suosi Design embedded Viso Press with smart features that help make heat-pressing feel a lot less intimidating, allowing beginners to focus solely on pressing their patterns onto clothing items. Viso Press features a round screen in its center that works as the device’s main display screen. There, users can adjust the heat and time settings on Viso Press. Altogether, users can operate Viso Press with just one hand since all of the control options can be found on the round display screen, just above the handle. By consolidating all of the controls into one screen, beginners need only look there for the next step.

Large heat-pressing tables can feel intimidating. If I didn’t know better, looking at one for the first time, I might think it was some clunky blacksmithing tool. To make the process of heat pressing feel a little more welcoming and interactive, Viso Press lets users guide their own progress with a tool that feels ergonomic and looks a little more familiar.

Designer: Suosi Design

Viso Press takes on the shape of a traditional iron to enhance its usability and ergonomic design.

Ditching the heft of a heat press table for a sleek, minimal design, Viso Press feels a lot less intimidating.

Viso Press consolidates its entire control panel into one round screen that features control options like temperature and time settings.

Minimal by design, Viso Press can be stored anywhere.

Small enough to fit in casual places, Viso Press only has to be plugged in for use.

To activate Viso Press, users only have to dislodge it from its base and begin pressing patterns onto their clothing.

Bike tires that last a lifetime without any puncture or degradation are inspired by NASA’s rover technology

Just when you thought tubeless bike tires are the best thing on the road for your bicycle, the next revolution has arrived. The very technology that NASA uses in its Mars rover and lunar mission, has now made it through to the consumer-oriented arena in the form of METL tire developed by the startup Smart Tire Company, who’ve licensed the technology to bring to the bicycle lanes in the near future. The airless METL bike tires are crafted out of the Shape Memory Alloy Radial Technology (SMART) – made from strong (like titanium), lightweight yet ultra-elastic material (like rubber) known as NiTinol+. This magic material according to Smart Tire Company, “rearranges its molecular structure when you bend it, but instantly goes back to its original shape, perfectly.”

In fact, these tires are so good, they can last your bicycle’s lifetime – meaning you don’t ever need to bother about flat, tires, or ones with the tread wearing – needing to change to a new one. They are basically, shape-memory tires that have almost 30 times the recoverable strain limit of the steel, thereby making them ideal for any kind of rough terrain. The metal of these tires will not come in contact with the tarmac as they will be coated with a new kind of rubber-like material called Polyurethanium, which’s crafted for all king of weather conditions and has a long-lasting tread and grip for superior handling.

Since the tires are going to be targeted towards next-gen buyers, the design is as important as function. Therefore, Smart Tire Company has made it a point to embellish them in white, gold, silver, and metallic blue colorways. They plan to bring the METL tires to the consumer market in early 2022, but there is no word about the cost of these tires yet. As per Earl Cole, CEO of The Smart Tire Company, “The unique combination of these advanced materials, coupled with a next-generation, eco-friendly design make for a revolutionary product.” This shape memory alloy technology looks promising and will make it beyond just the bicycle tires for sure.

As Santo Padula, a materials science engineer at NASA pointed out, “Shape memory alloys look extremely promising in revolutionizing the entire terrestrial tire industry.” In fact, that’s just a starting point and these could make it to the four-wheelers and commercial vehicles – changing the landscape of commuting to another dimension. After all, who doesn’t want to fit their bicycle, car, or truck with wheels that will never go flat or need to be changed in a lifetime!

Designer: Smart Tire Company