In 2020 watches are mini-computers, self-driving cars are on the road and homes are smart. Voice-activated outlets and light bulbs are as common as the pesky housefly. Motion-activated cameras catch naughty pets in the act, spy on the mailman and can even dispense treats. Finally, Japanese toilets play music to help shy bladders, heat your bottom and take care of your hygiene needs without killing trees. New technology is always exciting, but is smarter always better? Or are some gadgets taking it too far or even making humans dumber?
Unusual Smart Home Gadgets
Smart Faucet
Avoid wasting even a drop of water with a voice-activated faucet. Set it up to dispense an exact amount of water whenever you ask. The Delta Faucet has special VoiceIQ technology that gives your sink an upgrade.
To some, this home feature may seem completely useless, but there are real practical uses here. If you suffer from diseases that affect your muscles, are missing limbs, or are unable to reach the faucet, this could be an absolute game-changer.
Smart Pill Dispenser
Taking your daily vitamins, supplements and prescription pills can be a hassle. Juggling the bottles and remembering when to take what isn’t always as simple as it sounds.
For just $100 plus a monthly fee you can buy an automatic pill dispenser that will keep you healthy and on top of all your pharmaceutical needs.
HERO uses an app to set up your schedule and sort your pills.
It will then dispense up to a 90-day’s supply of 10 different medications and will alert you when it is time to take them.
Smart Coffee Scale
There are many people who you want to avoid if they haven’t had their morning cup of coffee. If you have such friends or family members, you may want to sign them up for Bottomless immediately. Bottomless is a scale and coffee subscription that can be customised based on your needs and preferences. You simply keep your bag of beans on the scale and it will automatically re-order another bag without leaving you caffeine-deprived.
Smart Numberless Scale
Smart scales are nothing new. FitBit has been producing scales that sync with your fitness watch and help track your weight, body fat and more.
But the new trend is to ditch numbers all together. Shapa helps you lose weight by telling you if you are progressing, not how much you weigh.
Step on the round black device and get notified via the app.
The color based system shows colours to indicate if you are doing better (have lost weight), staying on track (weight hasn’t changed) or if you need to work a little harder (have gained.) Research claims that the no-numbers approach can be more motivating and a less stressful way to get healthy.
Smart Piano
Learning to play the piano is no easy feat. No matter your age, The ONE Smart Piano can make you the musician you’ve always dreamed of being.
The ONE Smart Piano seeks to make piano-learning more fun and less expensive for everyone.
It has light up keys and a Guitar Hero-style system that makes it easy and fun to play. Plus, there are other games and activities that can help you learn the less exciting stuff like practicing scales more fun.
Smart Mirror
Mirrors are crucial to every home because humans love to look at themselves. Not all mirrors are made equal, and The Mirror does more than show you your reflection.
For a hefty fee of $1,500 you can have a built-in fitness coach living in your home. Get fit by working out with personal trainers live that will critique your form and push you to your limits.
Enjoy customised music playlists, exercises catered to your needs and as a bonus, this smart mirror is also great for all your basic mirror needs to boot.
Smart Toilet Cleaner
Sure, toilets with the ability to clean human butts are great. But what about toilets that are smart enough to clean themselves? Shine is a new device that boasts the ability to clean your toilet so that you don’t have to. It is voice activated and Alexa compatible so with the simple command “Alexa, clean my toilet,” Shine will get to work. You can pre-order this magical device that uses electrolysed water, fights water waste and eliminates the yuck factor of manual cleaning.
Smart Fireplace
Controlling fire has been a bit of an obsession for human beings since cavemen chased woolly mammoths with sticks.
iFlame allows you to control your fireplace with a simple app on your phone or even smart watch.
You can use iFlame with a variety of styles of fireplaces and give them a much needed upgrade. Enjoy feeling the power of the sun in the palm of your hand, just don’t let it go to your head like it did Doc Ock in Spider Man.
Smart Coffee Table
Boring coffee tables can move on over.
For just a little more than the price of a brand new iPhone Max Pro with 512 gb of storage, you can buy a table.
This Smart Coffee Table with Fridge and Storage has a built in fridge, storage and a touch screen top that allows you to control the temperature, see the time, play music and connect to Bluetooth.
It also has USB ports to charge your other smart devices because owning a smart table simply doesn’t cut it anymore.
Smart Planter
In today’s busy world, adults spend their days pressing on light up keys on smart pianos, telling Alexa to clean their toilet, asking the faucet for specific amounts of water and stepping on the scale to NOT know how much they weigh. Clearly, we may run out of time to water our plants. That’s where HEXA comes in! HEXA is a robot that will make sure your plant doesn’t die. This planter is literally a mechanised creature that chases the light and retreats into the shade to ensure that a plant will thrive.
Devices are becoming smarter to make the lives of humans easier. What was once a scene out of a futuristic sci-fi movie is now reality for many everyday people.
If there is a struggle you face, there is probably an app, smart device or robot that exists to make it all better. As long as you can afford the steep fees, your home can become ridiculously smart today. The only question is, do we really need all these technological devices?
Or do these smart devices make humans lazier and stupider?
Photo: Shutterstock / Edited by: Martina Advaney
You have the items, now find out which apps can help you balance your life:
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