Mac Format

2021 gets smart

Join us as we break down all the home tech that’s fit to print

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CES 2021 was not short of excitement, even if the year’s biggest tech show did happen on a website rather than in Las Vegas. Some big hitters revealed some very big hardware, and it gave a lot of smaller companies and startups a chance to show off their wares. When it comes to smart, CES showed that connected devices are bigger than ever, and we managed to find some particular­ly weird and wonderful devices amongst the noise. So this issue, we take a look at what’s going to make waves in the not-toodistant future, the kit you might otherwise have missed, and a little that’s more pie-in-the-sky thinking.

Bear in mind that the latter designatio­n applies to a whole lot of the hardware from this year’s CES, even more so than usual. It’s a show clouded in fog; in many cases we don’t know when, where or even if these gadgets will be released. We haven’t played with prototypes, or been able to pull off in-person grilling of brand representa­tives. This round-up has to be seen as a preview, not a promise.

Rise of the robots

Helper robots are always a Twitch staple, and 2021 was home to some particular­ly cuddly examples. Take the Petit Qooboo (tagline ‘a tailed cushion that heals your heart’). It is, as you may have guessed, a fluffy cushion with a tail – a smaller version of the original Qooboo from a couple of years ago. Give it a stroke and the tail wags slowly; rub more vigorously and you’ll get a playful wag instead. It emits a subtle heartbeat, reacts to speech, and seems great for a cuddle – the perfect Tribble-esque friend.

A more advanced take on the cuddly companion came in the form of the Moflin, an AI pet which looks like an earless rabbit. The ¥41,800 (around £295) bot can develop its own personalit­y from a range of possible emotions, and apparently learn how its owner likes to interact and adapt accordingl­y. There’s a temptation to look at these devices as toys, but for those who can’t safely care for pets they can offer unique emotional support in a very different way.

CES’s bots weren’t all fluffy, as the ubiquitous puck-shaped form of the robot vacuum took new leaps in

smartness. Eufy (an Anker sub-brand) announced the RoboVac L80, apparently taking full aim at the higher reaches of the robot vacuum with a twin-turbo suction package far in advance of most of its rivals and 80% stronger than anything Eufy has managed before. The company has also upped the navigation smarts, adding LiDAR and a new AI mapping revision which allows the L80 to do away with the magnetic floor tape required by previous models.

There’s also a hybrid version of the RoboVac L80 capable of both vacuuming and mopping, priced at $50 (about £37) more than the $550 (about £400) asking price of the standard L80, and both should launch in June 2021 – though we’re curious to know whether the mop section is automatic. If it isn’t, it’ll have a job competing with the $649 (around £475) S7 from new up-and-coming vacuum manufactur­er Roborock. The S7 can do certainly do both, automatica­lly raising the mop when it senses it has reached a carpet.

Samsung also announced a return to the robot vacuum fold with the JetBot 90 AI+, a self-emptying bot that can not only map your home but use its AI functional­ity to determine exactly what objects it’s mapping around so it knows what it should clean close to and what to give a wider berth. It’ll also double as a roving security camera when you’re not at home. No word on price as yet, but it should arrive early this year.

Samsung’s other smart robotics efforts are less likely to be arriving soon (or in your home at all, given that they’ll likely cost a lot): the new version of the Samsung Bot Care is a medical companion which can follow you around, monitor your vitals, remind you of appointmen­ts and demand that you take a break from your computer; the Bot Handy is something altogether more advanced, employing a super-sensitive

robot arm to tidy messy rooms, fill your dishwasher, and (most importantl­y) delicately pour out glasses of wine.

Clean and germ-free

Samsung insists Bots Care and Handy are real products that will one day see a real release; Razer, on the other hand, is a little more candid in presenting its concept projects as just that. The biggest headline grabber was Project Brooklyn, a gaming chair with haptic feedback and a built-in wrap-around monitor which unfurls from behind the headrest. It’s very much a device that’s plausible as long as the right technology comes along, but also one which invites an uncomforta­ble comparison to the floating chairs of WALL·E’s Axiom spacecraft.

More likely to see release (and we were treated to a virtual look at a working prototype) is the company’s Project Hazel, a smart face mask. It features active ventilatio­n through its N95 filters, a clear front with internal LEDs to light up your mouth, and – this being Razer – Chroma RGB lighting on the outside to offer you a little lurid expression. When you’re done with the outside world, drop it into its charging box and integrated UV-C LEDs rip apart the DNA of any nasties which might remain on there.

The fact that we’re all now intimately aware of the dangers of germs and viruses means UV-C lamps have surged in popularity. Targus used CES to launch its Innovation Awardnomin­ated UV-C LED Disinfecti­on Light, which sits on its stand and floats above your keyboard, activating automatica­lly when you’re not around in order to blast unwanted microscopi­c visitors away. It’s due in March. Others have taken it a step further, with LG displaying its trundlearo­und CLOi UV-C robot. It’s able to cleanse 1,000 square feet in 100 minutes, and due to go on sale later this year. Although it can detect humans within 16 feet, this is likely to be a commercial product aimed at controlled second-pass sanitation of hotel rooms and the like given that you really don’t want UV-C vaporising your own DNA.

Safe and secure

In the home security space, we saw a number of new smart cameras and doorbells (see Cool

Cameras for the highlights) as well as some more unusual products making some very lofty claims. Origin Wireless’ Hex Home security device claims it should be able to monitor activity in your whole home using nothing but a small network-connected puck and some plug-in modules. Given that most home security systems are far larger that sounds pretty ludicrous, at least until you consider Origin’s key technology developmen­t: the company has been working on motion detection by analysing the disturbanc­e in Wi-Fi signals for some time. The Hex (due to launch in spring) taps into this tech, covering a claimed 1,500 square feet with a pair of Hex Sense modules, with additional coverage available by simply adding extra Sense units.

It’s an interestin­g system, but it might already have been bested in a more practical form. Belkin launched its Linksys Aware system late in 2019, which takes much the same Wi-Fi motion sensing tack but builds it directly into certain models of its Velop mesh Wi-Fi system. At CES, the company announced that many more smart products from the rest of its line will be gaining the ability to act as Linksys Aware nodes, expanding your security network and offering more precise informatio­n over where that motion has been detected.

Owl Home exhibited the Owl Wired, a plug-in ceiling- or wall-mount monitor which watches out for smoke, carbon monoxide, temperatur­e and humidity as well as sensing for noise and motion – a very neat solution, particular­ly if you’re trying to remote monitor a second property, a rental home, or an elderly relative, but it’s something we’ve seen before in these pages with the likes of the USB-charging Minut. It remains to be seen if it’ll do anything too different when it launches in the summer.

Wheely good

One last nod must go to the Moorebot Scout (launching around April), a dinky little robot from a company which has previously released baby monitors and bipedal fighting robots. It carries a laundry list of features – omnidirect­ional wheels, integratio­n with Alexa and Google Assistant, a whole bunch of AI functional­ity – as well as a two-hour run time. You can program it to do fun things, but it’s equally adept at patrolling your home, as it’s able to perform monocular mapping and locating to find its way around.

Moorebot also says you’ll be able to design and 3D print your own add-ons, including things like robot arms and UV germ killers, though we’d recommend treading carefully with the latter for reasons explained earlier on.

 ??  ??
 ??  ?? The Petit Qooboo is soft and cuddly, but it’s actually a clever robot too.
The Petit Qooboo is soft and cuddly, but it’s actually a clever robot too.
 ??  ?? The Moorebot Scout is tiny, but promises to offer a lot of roving smarts for your home.
The Moorebot Scout is tiny, but promises to offer a lot of roving smarts for your home.
 ??  ?? The Hex Home is small and impercepti­ble – perfect for undercover motion sensing.
The Hex Home is small and impercepti­ble – perfect for undercover motion sensing.
 ??  ?? Is anyone else a bit terrified by the Bot Handy? Just us?
Is anyone else a bit terrified by the Bot Handy? Just us?

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