Hasta La Ideas

A lot of people think a smart home is all about being able to turn lights on with a voice command, or telling your smart speaker to let you know what the weather’s like – but the definition of a smart home has changed a lot since the earlier days. You can now have your home intuitively do things like maintain a consistent temperature/humidity in all rooms, unlock your door when you come home from work, lock all your doors before bedtime, alert you when intruders approach, or even do obscurely brilliant things like draw the curtains in the morning when you need to wake up, and draw them shut if the house gets too warm with all the sunlight. Your home has the ability to adjust itself in ways that benefit you and also help you be energy and money-efficient. That’s the kind of smart home that really makes life feel different, and we’re here for it. We’ve spoken at length about how SwitchBot’s IoT gadgets make your smart home more useful, with their curtain bot that can close-open curtains on command, WiFi door lock that can open/lock doors through your phone or Apple Watch, or even the all-famous Button Pusher, a bot that attaches to manual switches to turn them into smart ones – SwitchBot’s range of home gadgets really help upgrade your regular home into an internet-powered smart one. With Prime Day rolling up, SwitchBot’s products go on sale seeing discounts as high as 40%, so if you’re looking to automate your home in clever, meaningful ways, this might just be your day… Head down to SwitchBot’s Amazon store, or just scroll down to see our three favorite picks from their exhaustive IoT lineup.

SwitchBot S10 Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Matter Support

Launched in May 2024, the S10 has a few tricks up its sleeve like its ability to auto-drain and refill its water container for the mopping function. For starters, it looks and functions exactly like a top-notch robot vacuum. It uses LiDAR to scan your house, creating a map that allows it to navigate your space with ease and efficiency. It avoids obstacles, stays away from no-go zones, and can both suck and mop to keep your house clean. 6500Pa suction allows the S10 to effectively clean any dust and dirt lying around the house, while the self-cleaning RevoRoll Roller Mop head wet-wipes your floor while RinseSync tech automatically rinses the mop head with each spin. What’s more, the mop head actually retracts into the S10 when it climbs onto carpets, so that your rugs and floor linen don’t get wet – the S10 scrapes the water off the mop too, ensuring it’s dry at all times. Dust automatically gets dumped in a 4-liter dust tank which you can clean every week or so, and for the dirty water from the mop cleaning, the S10 comes with a water refill/drain station that attaches to your plumbing. Every time the S10 needs a water-change, it goes to the station, dumping the dirty water into the drainage and taking fresh water from your house’s water supply. Here’s the best part though – if you’ve got a SwitchBot Humidifier in your house, future updates will allow the S10 to travel to the humidifier, dock into it, and fill up its water supply so you don’t have to! It operates on voice commands, integrates into your smart home when paired with SwitchBot’s Matter-enabled Hub 2 or Mini Hub, and can even be controlled through the SwitchBot smartphone app. Now isn’t that a smart home worth living in?!

Click Here to Buy Now: $739.99 $1199.99 ($460 off, use coupon code “5OFFYKDSSB” to get additional 5% discount). Hurry, deal end in 48-hours!

SwitchBot Universal Remote

Not everyone enjoys voice-operated smart homes, and that’s absolutely understandable. It’s much easier to press a button rather than tell Alexa to switch on the AC in the living room… but what do you do when you’ve got multiple devices in your house and multiple remotes to work with? Yep, that’s right – remote fatigue can be a thing. A separate remote for your TV, your streaming box, your soundbar, AC, and maybe even the slew of apps on your smartphone to control smart devices like lights, fans, thermostats, etc. It can get much, and SwitchBot’s Universal Remote hopes to change that. A single gadget for all your infrared-controlled devices and SwitchBot devices too, the Universal Remote lets you directly control practically every device around you, from TVs and Air Conditioners to every single SwitchBot IoT appliance. With support for more than 80,000 IR codes, the Universal Remote works with a whole host of existing devices from TVs to projectors, fans, and even your Apple TV and Fire TV box/dongle. A control panel and a color display dominate the Universal Remote’s design, giving you an interface is both traditional and intuitive. The device replaces the need for multiple remotes, and for fishing out your phone every time you want to open the SwitchBot app to control your curtains, vacuum cleaner, thermostat, or smart bulb. Moreover, when paired with the Matter-enabled SwitchBot Hub 2 or Hub Mini, you can use the Universal Remote to control all the Matter-compatible smart devices in your home!

Click Here to Buy Now: $44.99 $59.99 ($15 off, use coupon code “5OFFYKDSSB” to get additional 5% discount). Hurry, deal end in 48-hours!

SwitchBot WiFi Smart Lock Pro Bundle

When you think of a smart home, you rarely think of smart locks, and it’s time that changed. Locks and keys have existed for centuries, and in a time of biometrics, passcodes, and authenticated devices, it makes sense that our locks upgrade too. The Lock Pro does just that by attaching to your existing deadbolt-style door-lock in just a matter of minutes, and giving you a staggering 15 ways to unlock your door while still being absolutely secure. Sure, the Lock Pro supports keys… but in the event you end up forgetting them, you’ve got a biometric scanner and numeric keypad included in the bundle that lets you use your fingerprint or a passcode to enter your home. The fingerprint is ideal for residents, while the passcode can be set up for guests or house help (with notifications of entry going to your app in real time). The Lock Pro interfaces with your smartphone or Apple Watch via Bluetooth, so you can open your door through your phone or watch just by being near the lock and hitting a button on the app. Better still, the bundle also includes SwitchBot’s Matter-supported Hub that gives your Lock Pro WiFi connectivity, allowing you to remotely lock your door (just in case you’re outside the house and you’re paranoid about whether you locked up properly before you left)… or perhaps the most impressive feature – voice control, so you can give Siri/Alexa/Google a command (through a secure device) to unlock the door when guests or the DoorDash guy shows up. The Lock Pro runs on 4 AA batteries, lasting 270 days on a full charge, with the ability to hot-swap battery packs while the lock’s still running. Plus, AES 128-bit encryption brings server-grade security to your home so nobody ever breaks through – physically OR digitally.

Click Here to Buy Now: $129.99 $199.99 ($70 off, use coupon code “5OFFYKDSSB” to get additional 5% discount). Hurry, deal end in 48-hours!

The post SwitchBot Prime Day Sale lets you Upgrade your Home into a Smart Home on a 40% Discount first appeared on Yanko Design.

Gone are the days of uniform-looking office cubicles that feel designed to suck the soul out of employees. Although they have their own downsides, the so-called “open floor plans” bring a bit of customization to office spaces, letting people’s and companies’ characters shine. Of course, office space is never infinite, and workers have to make do with the sometimes cramped horizontal allowance they have. Maximizing every inch of that space requires not only being creative but also furniture that delivers the functionality that you need while being space-efficient as well. This office furniture collection offers exactly that with a modular system that you can mix and match to your needs, taking inspiration from one of the most popular modular designs in modern history: LEGO blocks.

Designer: Form Us With Love for String Furniture

OK, they might not connect to each other like LEGO bricks, which would be impractical and tedious to use anyway, but the way you can combine different “block” sizes in almost endless ways is reminiscent of the creative toy. There are six different sizes of components, ranging from cube storage to rectangular shelves, and you can arrange them in any way you see fit, as long as you have horizontal and vertical clearance. You can put them side by side like a long shelf, stack them on top of each other like a cabinet, in a straight line, or in an L-shaped corner configuration. Your creativity and space are the limits.

The pieces almost look like LEGO blocks, at least metal LEGO blocks. They are made from thin with a perforated grid pattern that is meant to give them an industrial aesthetic. Of course, these holes can serve functional purposes as well, allowing you to hang hooks, screw in handles, and maybe even decorate the surfaces with your personal photos and mementos. Presuming you or your company purchases different colored sets, you might even be able to mix up colors to add even more personality to your office space.

The concept of modular furniture is nothing new, but most of these designs tend to have a fixed appearance or mode of operation, allowing owners to only remove or add parts that are specifically designed for the system. With a minimalist design that adopts the simplest shapes of squares and rectangles, Center Center allows for maximum flexibility and, more importantly, encourages creativity and individuality that are easily lost in many work environments these days.

The post Modular office furniture brings the freedom and flexibility of LEGO to the workplace first appeared on Yanko Design.

Creating extreme stuff from junk is a special skill that YouTube channel ‘Make It Extreme’ possesses. Their Monotrack bike made from a single recycled car tire was something of a shocker and they’ve upped the ante with another custom build. Called the Electric Monowheel this is a Herculine version that positions the rider inside the wheel.

The obvious challenge in making this big wheel was actually creating a perfectly round wheel measuring 9.1 inches in diameter. Due to the large shape, the metallic wheel acts as a base for the rubber tires salvaged out of a motorcycle and go-kart. These three recycled tires are connected to make the final giant wheel.

Designer: Make It Extreme

The chassis of this unique ride is the centric circle that stays stable even when the outside wheel is in motion. The trick here is to attach three rollers and a plastic encasing on which the wheel spins. To put it simply, just take for reference a hamster wheel. The power for this monowheel is derived from a go-kart’s electric motors attached to the tire. This explains the use of go-kart tires that are non-slip and provide transmission to the wheels without any wheel spin. The steering input is translated instantly to the movement of the wheel and so is the throttle input via the two controllers.

The current build has a better torque of the electromotion that is attributed to the faster-reacting motor. This is a major improvement over the earlier version. According to the makers, the vehicle feels very amazing to drive even though it is a bit dangerous if you don’t know how to handle it. There’s some good news for DIYers who are interested in this project as Make It Extreme is in the process of preparing the detailed plans of the monowheel motorcycle. That means you’ll have all the groundwork served on the platter for you to build on.

The post This electric monowheel is surprisingly easy to maneuver and packs a good amount of torque first appeared on Yanko Design.

Heavy timber, wood and brick are among the materials used by US studio Heliotrope to create an extension to a historic 1930s home that was originally built by a Norwegian ship captain.

Dating to 1933, the house was built by ship captain Ole E Nelson, who modelled it after his boyhood home in Bergen, Norway.

The captain reportedly selected all of the wood used in the house and sent back pieces that did not meet his standards.

“The original house was constructed with a very high level of craftsmanship in a style consistent with Scandinavian vernacular building traditions, and has been maintained in excellent condition,” said local studio Heliotrope.

The current owners, described as a “young family of discerning taste,” asked Heliotrope to design an addition for a new kitchen, as the original galley-style kitchen was too small.

The team conceived a 500-square-foot (46-square-metre), post-and-beam addition on the south side of the house, in an area formerly occupied by a 1940s tennis court.

The yard was re-landscaped as part of the project, which has come to be called Loyal Captain.

Wood was used for the structural system, and exterior walls were clad in materials influenced by the original home.

“The exterior finishes of brick and stained wood are warm and subdued, matching the tone of the old house and blending into the landscape,” the team said.

“Large expanses of glass showcase the landscape from the interior and allow the new building to glow at night,” the team added.

The extension’s flat roof is topped with a planted garden.

Heavy timber columns supporting the roof extend outward to form a loggia. The column’s tapered concrete bases help with water drainage.

Within the new volume, there is a kitchen organised around a large island and a breakfast nook that looks out toward the yard.

The nook’s dining set was custom-designed by New York designer Bowen Lui. A Knotty Bubbles pendant by Lindsey Adelman hangs overhead.

Interior finishes include polished concrete flooring, stained knotty-oak cabinetry and Quartzite countertops. Gaggenau appliances are integrated into the cabinetry.

“The high quality of finish, detail and craftsmanship in the new addition is driven by the high standard set in the original house and aims to add something new to the history of an amazing structure,” the team said.

The addition also includes a covered patio with a wood-fired grill set within brick. The brick wraps around to the street-facing side of the addition, forming a privacy wall.

The extension is connected to the main house by a glass-enclosed corridor. The home’s original kitchen has become a butler’s pantry.

Overall, the addition’s design is meant to respect the historic house while allowing both structures to “stand on their own as distinct characters in relation to each other and the surrounding landscape”.

Other projects by Heliotrope include a cedar-clad holiday home perched on a wooded hillside and a house for art collectors that is glad in dark metal and white stucco.

The photography is by Kevin Scott.

Project credits:

Architecture: Heliotrope Architects
Heliotrope team: Mike Mora (principal in charge), Tony Salas (lead design and project manager)
Construction administration: Heliotrope Architects and Linework Architecture
Contractor: Dovetail General Contractors
Landscape: Ironwood Tree
Structural engineer: Swenson Say Faget
Geotechnical engineer: PanGEO Inc

The post Heliotrope uses “warm and subdued” materials for Seattle house extension appeared first on Dezeen.

An eyewear company called Chamelo has developed electrochromic sunglasses that can instantly change tint level or color. Check out their Dusk model:

Their tint-adjustable Music Shield (so named because it has built-in speakers):

Their color-changing Euphoria model can cycle through four different warm hues:

And finally their Aura model, which can cycle through four cooler hues:

The company says their patented Prismatic Color-Changing Lenses are a world first.

The innovation doesn’t come cheap. The Dusk and Music Shield models run $249, while the Euphoria and Aura are $385.