6-September, Berlin – Germany’s annual technology trade show is a hot bed for the latest innovation in smart home gear. IFA is the world’s leading tradeshow for consumer electronics and home appliances. It takes place from September 2 to 7, 2016 in Berlin.
We picked two of the most interesting companies and their latest innovations from the IFA.
Bosch Driving Smart Home Tech
Local company Bosch was one of the stars of the show when it came to smart homes with several new devices. A set of front door outward facing and a 360-degree indoor rotating camera will help people monitor the homes and immediate environments for threats, or just keep an eye on pets, children and so on. The cameras send images to smartphone apps, have microphones to chat with delivery men, tradesmen or whoever’s at home.
Another piece of Bosch’s smart home puzzle is a smart smoke sensor that uses a pair of LEDs, one infrared and blue light to help improve detection of smoke particles, to reduce false alarms. It also acts as a healthy air monitor to scan the environment for pollution or chemicals.
Neato Makes Cheaper Vacuum Bots
While Bosch is still trying to make its name in smart homes, Neato already has a big following thanks to its robotic vacuum cleaners with varying degrees of smartness and automation. However, this market is now being flooded by low-cost drones, so Neato has had to respond.
Accordingly the Botvac D3 Connected is a $399 device that maintains most of the smart features of the range, while cutting back on filters, design and innovation to keep the cost down, The new D3 has no display, so you can use your iOS or Android app to control it set schedules, and order parts. If you’re not on a budget you can also consider the superior version Botvac D5 Connected for $599.
The D3 packs in the company’s laser navigation technology to provide constant scanning of obstacles and the room. Unlike previous years of updates, there’s no improvement in engine power or suction, with around one hour of use through a lithium ion battery.
That’s all crammed into the familiar D-shaped design to help navigate rooms and clean more efficiently around the edges. All you need to do is empty the bin pretty regularly. With some bot vacuums down to $200, the market is racing to the bottom, but Neato’s brand and quality should help it shine through.
Vimeo: Introducing Botvac D3 & D5 Connected
Photo credit: Bosch / Neato
Source: Christian Hoenicke (Bosch) / Aparna Aswani (Neato)
Editorial notice: Aparna Aswani from Neato Robotics reached out to us, letting us know we used the wrong model’s photo in the feature image and used an outdated pricing information. Thanks for highlighting this and both has been corrected now (updated 8-September 2016).
