Pets make for excellent company and communicating with them is a great solution to loneliness. But for some, the option for having a pet just isn’t there as the responsibility that comes with them simply doesn’t fit in with their busy day-to-day lives.
There is a plethora of Smart Hubs are on the market, but the Black Cat stands out from these as it ditches the futuristic and rigid design that these carry, and instead combines the elements of a familiar pet with Apple’s minimalist sensibility.
Black Cat not only acts as a rather hassle-free companion that’s ready to greet the user when they return home but also offers the capability of controlling the electronic devices within it. By connecting Black Cat to other smart devices, the user is able to answer their phone, check their schedule, operate the lights, etc. without leaving their digital companion’s side!
Designers: Jungho Lee & YoungWoo Jeong
Structure & CMF
“We used a matte black texture like a black cat that looks at the user from a distance but sometimes comes close and sympathetic. Also, it can be a natural harmony with space by using natural curve of the product,” Lee told Yanko Design.
Smart Home Controlling
By connecting with other smart devices, Black cat controls them with user’ information received from the other devices. People can answer the phone, check their schedule, and turn on and off the light and home appliances. This AI-based controller enables people to interact with home appliances as communicating with real pets.
Collaboration with Apple
They started the project with the idea ‘What if Apple made a smart device that shaped Siri?’ So, they added an image of a black cat, like Apple’s chic image, to a smart device and added friendliness.
Communicate with your Black Cat
They designed a friendly-looking IoT product that resembled a cat. As an example of IoT, they designed the concept using Siri A.I. system.