Artificial Intelligence has catapulted in recent years, and the advancements being made in this field make me feel as if it won’t be long before we have robots walking amongst us all the time! There was a point in time when the only forms of robots that we could see were toys or vacuum cleaners! But we have come a long long way since then. Most gadgets and tech designs these days are being powered by AI. The world at large is slowly moving away from the perception of robots as evil beings who want to take over the Earth, and accepting that they may have vast and undeniable utility in even our day-to-day lives. These AI-enabled products are intelligent and self-sufficient devices that help make our lives a whole lot easier. From a lawnmower that can identify her own path to an AI-enabled bicycle helmet with spatial awareness – we’ve curated a whole collection of AI-powered gadgets that will help make your daily life much easier.
1. Noa
Meet Noa, a detachable phone case that comes with an AI-enabled e-ink screen to learn the user’s response to particular notifications. What I find the most intuitive about Noa’s design is the fact that it can be detached right off the case whenever needed. This in a way physically segregates you from your phone’s inviting notifications to prevent any untimely disruptions without worrying about missing out on what matters to you the most. It can also be used as a kickstand to set up a notifications center and have the phone out of sight. Designer Darren Wells designed it such that it can also send quick replies thanks to the Quick Reply AI, which comes with Summarization AI to organize longer notification messages and automatic scheduling based on the important times and dates in the user’s calendar. Noa is in a true sense a gadget that does the hard work for the user without missing out on vital notifications that matter the most.
2. The Toadi
Powered by the kind of AI you’d find in autonomous vehicles (with 4K cameras and sensors that can accurately identify objects in her path), the Toadi is practically the Tesla of lawnmowers. Designed to work less like a robot and more like a living organism, the Toadi reinvents a category that hasn’t seen a significant-tech upgrade… and yes, Toadi is a ‘her’. The Toadi uses 4K cameras to ‘see’ the way humans do. She accurately differentiates between grass, gravel, cemented paths, and even identifies and avoids objects like animals, toys, flowerbeds, and fences. Using a sensing and tracking system that’s much more superior to the LiDAR sensors and GPS chips found in home-cleaning robots, the Toadi effortlessly moves around the lawn on her own, mowing in straight lines, crossing over to other parts of the lawn if need be, avoiding flower-beds, objects, or pets (and other garden animals), and staying clear of fences.
3. CAMEY
Meet CAMEY, a tiny camera that fits in your pocket or hooks onto your backpack! It’s more like the EDC of the camera world. SangHyeon Na imagines this concept as an automatic camera with AI-enabled functions for making clicking pictures an enjoyable and creative task. Use it for shooting sharp portraits or high-octane action sports – CAMEY is built for any creative moment you want to hold on to. You can bend it any which way, just like a Gorilla Pod, to capture unique perspectives. The companion app lets you share pictures or videos directly with friends or even filter them by location or other metrics. You can even communicate with the CAMEY community.
4. RAEDA
This equipment, inspired by the weights and other gym gear, comes paired to a base that has a concave design in between resembling the imprint left on the ground when a heavy object is dropped on it. This symbolic appeal gives RAEDA a weighted feel to it. The artificial intelligence (AI) enabled RAEDA, as a personal trainer, leads an individual through correct posture, technique, and form, which are a must for strength training. This experience of a personal trainer guiding you remotely at the comfort of your home will help reduce injuries and allow people to work out more confidently and at their convenience (instead of the time slot of the physical trainer in the gym).
5. The savAR helmet
Called the savAR helmet, this piece of bicycle accessory is loaded with augmented reality and artificial intelligence components to naïve the traditional helmet protection methods. The ever-evolving smart software of the helmet and the AR waveguide technology enhances the rider’s awareness of the crowded streets and other motorists nearby by quite a few notches. With time the AI learns the riding behavior and in a way looks out for the rider with the 360-degree camera vision to the rescue. Even before an impending danger can turn ugly, the software anticipates the unusually fast approaching vehicle from any direction and alerts the cyclists to take the lifesaving action to avert any collision. The AI calculates the potential course of collision and the time to the impact. This is aided by the waveguide tech embedded in the visor of the helmet which gives the rider a full picture of the incoming dangerous vehicle. To enhance the warning systems’ capability, there are both visual display warnings and audio alarms via the embedded speakers.
6. The HUENIT
Reminiscent of those modular robotic arms you see in mega factories that do everything from assembling iPhones to putting cars together, the HUENIT scales that tech down, bringing it into the household. HUENIT is an AI camera and modular robotic arm that can practically be your everyday sidekick. It supports a screen and camera that can recognize objects, people as well as their voices. It also has a modular attachment system that lets you connect HUENIT’s different modules allowing this robot arm to perform activities like picking objects up, sketching, 3D printing, laser engraving, and way more. Think of it as your own personal J.A.R.V.I.S. , sir!
7. The Nike AIRBUDDY
Designed as a response to several restrictions imposed during the lockdown, the NIKE AIRBUDDY is a conceptual drone that ‘spots’ you while you exercise. It can be carried around via a shoulder strap located on the base of the drone and can be deployed anywhere. Once in the air, the drone connects with your Nike Fitness App and tracks your performance, giving you a comprehensive breakdown of your routine at the end. The drone embodies a clean, sophisticated design language, with 4 rotors branching out of a capsule-shaped body. The drone’s body is outfitted with a single camera that acts as a watchful eye, observing every movement you make like a trainer would. This would hint at the fact that the drone doesn’t come with any obstacle avoidance, so it’s best used in open fields (as opposed to densely forested parks or the woods).
8. The BlueBreath
The BlueBreath builds on two core ideas. A. Masks can be difficult to breathe through, and B. Masks can be a visual barrier at certain times. With these two directions in mind, the BlueBreath comes with two interchangeable modules that solve these problems. One module is its AI-powered ventilation system, which increases the mask’s breathability by physically pushing air in using an internal fan… the other module is a transparent shield, that filters your air like a normal mask would, but gives you visibility, allowing you to communicate more openly with people, and occasionally unlock your phone without needing to constantly touch it. The BlueBreath’s base, which straps securely around your face, lets you easily swap modules on the fly, allowing you to go from AI-assisted breathing to aesthetic face-shield in a matter of seconds.
9. BB
BB can distinguish the intended litter from things like towels, sandals, or other things beachgoers might have brought along with them. The BeachBot only picks up butts for now since it is programmed to do so in conjunction with the Microsoft Trove app. The app has a database of images submitted by responsible citizens worldwide of littered cigarette butts. This helps BB distinguish them from other things, and it keeps learning with each attempt at picking up the butt. According to Bos, “the most interesting part of our concept – we have a human-robot interaction where the public can help make the robots smarter.” He elaborated that they started with cigarette butts which are the world’s most littered item, and soon, they want such robots to “detect a range of other litter.”
10. CookingPal Julia
Say hello to CookingPal Julia, the smart all-in-one cooker that is going to be your new sous chef. Julia was unveiled at CES 2020 where she also won the Innovation Award in the home appliance category and we were all shook…or shall I say shaken and stirred? It will be impossible to mess up a recipe with this Smart All-in-One Cooker, it is a countertop assistant that will assist you in preparing your meals quickly and efficiently. There is a step-by-step process and Julia is going to be there all along to guide you through chopping ingredients with exact, weight-based measurements. To make it easier, it also includes a scale that is accurate within five grams so say goodbye to fiddling with that set of measuring cups! Julia is truly a countertop kitchen assistant, she can cook, chop, blend, knead, boil, steam, grind, grate AND emulsify – she knows it all and does it all but you still get the credit.
