Artificial Intelligence and Home Gadgets     

Smart home technology feels like it’s making its way towards mainstream adoption in 2018. AI integrated devices are leading the way and responding to voice commands for anything from looking up the day’s weather forecast, providing dinner recipe inspiration or switching on the lights when you get in from work. As we rely on technology increasingly to help us navigate our busy lives, it makes sense that our home interiors will become tech-integrated too. We’ve rounded up some of the most popular and easy ways to introduce new tech into your home this year.       

Digital AI Assistants

More and more households are relying on digital AI assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant, with smart speakers becoming part of the furniture in many homes. There was a big boost in sales for smart speakers in 2017 and popularity is expected to grow throughout 2018, with various new models appearing on the market including Apple’s Home Pod, recently launched to great anticipation. AI assistants are expected to move on from the speaker format and be integrated with other objects around the home, from mirrors to showerheads, as we interact with technology increasingly through voice command.  AI technology will develop more capacity and intelligence, being able to recognise individual faces and voices in order to remember your personal preferences, from which radio station to play to how you like to light the living room when chilling out with a good book. Screen equipped smart speakers, such as Amazon Echo Show and Lenovo Smart Display, offers a touch screen alongside your voice-commanded speaker, allowing you to watch YouTube videos, see weather reports for the week or make video calls to your nearest and dearest.

Home Robots & AI Butlers

Kuri, the adorable home robot

AI assistants have also been taking the form of cute companion robots for the home. Models like Kuri, the domestic robot that can respond to its user with facial expressions, head movements and sounds, is integrated with four microphones for voice commands, dual speakers for music playback and acts as a Wi-Fi hub too. The built-in camera offers a home security function, allowing you to view the interior of your home remotely via an app on your phone or tablet device. The robot builds an awareness of its surroundings, so it knows its way around your home, and can recognise individual faces too, providing an additional personality in the home to interact with, there for your command. Aeolus Robot Butler’s main function is, as the name suggests, taking care of the household chores for you. It has the capacity to wheel around your home recognising and matching items to their correct tidied-away places, as well as being designed to attach to vacuum cleaners and brooms for cleaning – plus responding to your commands for a beer from the fridge!

Wireless charging stations & furniture

Wireless charging pods, furniture and homeware products are helping to create streamlined and functional interiors, letting you get rid of the mess and clutter of wires and extension cables for good! Ranges by various companies such as Seoul-based company Pesi, incorporate electromagnetic induction charging technology into sleekly-designed furniture pieces like bookcases, side tables, shelving and tabletop trays, providing the capacity to charge our increasingly-used devices in a natural way throughout the home. There are various models and ranges to choose from on the market, including a budget-friendly option by Ikea.

Smart Lighting Systems

Nanoleaf can cover walls in color-changing light

Control the brightness, hue and colour of the lights in your home with Nanoleaf square smart light panels. You can connect up to 1000 of the panels, cover whole walls of your home, enabling touch sensitive lighting for complete control of lighting in any room, enabling you to create different light moods and effects according to your personal preferences and needs. Outdoor lighting is also getting tech-clever, with systems such as that from Ring Beam offering wireless, motion-sensing lighting that’s easy to install and expected to offer further integration with Ring’s security systems such as the ability to automatically trigger lights via doorbells, security cameras or via the Ring app.

Vanilla Square – highly personal sales and lettings! Whether selling or letting property, you will always be liaising with one of our business partners, which makes our service that much more responsible and approachable. When you instruct us, your property will reach a wider audience as we are one of the few agents who are present on all the major property portals to offer sellers and landlords maximum exposure. If you’re looking to buy, sell, rent or lease your property, or you’re simply considering the idea, contact us by calling 0141 229 0210 or pop into our new office at 711 Great Western Road. One of our partners will be delighted to help and provide you with impartial, expert advice.