Smart products of today inspire intelligent home living of tomorrow
In this issue, we highlight two more trending and ground-breaking digital lifestyle products used within smart homes of today. Advance electronic controls and home automation simplify complicated tasks and processes for a comfortable, entertaining as well as hassle-free living. They are fundamental to modern green living and futuristic lifestyle. During the recent CES 2016 consumer electronics fair in America, top-notch designers and manufacturers got to showcase their latest tech products and smart devices which complement the modern smart homes of the future. The following below are two outstanding smart devices worth mentioning in our smart home reviews.
ONAGOfly Smart Nano Drone
Nowadays, consumer drones keep flooding the market, with drone manufacturers racing to roll out their latest “flying cams” to an equally enthusiastic public eagerly awaiting to lay their hands on the latest drones. Although lacking the standard features and accessories of commercial drones, “nano-drones” are a much sought-after toy or a “play thing” for children. Introducing the ONAGOfly, a quadcopter that fits in the palm of your hand, offering HD video, obstacle avoidance and a ‘Follow Me’ mode. Like many drones in today’s competitive drone market, the ONAGOfly is easily controlled from an iOS or Android smartphone via Wi-Fi, from up to a field distance up to 20 metres.
Utilizing conventional GPS signals via your mobile device, it can home in on any target even whilst the user or controller is in constant or perpetual motion. Avoiding obstacles has never been a major issue for this “nano-copter” as random airborne collisions are exceptionally rare. Multiple 360-degree infra-red sensors track the drone’s real-time flight path from its original stand-point, while maintaining its exact position at all times. Its advanced micro-controller helps keep it at a minimum safe distance of approx. 20 cm from potential hazards and aerial obstacles. Automatic take-off and landing is virtually foolproof – its ‘Return Home’ function provides for autonomous fly-back home, all with a single ‘touch-&-tap’. Operating the SCiO could not be any easier.
Shooting video is truly a godsend with its high-resolution 15MP (megapixels) onboard camera, capturing stunning 1080p/30fps HD-quality videos. Users can view the live feed via their mobile devices, whilst still on FPV flying mode. Selfies are a no-brainer since its smile-detection protocol enables still images to be captured instantaneously with just a simple smile. Powered by a modest 1,000-mAh battery with rechargeable USB option, which provides up to 15 minutes of flight-time and live recording. It may weigh in at a paltry 140 gm, but it can withstand wind speeds of up to 3.3 metres per second. The ONAGOfly is currently retailed online at an introductory bargain price of USD299.
SCiO Molecular Spectrometer
Have you ever imagined having your very own personal spectrometer? Well, now you need not imagine anymore, as the SCiO molecular spectrometer is finally here. Unlike its bulky industrial counterpart, which literally takes up an entire room, the SCiO is slim, compact and user-friendly. There are literally tons of apps and websites that allow you to manually count your calories, but this process is painstakingly tedious and often inaccurate. What if counting calories could be as simple as pointing a scanner at the foods we eat or consume? Introducing the SCiO, a handheld light scanner which uses beams of light to detect the amount of fat, carbohydrates and protein in foods by analyzing their respective ‘molecular signature’ or molecular make-up.
Spectrometry is often used in various scientific fields for analyzing everything from chemical reactions in laboratories to the chemical composition of stars in distant galaxies. Spectrometers are traditionally large and bulky, but a pocket-sized version could represent a major breakthrough in the advancement of science. The mini device may also prove useful to emergency services personnel for identifying pills using the same method. In fact, it can distinguish between a brand-name aspirin and a generic aspirin. The product company itself is also building a ‘database of matter’ in various areas such as food and medicines, etc.
SCiO employs targeted or concentrated beams of light to study and analyze the “molecular signature” of the item or subject being scanned. This process is scientifically known as near-IR spectroscopy. Since each type of molecule vibrates in its own exclusive frequency, the resulted vibrations interact with light to produce a unique optical signature. To analyze a specific food item, light is beamed from SCiO to the foodstuff to be analyzed. SCiO’s scanner illuminates the sample and an optical sensor called a spectrometer gathers the reflected light. The light sample is subsequently broken down to its respective spectrum, which includes all the information required to detect the specified interaction. The digital information compiled is then transmitted via a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone, which then sends the info to a database that matches the impending signature to the subject in question. The verified or confirmed data is subsequently returned to the mobile app. SCiO is available for online order at a special promo price of USD249.
