As the tiny home craze continues to sweep the country, an energy education specialist in Sacramento, California, decided to strike while the iron is hot, creating and running an innovative new tiny home competition. The brainchild of Suzette Bienvenue (our energy education specialist) but officially organized by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the Tiny House Competition pits universities and colleges located in California against one another to design and build, you guessed it, tiny homes. After issuing a call for participants in 2014, the inaugural event went off without a hitch in mid-October, proving to be much more popular than the committee had anticipated.
Expecting a meager crowd of around 3,000 or so attendees, the new competition drew an audience of a staggering 20,000 people. An offshoot of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon — in which participants are challenged with building the most energy-efficient, solar-powered home — SMUD’s Tiny House Competition also tasked those competing with not only building a small home but a zero net energy, solar-powered entry.
Taking home the competition’s symbolic gold medal was an entry from Santa Clara University dubbed the rEvolve House. Sitting at a mere 238 square feet, the rEvolve House is, as expected, designed as an off-grid-style home, developed with the intention of serving as an inexpensive, short-term residence. Manufactured for an area nonprofit named Operation Freedom Paws — a firm that pairs potential service dogs with veterans — the interior of the home boasts a foldable dinner table, built-in shelves, Murphy bed-style sleeping area, and 35-square-foot wet bathroom with a dry-flush toilet.
Outside, the rEvolve House features an accessible deck on its roof, structural insulated panels, and eight 330w Sunmodule solar panels which power the entire space. In addition to it nabbing the top overall award, Santa Clara University’s entry also took home “Best Kitchen Design” and “Best Integrated Lighting,” along with six other awards. Other winners at the competition included University of California, Berkeley’s Tiny House in My Backyard which nabbed “Water Conservation” and “Best Craftsmanship” awards while being notably outfit with a Tesla Powerwall battery.
An extremely innovative and revolutionary event, it’s a near certainty the Tiny House Competition won’t serve as the only iteration of Bienvenue’s vision. Considering the popularity of its first go-round, the iron doesn’t appear likely to lose its heat anytime soon.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.