Recently, Google received a patent that could turn walls into screens, but there may be a way to make the structures even smarter.
Researchers at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University have created new printed electronics that can control everything from speakers to sensors, according to the International Business Times. Designed to be printed onto a wide variety of materials, including paper and aluminum, manufacturers could eventually incorporate the printed electronics in wallpaper.
The smart wallpaper is a bit like an iPhone, with microphones, sensors, and speakers embedded into it, NTU Professor Joseph Chang told IBT. Once it’s on your walls, you can talk out loud to command your devices, and the wall will execute your request. It’ll even talk back to you, giving it a Siri-like feel.
Creating the printed electronics is fairly cheap, as little as seven cents a sheet, according to Asia Report. In addition to wallpaper, homeowners could overlay windows with transparent film that includes circuits.
At the moment, the researchers are focusing on the health market with their product. Chang noted that there are already products on the market that can tell you everything from when a bandage needs to be changed to your heart rate. The smart wallpaper could be particularly helpful for the elderly, who may not be as mobile as others. Instead of needing a phone or computer to communicate, they could just talk to the walls. That could be especially useful if someone suffers a fall.
Over the past four years, the NTU researchers have received $1.5 million in funding for their invention, according to Asia One. NTU hopes to create a startup company through which Chang and his team will eventually commercialize the smart wallpaper. Hopefully it goes with the rest of our décor.
Few things ruin a quiet evening faster than a robot vacuum roaring through the living room. Most of us end up pausing the cleaning run, which defeats the whole purpose of owning one. Matic thinks it has the answer with its new Serene robot vacuum, and the big selling point is how little noise it makes.
The Matic Serene runs at 52 decibels even when cleaning at full power. To put that in perspective, Matic compares it to the hum of your refrigerator. It is available now for $1,695, which is $200 more than the original Matic’s current price.
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.
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