Smart homes, even smarter devices

It's hard to imagine life without the Internet today. Being off-line is becoming more and more a luxury for the modern man who is so dependent on technology in his everyday life. As a result, there are more cable-webs and butler-bots in our homes and offices for the different devices we use. In the evening, we often suffer the irritating flashing LEDs that keep us up at night.

Contemporary people suffer from the technical saturation in their life and are more often looking for ways to mitigate the unfavorable impact of this effect.

Successful steps in this direction are the "smart homes" and the introduction of different technology management systems in the spaces we inhabit. Over time, there has been a need for new solutions, for products that make our lives easier in this respect. In response, technologists and designers united their efforts around what industry designer Benjamin Hubert called "flexible technologies." These are multifunctional products that integrate seamlessly and discreetly into the interior, contributing positively to our homes and mindsets, without having to embark on a full digital detox.

In the design of his "smart" lamp Rise, "discreetness" is of high importance. This is the first product to be released in Nolii's debut collection for wireless tech products. The multifunctional intelligent lamp has integrated charging capability for two mobile phones, one wirelessly. This prevents the chaos from the web of cables that are commonly used. Rise can perform the functions of a visual alarm clock, a true "digital sunrise".

"We all hate it when our alarms startle us in the morning, and how much more enjoyable is waking up with the light of the rising sun," Hubert explains of the app function that allows the lamp to slowly illuminate a room – imitating the rising sun. It’s a welcome add-on that aligns with Nolii’s mission statement: ‘technology should improve the user’s lifestyle, not complicate it’.

‘People want less stuff, particularly as homes get smaller,’ Hubert says of his decision to combine a number of things you might own anyway (like a lamp, phone charger and alarm clock) into one, elegant product.

Another fine artwork in this category is the wireless charger by Courant.

The newly-emerged company aims to integrate technology seamlessly into our daily lives. Co-founded by Monish Sabnani and Evan Moskal from a local incubator called Assembly Brands that focuses on creating tech-forward consumer products . The focus of the company is on the use of high quality materials - in this case high-grade matte aluminium alloy and premium Italian leather.

A special place for the watch or wallet is added to the wireless charging device so that the technical devices can be placed together with the analog ones in an equally beautiful object, such as the Courant charger.