From virtual assistants to smart fridges, we’ve seen an onslaught of smart home devices infiltrate the market over the last few years. Here are some of 2020’s newest and most innovative smart home and self-care gadgets designed to make your home life a little easier.
Alexa in the Shower: Kohler is now offering you an entirely new shower experience with the Moxie with Alexa showerhead. In addition to full coverage spray, the Moxie showerhead comes equipped with built-in wireless speakers and Amazon Alexa, so you can listen to music or podcasts and give voice commands while in the shower.
For those who find the idea of showering with Alexa creepy, Kohler also has a Bluetooth-enabled Moxie showerhead that only comes with speakers. The speakers have between 5-7 hours of battery life, depending on the model you choose, and are waterproof.
Moxie with Alexa is priced at $229; the Bluetooth-enabled model is $169. Both will be available for purchase later on this year.
Robot Kitchen Help: Who doesn’t need an extra set of hands in the kitchen? Enter Julia, the smart and versatile kitchen robot from CookingPal. Julia can chop, blend, emulsify, steam, weigh, cook, and do so much more. All you need to do is select a recipe – recipes are customizable – and add the ingredients. Julia does the rest.
Julia comes with a camera to recognize foods, step-by-step video guides, feedback funnels such as a touch-screen Android tablet or Alexa voice commands, and a CookingPal mobile app to monitor and control Julia’s cooking. The best part? Julia also cleans itself so there is no need for clean up after cooking your favorite meal!
Julia will cost just under $1,000 and is scheduled to be released in late 2020.
The Trashcan That Does Everything Except Take Out Trash: Don’t like dealing with trash? Townew’s trashcan might make your experience more palatable. The trash bin senses motion, automatically opening when garbage is approaching. It seals itself when the bin is full, and has special sensors to prevent overflowing garbage or spills.
As soon as you take out the garbage, the bin replaces the old bag with a new one, using a ring that stores bags under the lid.
Townew’s trashcan is available for $119 and can be purchased online. A ring holds 25 bags, and rings are $5 apiece.
The Self-Cleaning Vacuum and Mop Combo: Robotic vacuums and mops have been around for a while. But Narwal T10 takes matters one step further by claiming its vacuum and mop combo can clean itself.
The vacuum and mop have two tanks of water – one for clean water and one for dirty water – thereby enabling it to self-clean and providing you with a true hands-free experience. Narwal T10 is controlled through an app.
Narwal T10 can be purchased on its Kickstarter page for $550. If you order now, arrival time is an estimated two months from the time of purchase, although the company hopes to officially launch the product later on in the year.
Y-Brush Digital Toothbrush: Y-Brush isn’t an ordinary electronic toothbrush. The mouthguard shaped device allows you to brush your teeth in only 10 seconds – 5 for your top teeth and another 5 for your bottom ones – using the Bass method. Tiny vibrating brushes line the “mouthguard” to ensure you get a thorough cleaning.
Y-Brush can be purchased online for $125.
Smart Make-Up Printer: Opte Precision Skincare System, by Proctor & Gamble Ventures, allows you to Photoshop your skin in real life. The Opte camera scans the skin to detect imperfections, even those that might not be noticeable to the naked eye. Then, Opte sprays the precise area with a serum that matches your exact skin tone. The serum has vitamins that are designed to fade imperfections over time.
The Opte Precision Skincare System is priced at $599. You’ll also need a refill on the foundation cartridges every few months, which will cost an additional $100 per cartridge. Opte will be available for purchase sometime in the summer of 2020, but you can already put yourself on the waitlist.