10 Smart tech innovations every modern home needs.

1. Transparent TV

As TVs get bigger, better, flatter, and more crystal clear every year, it’s hard to guess how much farther TV technology can go before we run out of ideas. With this transparent TV designed by Michael Friebe, combining our familiar LCD with the vanguard TOLED display technology, we see that the innovations are far from done.

2. The Ring

Some times, technological innovation comes so fast that it skips a generation or renders brand new products almost obsolete – just think of the mini disc player, portable CD player, and now, maybe smart watches. That’s because the Ring is the first wearable gesture-controlled device. It’s really cool and has plenty of uses around the house since you can program it to close shades, turn lights on and off, and operate your TV. The Ring’s features don’t stop there, since you can get on apps to request an Uber ride or write a note on Evernote. And at $150, it’s even more inexpensive than most smart watches.

3.  Orbital Washing Machine

If you have children and run a household, you’re well aware that the laundry to hamper to washing machine to dryer back to hamper routine is virtually endless. But this brilliant innovation makes it easier and cuts time, allowing you to fill up your laundry basket or hamper right in a globe or orbital device that you simply place in the washing machine when you’re ready to do laundry.

4. 3-Dimensional Wall Panels

This is one of the coolest things you’ll ever see, blurring the lines between functionality and art. Called 3D walls, these panels create interesting shapes, colors, and other design arrangements, turning any mundane wall into a futuristic focal point. The best part is that they’re easy to install and inexpensive.

5. Sony Eclipse

Constantly plugging in your media devices becomes almost obsolete with the new Sony Eclipse media player, a concept invented by Hoang M Nguyen and Anh Nguyen. It’s a media player just like any tablet or iPad, but is lined with photovoltaic cells on its back side, drawing solar power from natural sunlight in the room or against a window, even when it’s in use. 

6. Floor Plan Light Switch

The best inventions always seem to be the most simple, making us wonder why we never thought of it before. Instead of flipping a switch manually every time you enter and leave a room, why not just manage lighting on every room on an entire floor – or your whole house – with this smart LED master panel designed by Taewon Hwang?

7. Facial Recognition Welcome Camera

The Netatmo Welcome is a smart security camera that doesn’t only shoot video footage of who comes and goes from your house, but recognizes your family members and approved friends and others by registering facial recognition. You can program it to give your smart phone a signal every time your children or spouse get home, and if someone unrecognized shows up, you’ll know immediately. The Welcome also let’s you to tap in remotely to see a live stream any time, and this whole set up is only $199 with no subscription service needed.

8. LED Ceiling

Turn your ceiling into a giant smart lightshow, with infinite options for new patterns and designs. Created by Seo Dong-Hun, the LED Ceiling basically transforms your ceiling into a big overhead Light-Brite, as you can “draw” anything on the ceiling in colored lights with a laser pointer.

9.  Electrolux Fireplace

With new environmental regulations, long gone are the days when you can throw a few logs in your fireplace and set it ablaze. But let’s face it, gas fireplaces are better than nothing – but not nearly as charming as the real smoky open-flame experience. For those who live in a home without any fireplace, adding one with permits and gas lines and venting is usually more trouble and cost than it’s worth. But the Electrolux Fireplace, designed by Camillo Vanacore, solves all of that, elegantly creating real flames in a modern display. An opaque ceramic column instantly transforms into a clear vessel for flames.

10. Change It! Wall

This innovation actually isn’t that new, but still a best kept secret among home designers and modern home art enthusiasts. The amazing thing is that the Change It! Wall isn’t digital or based on any technological or computerized optics at all. Instead, it’s a wall panel that’s made with rotating triangles of different colors. The wall shifts and changes into an endless variety of patterns, creating a stunning dynamic and rainbow backdrop for any room.