Project Overview

Why replace our things because they’re not state-of-the-art? Smartians are cloud-connected motors that breathe new life into the things all around us.

Organisation

FROLIC Studio

Project Context

Consumerism is currently at an all-time high, with old products being disposed of and new products introduced in the millions every day - as a result, landfill sites are increasingly filled with perfectly usable household items and appliances, currently a big contributing factor to the environmental issues we are facing. In particular, the smart home industry is booming - everyone who can afford it wants to streamline their life with smarter functionalities.

Every week new ‘smart’ home devices are released onto the market. But such devices are expensive, have limited functionality, and encourage waste - consumers are increasingly tempted to upgrade from their old devices for those with more ‘brain cells.’

But why discard perfectly functional, e!cient products when we can transform those very same devices into smart ones?

FROLIC studio figured, why not try and encourage consumers to keep their 'old' but cherished appliances by giving them the freedom to make them smart? And so they developed Smartians, a product allowing users full flexibility to build their own smart-home in a fun, efficient and inventive way.

Project Innovation

Smartians are cloud-connected, smart actuators that enable users to control all sorts of devices in their home from wherever they are. They consist of a small motor, onto which can be added a dozen different add-ons. Each add-on converts the movement of the motor into a different motion to enables the user to remotely press buttons, turn knobs, pull strings and move objects.

Smartians work remotely through an app, which enables timers to be set and even routines to be made - for instance, users could set a routine to switch on a heater and open the blinds every morning - just the same as setting an alarm.

By using IFTTT (If This Then That), users can also integrate Smartians with other services and devices such as Google Home or Amazon Echo.

When purchasing the Smartians kit, in addition to two Smartians (motors), a base and a hub, users will also receive three types of Smartian add-ons: those that turn; those that press, and those that allow DIY - so that users can hack their own ideas, and adapt their appliances in a way that makes sense for them.