'smartians' actuators turn your everyday products into smart devices

smart home technology is becoming more affordable and accessible than ever before as technologies emerge to integrate all of our connected devices. but as we embark on a life entirely orchestrated by the internet of things (IoT) what happens to the perfectly working items surrounding us that don’t respond to ‘ok google‘ or ‘hello alexa‘. amsterdam-based frolic studio has come up with a solution that transforms our everyday products into smart devices. dubbed ‘smartians’, they have designed a series of actuators that turn physical experiences into digital ones.

images courtesy of frolic studio

these tiny actuators work as mechanical add-ons that perform a specific functionality like pulling, pushing, twisting, rotating and releasing. they can turn lights on and off, put the kettle on, and even water the plants. simply snap the add-on you want to the smartian and the tactile experiences around your house become smart ones.

all attachments come with a base and a smart hub which connects to the cloud device working in your home, giving google home or alexa power over devices both new and old. just set up the smartians to run using IFTTT or voice commands so you can open the blinds and turn the heating on without even getting out of bed. alternatively, you can communicate with individual actuators using the app. 

the clever tech doesn’t stop their either – frolic studio has also considered the use of smartians within large homes giving each actuator the capability to pass on messages to others which are too far from the hub. its worth noting that the hub can also be used to charge each smartian giving it up to months of usage time.

smartians is currently a functional proof-of-concept, designed and developed by founding partners of frolic studio, andrew spitz and ruben van der vleuten. the studio is currently guaging interest among investors who share their belief that old products shouldn’t be thrown away just because they aren’t IoT connected.