Articles tagged with "smart-home-devices"
Beatbot announces new pool robots in pool care automation at CES 2026
At CES 2026, Beatbot unveiled two new automated pool-cleaning robots, highlighting a significant innovation in pool care automation. The flagship product, Beatbot AquaSense X, introduces a comprehensive AI-driven ecosystem combining an advanced robotic pool cleaner with the world’s first self-cleaning pool cleaner station, called AstroRinse. This station automates the traditionally disliked post-cleaning maintenance by rinsing the robot’s internal filter, emptying debris, and recharging the unit in about three minutes, supporting up to two cleaning cycles per week for two months without manual intervention. The AquaSense X employs “Beatbot AI 2.0” and HybridSense AI Vision, which enhances debris detection (recognizing 40 types) and coverage across pool floors, walls, waterlines, and surfaces using a combination of camera, infrared, and ultrasonic sensors. Its adaptive navigation handles complex, multi-level pool layouts, ensuring thorough cleaning of steps, edges, and shallow zones. In addition to cleaning, AquaSense
robotAIpool-cleaningautomationIoTautonomous-robotssmart-home-devicesKeenon advances home robotics with autonomous mower, humanoid robot
Keenon Robotics, a leading Chinese service robot maker, showcased significant advancements in home and commercial robotics at CES 2026. The company introduced Keenmow K1, a fully autonomous robotic lawn mower featuring a 3D LiDAR-Vision fusion system that enables precise garden mapping without boundary wires or complex setup. This technology allows Keenmow to independently plan mowing routes, avoid obstacles, and navigate tight spaces with minimal human intervention, offering a true “set-and-forget” lawn care solution. The launch marks Keenon’s expansion from commercial service robots into smart home applications. In addition to Keenmow, Keenon demonstrated its humanoid service robot Xman-R1, designed for multifunctional roles in hospitality and dining, such as taking orders, preparing simple food items, delivering goods, and clearing dishes. The robot is part of Keenon’s broader ecosystem aimed at automating service workflows more efficiently. The company also unveiled new autonomous cleaning robots in its Kleenbot lineup and showcased delivery
roboticsautonomous-robotshome-roboticsrobotic-lawn-mowerLiDAR-technologysmart-home-deviceshumanoid-robotsWorld’s first facial recognition pet feeder works with 99.9% accuracy
Cheerble, a pet technology company founded in 2016, has introduced the world’s first AI-based facial recognition pet feeder, the Pet Feeder Match G1, which boasts 99.9% accuracy in identifying cats. Unveiled at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, this device is designed to address common challenges in multi-cat households, such as food stealing and managing specialized diets. The feeder supports up to six cats, allowing owners to customize individual feeding schedules and diets through the Cheerble app. The system uses a short-range infrared camera and edge-AI technology to process recognition locally, ensuring privacy by keeping biometric data on-site without cloud uploads. The Match G1 features a Controlled Feeding Dome that grants access only to the recognized cat, preventing other pets from stealing food. Its design also considers feline comfort, with a bowl angled to reduce whisker fatigue and made of dishwasher-safe 304 stainless steel. An integrated ice tray keeps food fresh for longer periods. The app provides detailed
IoTsmart-pet-feederfacial-recognitionAI-edge-computingpet-technologyConsumer-Electronics-Showsmart-home-devicesA rough week for hardware companies
The article discusses the recent bankruptcies of three distinct hardware companies—Rad Power Bikes (e-bikes), Luminar (lidar sensors), and iRobot (Roombas)—highlighting common challenges they faced despite their different products. All three struggled with tariff pressures, failed major deals, and an inability to diversify beyond their initial successful products. Rad Power Bikes, once a pandemic-era leader in micromobility with revenues peaking above $123 million in 2023, saw a sharp decline to about $63 million amid bankruptcy. Luminar, a pioneer in affordable lidar sensors for autonomous vehicles with key partnerships like Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, also filed due to overreliance on a narrow market. iRobot, the most recognizable brand among the three, faced rapid technological advancements and a blocked acquisition by Amazon, which contributed to its financial distress. The conversation among the article’s commentators further explores these issues. Rebecca Bellan notes Rad Power’s recall challenges and questions the impact of tariffs on these
robotIoTenergyautonomous-vehicleslidare-bikesroboticssmart-home-devicesSilent, deadly, and preventable: the radon story you need to hear
The article highlights radon as a silent, deadly, and preventable public health risk responsible for thousands of deaths annually, primarily through lung cancer caused by long-term exposure. Dallas Jones, an expert in environmental health and radon safety, explains that radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that seeps into homes from the soil, making all houses potentially vulnerable regardless of construction type. The invisible and odorless nature of radon, combined with its slow health effects, contributes to widespread under-awareness and difficulty in accountability since no single manufacturer or company is responsible. Testing is emphasized as the only reliable method to detect radon, with levels fluctuating due to environmental and seasonal factors, necessitating continuous monitoring rather than one-time tests. Advances in sensor technology, such as those developed by Ecosense, now offer affordable, real-time digital radon monitors that provide hourly updates, enabling homeowners to identify exposure spikes and take timely action. Additionally, smart home integration allows mitigation systems to dynamically respond to radon levels,
IoTsensor-technologyradon-detectionenvironmental-healthsmart-home-devicesreal-time-monitoringair-quality-sensorsAmazon identifies the issue that broke much of the internet, but is still working to restore services
Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a significant outage that disrupted large portions of the internet, affecting websites, banks, government services, and major apps such as Coinbase, Fortnite, Signal, and Zoom. The root cause was identified as a DNS resolution problem related to the DynamoDB API endpoints in the N. Virginia (us-east-1) region. DNS (Domain Name System) is crucial for translating web addresses into IP addresses, enabling websites and apps to load properly. Although AWS reported that the underlying DNS issue was fully mitigated by early Tuesday morning (2:24 AM PDT), the company was still working to fully restore all services. The outage, which began around 3 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast, also impacted Amazon’s own platforms, including Amazon.com, its subsidiaries, AWS customer support, and Ring video surveillance products. This incident highlights the critical role AWS plays in hosting websites, apps, and online systems for millions of companies worldwide, given its substantial share of the
IoTcloud-computingAWS-outageDNS-resolutioninternet-infrastructurecybersecuritysmart-home-devicesAmazon’s Ring to partner with Flock, a network of AI cameras used by ICE, feds, and police
Amazon’s Ring, known for its home surveillance cameras, announced a partnership with Flock, a network of AI-powered cameras used by federal agencies including ICE, the Secret Service, and the Navy, as well as local police. This collaboration allows agencies using Flock to request assistance from Ring doorbell users for evidence collection and investigative purposes. Flock’s technology scans license plates and other identifying features of vehicles and enables natural language searches to find individuals matching specific descriptions in video footage. The partnership significantly expands law enforcement’s access to surveillance data by potentially incorporating footage from millions of Ring cameras into Flock’s network. This raises concerns given that AI surveillance tools used by law enforcement have faced criticism and scrutiny over accuracy and privacy issues. Additionally, Ring has historically faced criticism regarding the security and privacy of its users’ video data, adding another layer of controversy to this expanded collaboration between private surveillance technology and government agencies.
IoTAI-camerassurveillance-technologysmart-home-deviceslaw-enforcement-technologyvideo-analyticslicense-plate-recognitionAnker offered Eufy camera owners $2 per video for AI training
Anker, the maker of Eufy security cameras, launched a campaign earlier this year offering users $2 per video of package or car thefts to help train its AI systems for better theft detection. The initiative encouraged users to submit both real and staged videos, even suggesting users stage theft events to earn more money, with payments made via PayPal. The campaign ran from December 18, 2024, to February 25, 2025, aiming to collect 20,000 videos each of package thefts and car door thefts. Over 120 users reportedly participated, and Eufy has since continued similar programs, including an in-app Video Donation Program that rewards users with badges, gifts, or gift cards for submitting videos involving humans. The company claims the videos are used solely for AI training and are not shared with third parties. However, concerns about privacy and data security persist. Eufy has a history of misleading users about the encryption of their camera streams, as revealed
IoTAIsecurity-camerasvideo-datauser-incentivessmart-home-devicesdata-privacyAnker offered to pay Eufy camera owners to share videos for training its AI
Anker, the maker of Eufy security cameras, launched a campaign earlier this year offering users $2 per video of package or car thefts to train its AI systems. The company encouraged users to submit both real and staged videos, even suggesting users simulate thefts to help improve detection algorithms. This initiative aimed to collect 20,000 videos each of package thefts and car door pulls, with payments made via PayPal. While the campaign reportedly attracted participation from over 120 users, Eufy did not disclose how many videos were collected, the total payments made, or whether the videos were deleted after training. Following this, Eufy continued similar programs, including an in-app Video Donation Program that rewards users with badges, gifts, or rankings for submitting videos involving humans, which the company states are used solely for AI training and not shared with third parties. Despite these efforts to monetize user data for AI development, concerns about privacy and security persist. For example, in 2023
IoTsecurity-camerasAI-trainingvideo-data-collectionuser-incentivesprivacy-concernssmart-home-devices