Josh Hendrickson
The real superpower of smart homes is automation. With proper automation, your smart home can proactively turn on lights when you enter a room or start cooling your home when you arrive from work. But automation can be challenging to set up. NanoLeaf wants to change that, starting with a $99 lighting system that learns.
A System That Learns—Somehow
If you’re familiar with the Nest Thermostat, then a smart learning system isn’t anything new. The Nest promises to keep an eye on when you turn the heat up or the A/C down and start anticipating those preferences for you.
NanoLeaf wants to do something similar with its new lighting system. Comprised of a switch, button, and bulb, the company promises that the system will pay attention to how you use your lights and start working for you. That way, you won’t have to rely on voice commands or struggle with scheduling in an app. Your lights should turn on and off when you need them to, all on their own.
Unfortunately, NanoLeaf didn’t provide much detail on how exactly the learning system would work or what you need to do to train the system. The company did say the Learning Button will cost $14.99, the Learning Bulb will go for $19.99, and the Learning Switch will set you back $49.99. Or you can buy a kit, which starts at $99. NanoLeaf didn’t say when the learning system will be available.
New Geometric Shaped Panels for Infinite Combinations
NanoLeaf also announced new LED panels. When we reviewed NanoLeaf Canvas, we called them bold, beautiful, and expensive. The new NanoLeaf panels are the first in a series of “Unified Light Panels” and feature a new shape—hexagons. The company says going forward any new panel shapes it releases will work with anything else in the “Unified Light Panels” series.
That means unlike the previous triangle and square-shaped panels, you can mix and match panel systems to create nearly any shape you want. The new panels also apparently feature a new method to attach to your walls. Hopefully, they’re less to damage your walls if you decide to move your panels.
The panels will go on sale this summer, but there’s no word on price yet. We’ll be at CES next week and plan to follow up with NanoLeaf to learn more about the new learning system and the updated panels.
Source: The Verge
