US – Knocki is a new wireless controller that lets users operate smart devices by tapping their furniture.
The device can be attached under tables, inside cupboard doors and on walls, turning any surface into a user interface. The system is designed to enable users to control their smart home devices intuitively and without the need for a range of platforms and controllers.
Each Knocki can be programmed to operate devices such thermostats and lights wirelessly using a series of taps. It can even be used to make a misplaced smartphone ring or alert the owner that someone is knocking at the front door.
‘If you enable a wall with Knocki, you allow anyone, whether they are in a wheelchair, elderly or a child that can’t physically reach a switch, to go to any part of the wall and control it by knocking,’ co-founder Jake Boshernitzan told Digital Trends. ‘And it’s also simpler than having to take a phone out to look through a bunch of apps to find a specific one to control a specific device.’
Products such as Knocki are helping to simplify the integration of smart home technologies into the domestic environment. For more on the challenges of growing the smart home market, read our recent column.