Around The Home

Your roller doors might be smooth, but they'll never be this smooth. Californian company Hover Doors uses permanent magnets to float heavy sliding doors as if they're mag-lev monorails, for super-quiet, minimal-effort opening and closing.

If you're at home alone, you may be reluctant to use headphones or do anything else that keeps you from hearing noises such as ringing doorbells. That's where Earzz comes in, as it's designed to listen for those noises, and alert you when they occur.

Garmin's fitness brand Tacx has rolled out a new version of the NEO Bike indoor cycling machine, which is designed to bring outdoor riding inside with simulated gradients, the feel of different road surfaces and even the wind in your hair.

While wide, flat, cardboard boxes may be a traditional part of the pizza-delivery experience, they're certainly not ideal for storing leftover slices. That's where the collapsible, airtight Pizza Pack is designed to come in.

While there already are automated lifeguarding systems for home swimming pools, Mylo is claimed to be different. Among other things, it utilizes dual cameras and artificial intelligence to spot swimmers who may be in trouble.

Three years ago we heard about SwitchBot Curtain, that allows users to open their curtains either on a programmed schedule or by remote control. Well, the SwitchBot company is now back with Blind Tilt, which does the same thing for Venetian blinds.

Even in this day and age, many people still keep track of their daily tasks on paper do-to lists. The eMinder is designed to be a less wasteful alternative, and it's claimed to be less distracting than keeping such a list solely on your smartphone.

You don't need the full force of the water for every second that you're in the shower, but turning it up and down at the taps can be tricky. That's where the Reva shower head comes in, as it automatically reduces the flow whenever you step back.

If you want a really good cup of coffee, you have to start with freshly ground beans. That's where the home-use xBloom machine comes in, as it brews individual servings of pour-over coffee from whole roasted beans that it grinds for each use.

iRobot has rolled out its first entry in the world of vacuum and mopping combination robots with what it says is the most advanced system of its type, featuring a retractable mop head that swings up and out of the way.

While it may not be way up there on your list of grievances, constantly having to reposition a desk lamp can be a bit of a hassle. The Pino Lamp was designed with that fact in mind, as it automatically swivels to follow faces, books, or items of a given color.

There are already several autonomous robots that mow grass, and even a few that clear snow. The modular Yarbo robot, however, can tend to both grass and snow, plus it can blow away dead leaves or other debris.

Five years ago we heard about the compact millo blender, which was reportedly only 25% as loud as a regular blender. Well, the new millo air is claimed to be even slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, and to produce no motor noise at all.

Single-use, single-serve coffee "pods" are definitely not eco-friendly, which is why refillable pods have been created. Swiss company CoffeeB is taking a different approach, however, with its fully compostable Coffee Balls.

Besides keeping your food cold, there’s not much more we need from a fridge, but manufacturers keep cramming new features in there. The latest example from LG is the MoodUP, a fridge that sports speakers and LED doors that can change color on demand.