Smart

At this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, it will be some of the smallest cars that will feature some of the biggest technologies. A day after Mini rolled out its Electric Concept, Daimler is showing the Smart Vision EQ ForTwo, an electric, autonomous two-seater designed specifically for car-sharing.

The Token smart ring packs NFC and Bluetooth connectivity and is designed to take the place of your credit card, house and car keys, workplace access card and even laptop password.

​Brabus is known for powerful Mercedes sports cars, but the tuner isn't afraid to set its sights lower. Based on the lowly three-cylinder Smart ForTwo, the Brabus Ultimate 125 adds a little more power, a bit more style and a crazy ​pricetag to the formula it debuted on the Smart Brabus last year.

Few cars seem as ready to be made electric as the Smart ForTwo and ForFour. The new Smart Electric Drive, with up to 160 km range and torquey motors, could be the perfect runabout for inner city commuters with one eye on the environment.

A Canadian-based team has launched a product aimed at individuals who want to grow plants and herbs year-round without all the guesswork. The Grobo indoor gardening system features smart tech designed to simulate ideal growing conditions while providing real-time information to users.

Automaker Smart is to begin trialling a service that allows parcels to be delivered to the trunk of a car. "Smart Ready to Drop" is the first innovation from the carmaker's "smart lab" think tank, aimed at "accelerating the development and implementation of creative urban mobility projects."

Kinsa has launched an Elmo-branded version of its smart ear thermometer which it hopes will make taking the temperature of ill kids easier. An app for the new thermometer will feature the voice of the Sesame Street character delivering temperature readings and telling kids to feel better soon.

Brabus is best known for producing ultra-powerful versions of AMG Mercedes sports cars, but the tuning house also has experience making Smart cars slightly faster than they were before. In keeping with that tradition, the latest Smart Brabus packs a 109-hp three-cylinder under its boot floor.

Carlo Ratti Associati is fitting out an office building with sensors so that its lighting and heating will be automatically adjusted in real-time according to the needs of its occupants. Not only will Office 3.0 provide a convenient approach to comfort, but it could significantly reduce energy use.​

​Although e-bikes are becoming increasingly popular, we're also hearing more and more about smart bikes. VanMoof has just jumped on the bandwagon with its aptly-named SmartBike, which should prove particularly challenging to thieves.​

A technology incorporated into a sticker about the size of a large postage stamp and as thin as a human hair could provide a more comfortable method for monitoring patient health or eliminate tickets to sporting events and concerts.

Thanks to inbuilt sensors, the oombrella predicts when it’s going to rain, alerts you when you’ve left it behind, and has a Kevlar frame to keep it from collapsing in high winds.