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Seven futuristic gadgets to turn your living space into a smart home

Including robots, talking pets and plenty of environmentally friendly tech

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Futuristic, environmentally friendly gadgets and robots to turn your living space into a smart home

1 Rainstick A typical 10-minute shower uses up to 100 litres of water. Rainstick’s circular system captures that would-be wasted water, runs it through a micron-level filter, treats it with high-­intensity UV rays and then sends it back through the shower head, reducing water usage by 80 per cent. Water gets cycled through up to six times before it finally heads down the drain. $6,600. rainstickshower.com

Related: Inside a Lawrence Park home that generates negative energy bills



Seven futuristic gadgets to turn your living space into a smart home

2 Powerhouse The Powerhouse is a prefabricated mini building with integrated photo­voltaic technology. Translated, that means exterior walls are made of slick-looking solar panels—a simple net-zero option for a backyard office, home gym or studio. The stand-alone structure can also be connected to a municipal electricity grid to meet higher energy demands or feed excess energy into your home. The units range in size from 256 to 480 square feet. Starting at $90,000. mitrex.com/powerhouse



Seven futuristic gadgets to turn your living space into a smart home

3 Helight The Helight emits wavelengths that pass through closed eyelids and activate photosensitive cells in the retina. Those cells then trigger the hypothalamus to release melatonin, the hormone that helps your body relax. The red beams also help neutralize the blue light emitted by electronic devices, which can disrupt natural circadian rhythms if used before bed. $139.99. helight.ca



Seven futuristic gadgets to turn your living space into a smart home

4 FluentPet Ever wonder what the dog is thinking? FluentPet wants to make interspecies communication a reality. The company sells kits of recordable buttons that can be customized to speak certain words, like outside, ball or play. With training, dogs can learn to “talk” by pressing the buttons. $105 for a starter kit. fluent.pet

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Seven futuristic gadgets to turn your living space into a smart home

5 Alfred This smart lock system is not quite an AI butler—but it’s close. Alfred can be programmed with up to 20 unique PIN codes and allows homeowners to keep track of who’s coming in and out and when. It also allows one-touch entry when your phone is within 30 feet. So, if your arms are full of groceries, you need only tap its surface and it will unlock. Haughty British accent not included. Starting at $349.99. alfredinc.ca



Seven futuristic gadgets to turn your living space into a smart home

6 Landroid Think of the Landroid as something like an outdoor Roomba. The AI-powered mower is designed to distinguish grass from obstacles and other things you don’t want it to run over. Lawn care can be customized based on your soil texture and grass type—and, if you don’t know, the robot’s “botanical brain” will figure it out. Starting at $1,299.99. worx.com/landroid



Seven futuristic gadgets to turn your living space into a smart home

7 Tero The Tero is an electric food composter that’s small enough for the kitchen counter and will grind and then dehydrate whatever organic waste you toss inside. The entire process takes about three to eight hours, depending on the moisture level of your food scraps, and results in about 500 mL of dry fertilizer for your houseplants or garden. Starting at $695. teroinnovation.ca

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Andrea Yu is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. She reports on a wide variety of topics including business, real estate, culture, design, health, food, drink and travel. Aside from Toronto Life, her writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Chatelaine and Cottage Life.

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