Wyze Enters Smart Lighting
Smart home company Wyze recently introduced the Wyze Bulb Cam, a security camera with a built in smart light bulb. While the light helps illuminate dark areas outside the home and presumably adds visibility to the camera, the convenience of powering a security camera via an external light socket is the real value of the Bulb Cam; the device doesn’t require any extra power cables or batteries. Wyze is also selling extra bulbs that can be swapped into the camera but also set up separately and connected via Bluetooth to create a motion activated smart lighting system.
The Circana Take:
- As security camera brands look for differentiation in the market, combinations such as the Bulb Cam may be more commonplace. While there are numerous listings on online marketplaces for these products - generally from lesser-known brands - the concept and convenience regarding using existing light sockets for power will likely resonate with shoppers.
SwitchBot Pushes Further Into Robotics
SwitchBot, a brand known for unique connected solutions such as motorized smart roller shades and connected switches, recently released the K20+ Pro, a robotic vacuum that can be appended with an additional appliance like an air purifier, or fan. The Fusion Platform is a connecting base for the robotic vacuum that has the latter acting as the wheels moving the device around the home. SwitchBot’s robotic vacuums boast advanced LiDAR navigation, interior mapping, and object avoidance- all features that are beneficial to robotic vacuums and robotic assistants. The device can act as a simple platform (on which items can be placed and moved about the room) creating new, autonomously mobile devices such as a roving air purifier, or a mobile security robot when outfitted with a security camera.
The Circana Take:
- Simple robots like robotic vacuums are the starting point for more assistive devices in the home. Robotic vacuums are outfitted with numerous sensors to help the devices move and overcome obstacles- adding new connected devices as SwitchBot proposes will create new product opportunities and expand interest in consumer robotics.