Smart home devices promise to improve our lives by making housework easier and hobbies more accessible. But early efforts were disappointing: robot hoovers bounced into walls, smart speakers misunderstood almost every command, and clunky kitchen tools gathered dust at the back of a cupboard. Now, a new wave of gadgets, supercharged by artificial intelligence, is changing the way we live and interact with technology.
In 2024, nearly 70 million American households used a smart device, according to independent research company Statista, up 10% from the previous year. Those devices range from subtle systems like digital thermostats to household robots performing physical tasks.
Early smart tech suffered from clunky controls, but new gadgets benefit from voice input. This one change has caused a significant shift in our relationship with technology. As a species, we’re prone to anthropomorphism, when we attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects. Countless studies have shown that we treat faceless machines differently from those that can smile, blink, and frown. The rise of voice-recognition technology in the home means we talk to our devices, making them more human.
“When they are smart and when they are designed to be anthropomorphized, or even if the design is agnostic, we tend to anthropomorphize them. That might affect the way we look at other humans,” explained Taha Yassari, Chair of the Center for Sociology of Humans and Machines at Trinity College Dublin.
Professor Elyakim Kislev, author of the book “Relationships 5.0: How AI, VR, and Robots Will Reshape Our Emotional Lives,” agrees. “The more we chat with these systems, the more we expect instant, tidy answers from each other. Long pauses or messy feelings in a friend can feel wrong after a bot replies in a blink and never argues.”
However, they can also help tackle loneliness. “For those who live alone, smart devices ease chores, remind us about medicine, and even offer light conversation. Robot pets and video companions cut stress and help pass long evenings,” Kislev added.
For most of us, smart devices are time-saving investments rather than companions. Smart gadgets can rescue us from grueling chores, saving time better spent on hobbies or work. But Jill Duffy, a productivity expert and author of the book, “Get Organized: How to Clean Up Your Messy Digital Life,” urged caution. “Devices that actually help our productivity the most are usually things that help to curb distraction and minimize the amount that technology is really bothering you.” She suggested banning smart devices from work settings, disabling their notifications, and choosing simple gadgets over more elaborate offerings.
The best gadgets solve a significant and immediate problem or enhance the enjoyment of our favorite hobbies. They should work quietly in the background and offer strict privacy controls. With that in mind, here are five smart devices that may help around the garden.
Lymow One Lawn Mower
There are a plethora of robotic lawnmowers to choose from – even Lamborghini makes one. The Lymow One, which made its debut at CES earlier this year, mulches leaves, sticks and even fallen fruit; apparently it’s the first robot mower to do so thanks to its heavy-duty mulching blades, rather than lateral scissor blades.
The fully autonomous robot mower’s tank-like tracks (versus conventional wheels) allow it to power up 45-degree slopes and mow up to 1.73 acres in a single day. The One’s boundary-wire-free navigation system autoscans the yard and then allows for users to draw keep-out zones via phone, shaving up to an hour off initial setup.
Lymow One from $2,199; lymow.com
Brisk It Zelos-450 Smart, A.I. Powered and Wifi Grill
If your grill game is lacking, Brisk It Zelos 450 Smart Grill can spare your BBQ blushes this summer. With a single click, the grill handles the temperatures, timings, and adjustments for whatever you’re cooking.
It features Vera, a “generative grilling AI” that can understand natural-language instructions and generate customized cooking plans on demand, adjusting heat and cook time automatically based on what you’re aiming for. Vera also sends real-time notifications and can modify temperature profiles even if you miss a prompt, making it a hands-off pellet grilling experience.
It boasts 450 square inches of primary cooking space, enough room for multiple cuts of meat or a small family feast, and a temperature range from roughly 180ºF to 500ºF, accommodating low-and-slow smoking as well as faster, higher-heat grilling. The pellet hopper can hold a significant amount of fuel, supporting extended cooks without frequent refills, and the unit includes a grease collection system for easier cleanup.
It’s Wi-Fi-enabled, allowing monitoring and control from a mobile app, and many reviewers note that its combination of intelligent automation and remote management makes backyard smoking more approachable, even for novices, without requiring constant dial-turning or close supervision.
Brisk It Zelos-450 Smart, A.I. Powered and Wifi Grill from $349.99; briskitgrills.com
Eufy Floodlight Camera E340
After filling your yard with expensive AI-enabled gadgets, you may want to make sure it’s secure. The eufy Floodlight Camera E340 offers both smart CCTV and a floodlight in one. The lighting can be as bright as 2,000 lumens, making it all the easier for the camera to record 2k resolution video.
The camera can pan and tilt 360 degrees, meaning it can cover large spaces without making your house look like Fort Knox. The built-in AI enables the camera to detect, recognize and follow moving objects, and can distinguish between humans, pets, and vehicles.
Eufy Floodlight Camera E340 $219.99; eufy.com
Feather River Doors Switch Smart Glass
Smart glass doors are a rare whole-door smart home upgrade that let you control privacy and natural light with the touch of a switch. These Feather River models use Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) technology, which transitions the glass from transparent to opaque instantly when electrified by a button, app, or voice command. The liquid crystals align under current to let light through, and scatter without it to create privacy on demand.
The switch can be activated manually, via an app, or by voice controls. In addition to privacy control, these doors are built from durable fiberglass with high-density foam cores that enhance insulation and energy efficiency, and they carry an Energy Star rating, meaning they meet or exceed efficiency benchmarks for reducing heating and cooling costs. The fiberglass construction and foam core also contribute to improved weather resistance, reinforcing comfort and long-term value.
Power options are flexible: these smart glass doors run on removable batteries that can last about two months on a charge, with a USB-C port at the hinge for on-door charging if you have an outlet nearby. Even if Wi-Fi drops out, Bluetooth control remains available, and the glass stays in opaque mode until power is restored.
Feather River Doors Switch Smart Glass from $998.00; homedepot.com
Unistellar eVscope 2
The best smart technology makes demanding hobbies more accessible, and smart telescopes are a prime example. The eVscope 2 is operated via your phone or tablet and automatically locates planets, stars, galaxies, and nebulae—letting you explore the night sky without star charts, manual alignment, or prior astronomy experience. Its motorized mount handles tracking and positioning automatically, so objects stay centered as the Earth rotates.
The companion app includes a sky catalog of more than 5,000 deep-sky objects, allowing you to tap once and observe in real time. What you see isn’t a traditional eyepiece view: Unistellar’s patented “Enhanced Vision” digitally stacks short exposures to reveal faint objects—even under light-polluted urban skies. The telescope uses a 114 mm reflector paired with a Sony CMOS sensor, streaming live, color-enhanced views directly to your device.
For more experienced observers, the eVscope 2 still offers manual focus and collimation, along with the option to save images locally for later viewing. Its compact, all-in-one design eliminates the need for external mounts, laptops, or astrophotography rigs, making it one of the most approachable ways to experience deep-sky observing without sacrificing sophistication.
Unistellar eVscope 2 from $4,699; shop.unistellar.com
