All Hail Household Tech: 7 Apps and Gadgets Making Chores Obsolete
December 15, 2017
The robots are here. And they’re coming for…your kitchen. And your mop. And your lawnmower.
Actually, we like the way that sounds. Increasingly, apps, gadgets—and yes, even bona fide robots—are being designed to tackle your chores, whether it’s scrubbing your floors or cooking you a big pot of soup. We’re spotlighting seven nifty examples of household tech that are about to make your life way easier (and cut down on roommate cleaning squabbles, too).
1. BRAAVA JET: Most of us were first introduced to the concept of robot cleaners via the Roomba vacuum—but don't forget about its younger sibling. Meet the Braava jet. With three settings—mopping, damp sweeping, and dry sweeping—it will keep your floors spick-and-span (and even has a spray feature to help tackle particularly resistant messes). Meanwhile, you've got an extra good excuse to kick up your feet and binge on that new Netflix series. Household tech saves the day.
Image courtesy of iRobot.
Image courtesy of iRobot.
2. ROBOMOW: What the Roomba is to your living room, so the Robomow is to your lawn. Assuming you're lucky enough to rock that urban backyard vibe, this little green dude will help keep it ship-shape. And now—with its companion app—you can remotely monitor the Robomow's progress, pre-program a mowing schedule, and navigate it between various patches of green. Until they invent smell-o-vision, missing out on that aroma of freshly cut grass is the only downside.
Image courtesy of Robomow.
Image courtesy of Robomow.
3. TRUNK CLUB: Buying yourself a new wardrobe: a treat for some, a form of exquisite torture for others. If you fall into the latter category, then this is one chore that's best to outsource to the experts. That's where Trunk Club comes in. The digital service employs pro-level stylists who—after a quick, remote consultation—put together a range of custom outfits that are tailored to your size and taste, then send them directly to your door.
Image courtesy of Trunk Club.
Image courtesy of Trunk Club.
4. AMAZON DASH: If you thought shopping couldn't get any easier, think again—Amazon has (literally) simplified the process down to the push of a button. That's all thanks to its Dash Buttons—little devices that each individually connect to a given item on Amazon. So long as you have a Prime account, a single push sends detergent refills, rolls of toilet paper, boxes of tissues, or any of the other "tens of millions of products that ship through Prime" straight to you. You might never need to haul heavy grocery bags to your fifth-floor walk-up again.
Image courtesy of Amazon.
Image courtesy of Amazon.
5. SAMSUNG FAMILY HUB: What if your fridge were more than just a place to keep your half-eaten tubs of hummus? What if it could send you reminders when your milk was about to go bad? Or give you a video livestream of its contents when you're out and about? Or host shareable shopping lists and a database of thousands of recipes—or even stream music and video? Samsung's new Family Hub is as fancy as household tech gets...which is pretty fancy, it turns out.
Image courtesy of Samsung.
Image courtesy of Samsung.
6. THERMOMIX TM5: The Family Hub has got food storage nailed. But when it comes to actually preparing those raw ingredients, turn to the Thermomix TM5. This cult-favorite device chops and sautés, whips cream and kneads bread, weighs and steams—and its digital interface comes loaded with tons of recipes, in case you're lacking inspiration. Apart from an actual robot kitchen, it's as efficient and hands-off as cooking gets.
Image courtesy of Vorwerk.
Image courtesy of Vorwerk.
7. FEED AND GO: Feeding your furry friend isn't usually the most arduous of tasks. But when you're traveling—or simply want to avoid being woken up at 5AM by a hungry and very persistent cat—the Feed and Go offers one clever solution. The device stores six different portions at once, can be prescheduled, is controlled via app, and even lets you record voice messages (so your pupper knows it's chow time) and access live video feeds (so you can connect with Fluffy when you're out of town).
Image courtesy of Feed and Go.
Image courtesy of Feed and Go.
1. BRAAVA JET: Most of us were first introduced to the concept of robot cleaners via the Roomba vacuum—but don't forget about its younger sibling. Meet the Braava jet. With three settings—mopping, damp sweeping, and dry sweeping—it will keep your floors spick-and-span (and even has a spray feature to help tackle particularly resistant messes). Meanwhile, you've got an extra good excuse to kick up your feet and binge on that new Netflix series. Household tech saves the day.
Image courtesy of iRobot.
Image courtesy of iRobot.
2. ROBOMOW: What the Roomba is to your living room, so the Robomow is to your lawn. Assuming you're lucky enough to rock that urban backyard vibe, this little green dude will help keep it ship-shape. And now—with its companion app—you can remotely monitor the Robomow's progress, pre-program a mowing schedule, and navigate it between various patches of green. Until they invent smell-o-vision, missing out on that aroma of freshly cut grass is the only downside.
Image courtesy of Robomow.
Image courtesy of Robomow.
3. TRUNK CLUB: Buying yourself a new wardrobe: a treat for some, a form of exquisite torture for others. If you fall into the latter category, then this is one chore that's best to outsource to the experts. That's where Trunk Club comes in. The digital service employs pro-level stylists who—after a quick, remote consultation—put together a range of custom outfits that are tailored to your size and taste, then send them directly to your door.
Image courtesy of Trunk Club.
Image courtesy of Trunk Club.
4. AMAZON DASH: If you thought shopping couldn't get any easier, think again—Amazon has (literally) simplified the process down to the push of a button. That's all thanks to its Dash Buttons—little devices that each individually connect to a given item on Amazon. So long as you have a Prime account, a single push sends detergent refills, rolls of toilet paper, boxes of tissues, or any of the other "tens of millions of products that ship through Prime" straight to you. You might never need to haul heavy grocery bags to your fifth-floor walk-up again.
Image courtesy of Amazon.
Image courtesy of Amazon.
5. SAMSUNG FAMILY HUB: What if your fridge were more than just a place to keep your half-eaten tubs of hummus? What if it could send you reminders when your milk was about to go bad? Or give you a video livestream of its contents when you're out and about? Or host shareable shopping lists and a database of thousands of recipes—or even stream music and video? Samsung's new Family Hub is as fancy as household tech gets...which is pretty fancy, it turns out.
Image courtesy of Samsung.
Image courtesy of Samsung.
6. THERMOMIX TM5: The Family Hub has got food storage nailed. But when it comes to actually preparing those raw ingredients, turn to the Thermomix TM5. This cult-favorite device chops and sautés, whips cream and kneads bread, weighs and steams—and its digital interface comes loaded with tons of recipes, in case you're lacking inspiration. Apart from an actual robot kitchen, it's as efficient and hands-off as cooking gets.
Image courtesy of Vorwerk.
Image courtesy of Vorwerk.
7. FEED AND GO: Feeding your furry friend isn't usually the most arduous of tasks. But when you're traveling—or simply want to avoid being woken up at 5AM by a hungry and very persistent cat—the Feed and Go offers one clever solution. The device stores six different portions at once, can be prescheduled, is controlled via app, and even lets you record voice messages (so your pupper knows it's chow time) and access live video feeds (so you can connect with Fluffy when you're out of town).
Image courtesy of Feed and Go.
Image courtesy of Feed and Go.
