Play Whac-A-Mole on these weather-predicting smart ceramics
Most consumer IoT devices we've come across are made out of dull plastic, so excuse us for getting a bit excited over these porcelain smart mugs and vases at IDF in Shenzhen. Yes, porcelain, courtesy of Chinese ODM Thread Technology who's integrated Intel's tiny Edison computer module into these white ware pieces. And thanks to the translucent nature of the ceramic material, the company's able to add a simple 12 x 16-dot LED touchscreen underneath the inner wall. Once turned on, you can scroll through features such as weather forecast, music (either from a phone via Bluetooth or from the 4GB of onboard storage; built-in speaker), WeChat notification (voice playback and reply supported), dice and even a simple Whac-A-Mole game. Both devices have a conductive charging mat as well.
The smart mug, which is already sold by a Chinese company called iorgane, also has a thermometer to detect its content's temperature. It's worth mentioning that the porcelain part here is from Auratic, a premium US brand of a 220-year-old Chinese ceramics company, which sort of justifies the 1,999 yuan (about $320) price tag.
As for the smart vase, it one-ups the mug with the added air quality sensors, so it can give you the readings for the room's Particulate Matter levels (which is a big concern in China these days), sulphur dioxide levels, carbon dioxide levels, humidity and more. There's no price nor availability just yet as the ODM is still in talks with vendors, but an Intel rep reckons it'll cost a lot more than the mug due to the expensive sensors, as well as the extra ceramic materials -- apparently not by Auratic in this case -- needed for the larger body.
