This smart-speaker is designed to look like a house-plant so it blends into home-decor better! - Yanko Design

When Google launched its first smart speaker, the Google Home, in 2016, the pattern squad spoke about how they consciously chose materials and color palettes that complemented the home, rather than being too tech-driven. The Google Home came with a woven fabric clad, and pastel color options, allowing it to occupy space in your dwelling house without commanding also much attention. The rounded forms and the lack of edginess just helped it blend in further, making the habitation feel smart, rather than the product within the home. Jonas Daehnert (popularly known on the cyberspace equally Phone Designer) is taking that blueprint philosophy a stride further with his Smart Cactus speaker. Designed to blend into homes by looking similar a potted plant, the Smart Cactus beautifully intersects tech and decor to create a speaker that's a perfect fit for the coffee tabular array, the mantelpiece, or the cabinet.

The Smart Cactus comes in a cylindrical format, quite similar to other smart speakers, but resembles a Parodia cactus with a fleshy stem and a planter-base of operations. The stalk comes with multiple segments, clad in textile to look like the cactus' trunk, and ditches the spikes for light-strips that run vertically. On the meridian is an OLED screen that serves every bit a display, allowing you to interact with it through bear upon (something you wouldn't really do with a cactus without thinking twice!) Conversely, you lot could talk to the Smart Cactus and have it respond with audio as well as always-irresolute LED lights. You could ask information technology to read you the latest headlines, play your favorite podcast, or take information technology stream music (they say Beethoven really helps nourish plants!) I just wish the Smart Cactus came in a dainty olive-green though!

Designer: Jonas Daehnert