Smart lights are undoubtedly cool. What’s not is the time spent digging through a light’s companion app for just the right setting, or having an assistant like Siri or Amazon’s Echo misunderstand a user’s command to turn one on or off. The Helium machine learning smart light is trying to get rid of the fuss for a smoother smart light experience.
Helium is three things in one: A machine learning connected light bulb, a night shift feature light, and a Wi-Fi extender. Its machine learning capabilities take into account time, location, weather, proximity and behavior to make it context aware. This results in lights turning on by themselves when entering a room, for example, and shifting to a bright white light during work hours for increased productivity or a warm white light right before bed for to better adhere to the body’s internal rhythms.
Over time, all of this will happen automatically and exactly as a user wants it to happen. Users can interact with their Helium light bulbs through smartphone notifications, simple proximity, or by placing their connected smartphone near one to automatically trigger it. To round it all out, the Helium’s built-in Wi-Fi extender will get rid of Wi-Fi dead spots for a more connected home. A single Helium light bulb goes for $39 and a three pack is available for $99, all which are slated to ship October 2017. The Helium Kickstarter campaign is looking for $150,000 by December 6th, 2016.
The Helium is a solid product precisely because it’s an addition to the home that blends in and is forgotten about. While it may not boast IFTTT integration or voice reminders like the Riflo or the ability to mimic a user’s presence when away like the ComfyLight, what it does do, it does very, very well. In the end, it’s a simple product that can fit into many different lifestyles quite easily — and worth the purchase.