Smartians Let You Add IoT Motor Control to Anything

You can now purchase an IoT capable version of just about anything in your home. The question is if you want to. It’s probably not worth buying a whole new oven just so you can get a push notification when it’s done preheating. Even if cost isn’t an issue for you, the new IoT product may not be as appealing to you from a functional or aesthetic standpoint. Fortunately, it is possible to add IoT capabilities to existing devices, and Smartians is a system for doing so with motors.

If you’re a regular reader of the Hackster blog, then you’ve probably read about how you can use devices like ESP8266 boards to bring IoT functionality to electronic devices. But what if you want to IoT-ify something that isn’t electronic, or that requires physical interaction? That’s what Smartians is for. It’s a system for adding WiFi-enabled motors to anything in your house. For instance, you can use Smartians to open or close your blinds, or to push the power switch on your tea kettle.

Smartians was created by Frolic Studio and is comprised of a mounting base, a motor unit with built-in wireless control, and various kinds of attachments for the motor. Those attachments can be anything from a simple gear to turn knobs to an actuator for pushing buttons. The motor unit snaps right into the mount at whatever angle you like, so you can position it as needed for whatever application you need. Once positioned, you can use a smartphone app to control the motors directly or set them up for automated tasks. Smartians is just a proof of concept for now, but may eventually be a real product.