Sony’s latest crowd-funded gadget is one of its coolest yet: the £170 Huis remote is an e-ink remote control, designed to operate any gadget in your home with fully customisable buttons.
The idea is smart — instead of using a different remote for each gadget, why not use one remote that changes to suit what it’s controlling? E-ink is perfect for this too, allowing the remote to offer easily readable — yet fully customisable — controls and insane battery life.
The Huis is designed to work with a wide array of gadgets to maximise its utility, from air conditioners and lights to TVs and sound systems. You can turn on or off a bunch of different gadgets from one screen, or dive deeper to access specific controls on any one device. You can also create custom layouts, so if you typically turn on your lights and your heating at the same time, you can accomplish that pretty easily. Sony calls the it “the remote that fits you”, and that seems an accurate moniker.
The Huis is the latest product to be launched on Sony’s First Flight crowd-funding platform; we’ve previously seen a MESH Smart DIY kit and a FES e-ink watch which were also pretty cool. The Huis can be ordered in Japan already at a cost of ¥27,950 ($250 or £170), and should start shipping in March. It’s not clear whether the Huis will ever be available outside of Japan, but we can but hope.
What do you think of the Huis? Let us know in the comments below!