Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Big Ass Fans debuts world’s first intelligent ceiling fan

Drew Prindle
By
new nest integration big ass fan can now talk thermostat bigassfans1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In the past couple years, countless different home fixtures have been given the “smart” treatment, and been augmented with network-connected brains. We’ve seen it happen with lightbulbs, thermostats, and even things like vent covers and sprinkler systems. Today, we can add yet another fixture to the list: the humble ceiling fan.

Earlier today, Kentucky-based company Big Ass Fans unveiled the new and improved version of it’s Haiku ceiling fan. The fan, which was pretty impressive to begin with, now comes equipped with BAF’s new SenseME technology built in, which gives it the ability to recognize when somebody is in the room and turn itself on or off automatically.

Recommended Videos

Additionally, as you’d expect from any card-carrying smart device these days, the new Haiku fan connects to your home wireless network, allowing you to control it from anywhere via an accompanying smartphone application. No more getting up to yank on chains or flip a switch — just fire up the app and stay on comfy on the couch.

Related

That being said, however, in most situations you won’t even have to open up your phone. In addition to smartphone controls and room sensors, BAF equipped the fan with a range of temperature and humidity sensors, so it can tell when the room is about to become uncomfortable, and automatically adjust the speed of its rotation to compensate. It’s also got the ability to learn your preferences (much like Nest, Sensibo, Aros, and other smart climate control devices), so even without any input from you, the user, the new Haiku fan will begin to recognize your usage patterns and use that data to predict your optimal settings.

We don’t think in general you want to play around with apps,” said Big Ass Fan CEO Carey Smith. “And we think that 100 years from now people will think it’s amusing that you even ever thought about these things. It’s a waste of personal energy to have to think about that.”

The Haiku is much more than just a slew of smart features, too. Even without all the smarts, it’s still a pretty beastly contraption. It’s available with a wingspan of up to 6.5 feet, and the ultra-aerodynamic blades it sports are inspired by the aerospace industry, so not only does this thing move air more efficiently than your average fan, it’s also whisper quiet while it does so.

Unfortunately, however, this winning combination of smart features and precision-engineered parts doesn’t come cheap. At $1,045, this particular smart fan is likely a bit too steep to ever be a mainstream hit, but even so, it’s exciting to see yet another mundane home fixture getting a modern update, and we hope to see more fans like this pop up in the future.

Find out more here.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Drew Prindle
Drew Prindle
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
No need to estimate: Nanit’s smart sheet precisely measures your baby’s height
nanits smart sheet will measure your childs height overhead hero pro sheets

Have you ever tried to measure a child? In particular, a wriggling, active, uncooperative infant? It's a bit like herding cats -- all but impossible. Thanks to new smart technology from Nanit, you can let your baby's sheets do the work for you. Nanit's no stranger in this space having released a baby monitor previously.

The new Nanit Pro, combined with the matching Smart Sheets, keeps track of your baby's height as they grow over time. You can take this information and present it to your pediatrician to help ensure your child is growing properly and meeting all of their health thresholds.

Read more
Household electrical usage increased in 2020. Here’s how a smart home can help
data shows increase in household energy use 2020 sense home monitor feature 625x417 c

A report released by Sense has revealed that home energy usage increased dramatically throughout all of 2020. Of course, this doesn't come as much of a surprise -- with the quarantine and lockdown protocols ensuring most people stayed at home during this time, the average amount of energy used increased by 9.3%. This translated to an overall average increase of $127 by the end of the year, with the highest increase taking place during the spring and summer months.

U.S. customers overall paid an increase of $1.21 billion, but this added cost was not distributed evenly across the country. Five states in particular saw the highest increase in rates, with residents in New York and Massachusetts facing an increase three times that of Florida. As the pandemic spread throughout the country, demand for electricity continued to rise up to 22%.

Read more
Alexa’s moving into your next apartment with Amazon’s residential program
Alexa for Residential program.

Amazon has become a ubiquitous part of the modern world, but now it may even make its way into rental properties. On Thursday, Amazon unveiled its Alexa for Residential program. This program will make it easy for landlords to include Amazon and Alexa-powered devices in rental units across the country, including the Echo Dot and other products.

The idea is that Alexa’s smart speakers will be available from day one in rental properties. Even before renters move in, Alexa will be able to help with self-guided tours by providing information about square footage, monthly rent, and more. Renters can link their Amazon accounts to the speaker to access all of Alexa’s features. Once a renter moves out, property managers can reset the speakers without removing their connections to existing smart-home devices.

Read more