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21 gadgets that prove the smart home of the future is almost here

What will the smart home of the future look like? The future is now, my friends. Thanks to companies from Bosch to D-Link to Samsung to smaller, less-well known start-ups, we already have access to some amazing tech that can automate your house. Lots of these appliances, hubs, and sensor-packed devices were on display at CES 2015. Taken together, they represent what we can expect to see in more and more people’s homes. By the time CES 2016 rolls around, connected dishwashers, smart fridges, and self-watering plant devices will be a reality for many people. Click through the gallery to see what you can expect in the very near future.

Jenny McGrath
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…
CES 2025 might have turned me into a green thumb
The Petal camera and Wonder Blocks on a blue background.

There was no shortage of awesome innovations at CES 2025, including robot vacuums with robotic arms, gorgeous LED TVs, and unique smartwatches. But some of the most exciting reveals were for products designed to help you become a master gardener. I’ve long been interested in turning my home into a forest -- but since I often travel for long stretches of the year and seem to have a penchant for drying up house plants, it’s not something that’s become a reality. However, two new gadgets at CES 2025 might finally turn me into a green thumb, thanks to powerful features created to help keep plants flourishing throughout your home.

The first is the futuristic PlantaForm Indoor Smart Garden, a dome-like device that uses fogponics to grow plants with less water than hydroponic systems. This technology can deliver mist directly to plants roots, eliminating the need for soil. And while the dome provides tons of brilliant light to the leaves, it doesn’t spill over into your home thanks to dimming tinted panels. Toss in a robust mobile app to walk you through the gardening process, and it’ll be all but impossible to grow indoor plants with the Plantaform Indoor Smart Garden.

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Samsung expects to ship Ballie, its futuristic AI robot, later this year
A close-up look at Ballie from the side.

Samsung first revealed Ballie several years ago at CES 2020 -- only for the home bot to go dark, before reemerging with a new design at CES 2024. At CES 2025, Ballie once again took the stage, and Samsung is officially claiming that the adorable robot will be coming to store shelves sometime this year. It’s been a long time coming, but it seems as if Ballie is ready to become your new household companion, and we’re excited about all the possibilities it can bring to your smart home.

Ballie is a home bot that makes liberal use of AI technology. It’s billed as a “self-propelled, autonomous home robot” designed with companionship, health monitoring, and entertainment features to help streamline your day-to-day tasks. Its built-in projector and speakers are the main way it’ll communicate with users, and they seem to be pretty robust.

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Ecovacs shows off powerful Deebot X8 Pro Omni robot vacuum at CES 2025
The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni in its docking station.

Ecovacs came out swinging at CES 2025, revealing a slew of smart home products running the gamut from robot vacuums and lawnmowers to bizarre window-cleaning robots. The star, however, was the Deebot X8 Pro Omni -- a powerful robot vacuum that makes big changes to its mopping abilities thanks to a new collaboration with Tineco.

Though it didn’t pick up a robotic arm like the Roborock Saros Z70, the Deebot X8 Pro Omni did learn some cool new mopping techniques. There are two big upgrades here, the first being additional pressure while mopping. The X8 Pro Omni can create up to 4,000Pa pressure and spin at up to 200 rpm, which should result in better cleaning than anything else we’ve seen from Ecovacs so far. The other upgrade is a self-washing mop, which continually cleans itself while mopping your floors, ensuring every mess is tackled by a clean mop.

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