Skip to main content

Vizera projects stunningly lifelike fabric textures onto furniture

Check this out: VizeraLabs, a fledgling startup based in SF, has developed a projection system that can beam lifelike textures onto just about any kind of blank surface — regardless of whether it’s flat or three-dimensional. The technology has a wide range of potential uses, but the company’s first application is for something you’d never expect: furniture retail.

The idea is that, using this special projection system, retailers would be able to let customers test drive different pattern/color/texture combinations before they commit to buying anything. It’s a strange, niche application for sure, but just wait until you see how well it works.

Recommended Videos

Related: Adornably uses augmented reality to help you shop for furniture

Using a proprietary “Material Simulation Engine”, the projector is able to match colors, textures, and other features of real materials with lifelike accuracy. The difference between real textures and Vizera’s material projections are nearly imperceptible. Everything, including lighting and shading of the upholstery, looks just like it would if it was covered by actual fabric.

Once the projector is set up and trained on a given furniture piece, shoppers can use a tablet to cycle through different pattern combinations as they please — no more fiddling with fabric swatches and guessing what the end result might look like. According to VizeraLabs, this system would also save retailers money, since having an endless selection of digital patterns would eliminate the need to purchase upholstered pieces to fill the show floor.

Related: Put down those swatches! TapPainter lets you test colors with realistic virtual wall paint

And furniture is only the first application. Moving forward, the company hopes to leverage this projection technology for virtual test-drives of other home decor. Imagine walking inside a small showroom and choosing wallpapers, curtains, rugs and flooring of your house without looking at any physical slabs or samples. It could even be used in auto sales, and allow customers to customize interior colors and texture combinations before they buy a car.

It’s still too early to call, but if this technology takes off, it could very well transform the way we shop for things in the future.

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…
Aqara is “fully committed” to Matter, reveals support for 50 new device types
A stylized image depicting Aqara products and Matter

Aqara is responsible for a wide range of smart home devices, including smart locks, smart lights, and security cameras. Today, the brand revealed its increased support for Matter, with a staggering 50 Matter device types gaining compatibility with Aqara Home. That’s a huge win for the platform, as it’ll allow you to seamlessly connect your Aqara devices with hundreds of other products beyond the Aqara lineup.

Aqara had already partnered with big names like Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Home, but this massive Matter expansion takes things a step further. Full support will roll out later this month with Aqara Home version 5.19 and firmware version 4.3.5 for Matter Controllers. Here’s a quick look at some of the Matter device types that’ll work with Aqara Home:

Read more
Samsung’s new ‘Lite’ cordless vacuum is as powerful as Dyson and has AI smarts
Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Lite

Samsung announced a number of new products during its World of Samsung event in Frankfurt in the middle of march, including new fridges where Bixby can open the doors, and the world's most powerful cordless vacuum. With the dust having settled on those launches however, the company has thrown another offering into the mix after announcing the Bespoke AI Jet Lite on its newsroom. 

Matching the same suction power as Dyson's flagship Gen5Detect, the Bespoke AI Jet Lite has 280W of power within its lightweight build thanks to Samsung's HexaJet Motor, which is the same motor the company also put in the top-of-the-range Bespoke AI Jet Ultra. The motor is said to rotate at 140,000rpm, which is in fact 5,000rpm more than Dyson's offering, though we're not going to count so we're taking Samsung's word for that.  

Read more
Dreo reveals new smart home devices to help you beat the summer heat
A fan from the Dreo Summer 2025 lineup.

Summer is just around the corner, and Dreo is gearing up for its arrival by launching several new smart devices. Some products are available now, while others will arrive within the next few months, though all are specifically designed to help you stay cool and improve your indoor air quality.

The Dreo Summer 2025 lineup includes fans, portable air conditioners, air purifiers, and humidifiers, most of which are bundled with useful smart features to improve their performance and give you easy ways to control their settings. The most premium of the bunch is the Dreo Portable Air Conditioner 319S -- its 10,000 BTU system is powerful, quiet, and drainage-free, making it an excellent way to cool your home. It also works with both Google and Alexa, and voice controls are supported for ease of use.

Read more