In the past, roof inspections mostly focused on what could be seen from the outside. Contractors looked for broken shingles, worn flashing, or areas where water might enter the roof. The problem is that roof damage does not always show clear signs right away. Water can move through roofing layers before it becomes visible inside the home.
Boston Dynamics' Spot ranges from $175,000 to $300,000, depending on configuration. Ghost Robotics' Vision 60 starts at $165,000. Both companies pitch them as cheaper alternatives to human guards, who cost around $150,000 annually. "Typically, our customers have a payoff within two years," Merry Frayne, senior director of product management at Boston Dynamics, told Business Insider.
Appliance power mapping means measuring each appliance's actual electricity consumption rather than relying on manufacturer estimates. Using tools like plug-in electricity monitors (such as a Kill-A-Watt meter) or whole-house energy monitors (like Sense or Emporia Vue), you collect real data on how much electricity each device draws-while running, in standby, and when nominally "off."
After some investigation, I found that Home Assistant has an integration with Node-RED - a graphical tool for manipulating data and event streams. It could probably satisfy most of my needs. But from time to time I remember that I'm a professional software developer, working with event streams for many years, and for this kind of problem there's nothing better than math (and Scala's type system, which supports it very well).
Retail point-of-sale systems today offer a wide range of options for peripherals and hardware. Their technical specifications play a major role in selection, and big retailers often choose multiple vendors to reduce a single point of failure. This gives them an advantage to negotiate price or support as well. Technically, these peripherals also require updating with new models and may have new feature sets. This necessitates the redevelopment of point-of-sale applications, increasing development costs.
IoT tech is seeing increased use and paying dividends, fuelling operational efficiency, improving front-of-house guest experiences and reducing downtime in the kitchen, according to research from MachineQ. The 2026 restaurant readiness: ops meets tech report, conducted by independent research firm Censuswide, took the opinion of more than 400 US-based quick service and fast casual restaurant leaders about the effects of technology in their industry, highlighting how technology adoption is transforming day-to-day restaurant operations.
Whether you love cooking already or you want to try to cook more at home to spend less money on takeout, there are tons of gadgets that can make your time in the kitchen even more enjoyable. As food lovers and tech reviewers, the Engadget team has tried out pizza ovens, sous vide machines, air fryers, ice cream makers and more.
We're living through a strange moment where our refrigerators are smarter than ever, our thermostats learn our habits, and now, apparently, dogs can control household appliances. The Dogosophy Button, developed by researchers at The Open University's Animal-Computer Interaction Laboratory, is a wireless switch designed specifically for canine use. Think of it as a smart home device, but instead of asking Alexa, you're teaching your golden retriever.
For decades, people with disabilities have relied on service dogs to help them perform daily tasks like opening doors, turning on lights, or alerting caregivers to emergencies. By some estimates, there are 500,000 service dogs in the U.S., but little attention has been paid to the fact that these dogs have been trained to interact with interfaces that are made for humans.
It comes in over a dozen colors with adorable kitty designs, but this feeding mat is as practical as it is stylish. Made from soft diatomaceous earth, it quickly absorbs water spills, which evaporate in record time to keep your floor dry, clean, and safe. It also wipes free of food and has a thick rubber backing to prevent slipping and scratches.
All of the appliances and systems are brand-new: the HVAC, the lighting, the entertainment. Touch screens of various shapes and sizes control this, that, and the other. Rows of programmable buttons sit where traditional light switches would normally be. The kitchen even has outlets designed to rise up from the countertop when you need them, and slide away when you don't.
I always tell people that the best thing I've ever tested for my job here on the WIRED Reviews team is my automatic litter box from Litter-Robot. I recommend every cat owner invest in an automatic litter box. If they can swing it, the Litter-Robot is the best one to invest in. You'll be able to say goodbye to the days of scooping and smells while this nifty machine does the grunt work for you.
Ugreen announced at CES 2026 that it'll be branching into smart home territory with the launch of its SynCare product line of cameras. The series will consist of two indoor cams, the ID500 Pro and ID500 Plus, the OD600 Pro outdoor cam, and the Video Doorbell DB600 Pro. All of this gear will launch in the second half of 2026, with pricing to be announced at IFA 2026.
Enter the LeafyPod, a self-watering smart planter that utilizes AI to understand your leafy companions, and keep them well cared for. The system is simple: a connected app monitors hydration and nutrient levels, noting what's best for that specific type of plant. Recently named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2025, the hydroponic system allows users to grow herbs, greens, or flowers all year long. LeafyPod is adaptive, responding to plant health and to changes in environment.
