Move over Alexa, Clapboss is a new clap-activated way to control your smart home

Back in the 1980’s one of the most advanced pieces of smart home tech was the Clapper. And while the iconic sound-activated device pales in comparison to the internet-connected outlets of today, it was a sign of what was to come from home automation. Now, fast forward to 2017 and the folks at Astrohaus have launched Clapboss, which was designed to rejuvenate the 30-year-old device with internet connection and more.

At its core, Clapboss is just a recreation of the iconic clap-activated outlet but packed with more modern enhancements like internet connection. In a time where Alexa or Siri is popular for controlling your smart home, ordering pizza and more, Clapboss launches as a privacy-conscious way to bring home these features.  

Clapboss’s arsenal for getting things done around the house revolves around its integration with IFTTT, a platform that allows the device to do everything from control your lights, order pizza, control music and more. The New Age Clapper can also handle more nuanced commands than its predecessor, utilizing a Morse Code-like system of claps to achieve specific actions.

Rather than listening for keywords like “Alexa” or “Hey Siri”, Clapboss simply waits for clapping to trigger any commands, as its name implies. This makes Clapboss more ideal for those who aren’t the most keen on having an always-on assistant in their homes, but still want the benefits of hands-free control. 

Clapboss can handle up to six different commands, which are configured through its companion iOS and Android app. This means clapping once could simply activate a lighting scene, while a more intricate series of claps could order your favorite pie from Dominos.

The device is essentially like any other smart plug, except for the fact that it is centered around a 1.2-inch LCD screen which acts as a face for Clapboss. While the default image is a pretty cheerful looking face, what the tiny screen displays changes based on received commands. So turning off the lights at night could display a moon icon, or activating your coffee maker could show a cute little mug.

Launching alongside Clapboss is a Smart Outlet Backpack that adds direct control over lights and appliances to the clap-based assistant. This uniquely offers control over connected devices without the need for internet connection, so as long as you have power you can at least control one device regardless of your network status. 

If an internet-connected clap-activated device was all your smart home was missing, Clapboss launched today over on Kickstarter at just $39. It is said to eventually go for $80 once fully hitting store shelves. For those weary of crowdfunding campaigns, the team behind Clapboss at Astrohaus have brought a few products to market in the past, adding more reliability to the device. 

Clapboss by Astrohaus (Launching Fall 2017!) is a consumer electronic product that controls your smart home with a clap. The small device is configurable to listen for multiple clap patterns and assign each one to an available action such as turning on or off lights, requesting a Lyft, or ordering your favorite Domino’s pizza. Using a Wi-Fi connection to the internet, Clapboss interacts with a virtually limitless number of services and products.

The design of the Clapboss is meant to bring a fun, low cost product to the neutered world of smart home appliances. It’s monochromatic color screen and bright silicone ‘ears’ provide a welcome interaction for users of all ages. While simple to use, Clapboss has advanced internal algorithms that identify hand clap sounds and ignore everything else.

Clapboss brings back a simplicity to controlling home appliances. With the growth of smart home devices like connected lights, thermostats, locks, and outlets, simple things have become more complicated to control. What you could once do with the flip of a switch now requires a smart phone or a voice controlled personal assistant. Clapboss adds a fun and simple way to control your smart home, all with a clap!

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