This Playful Bear Is A Universal Remote Control With A “Soul”

Tired of never finding the remote? I know I am. With controllers all over the house and several appliances working simultaneously with their own remote, I’m dreaming of a universal one. Vivien Muller gave this dream a fun spin with Bearbot #objectmagic

Bearbot is an emotive universal remote, meaning it doesn’t have just a funny name and shape, but plenty of character, too. After a first teaching session, where you establish which gestures it should trigger, the gadget will respond to them and interact with you. Occasionally, it will even surprise you by sneezing or yawning.

The emotive remote can take control of your tv, laptop, alarm, thermostat, A/C, music and more. You’ll see which system it’s controlling on the display. The bot can detect your gestures thanks to a 3D gesture controller, after you’ve activated it via iOS or Android app. According to developer Vivien Muller on the IndieGogo page, Bearbot recharges his batteries via induction (Qi system) in almost four hours.

If the device stays at more than 5 meters distance from the controlled appliance, you’ll see the signal wear off. In these situations, Muller says you can buy the cub; this guy can expand the infrared range. Bearbot has a super early price of 75 euros or 98 euros (with cub).