Over the past year, the home has become an even more important – and comfortingly safe – haven than before. With mobility restricted, we have had a renewed opportunity to rediscover the pleasures of simply chilling out at home with our partner, spending more quality time with the family, or inviting friends to a sumptuous dinner party.
With travel also effectively on hold, certainly at an international level and in many cases also locally, couples celebrating their wedding anniversary have been forced to postpone plans for an exotic getaway and instead consider options closer to home. Or opt for one of the countless non-travel gifts showcased here on our 90 anniversary pages.
As couples re-focus their attention on the home, many have decided it’s time either to invest in a major makeover or – if that is not currently an option – at least create a more contemporary and convenient living ambience by upgrading key appliances and other household items. Many of which would make excellent wedding anniversary gifts for a couple to share – or to treat parents and grandparents celebrating another year of married life.
So, with that in mind, we headed to Las Vegas (online, of course) to check out latest trends and concepts at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show), an annual electronics and technology trade show held this month as an all-digital affair.
Here we highlight four ideas for wedding anniversary gifts that particularly impressed us…
Ergomotion Sleep Experience
At CES, Ergomotion focused on how the adjustable bed base category is evolving in the well-tech space, “providing solutions that will be essential components to a smart, connected home, for a happy, healthy lifestyle”.
In addition to traditional features that include temperature controls, wired remotes and wand offline voice control, Ergomotion’s smart beds are highlighted by a ground-breaking integration with smart home connectivity.
With much of its focus on the holistic wellness approach, Ergomotion says it is pioneering wellness-tech solutions that embrace the times we spend at home in our beds. “The most recent products by Ergomotion include aromatherapy integration, apps that provide concise and consistent health data while you sleep, and customised circulation cycles that will allow you to soothe muscle pain while regenerating body, mind and spirit.”
Moley Robotic Kitchen
Described as “the world’s first robotic kitchen”, the Moley system features a dexterous robot integrated into a luxury kitchen. This “most advanced domestic robot ever” prepares freshly-cooked meals from scratch at the touch of a button and even cleans up afterwards.
Created by British technology company Moley Robotics, the kitchen is the product of six years of research and development by an international team of 100 engineers and product and luxury interior designers, plus three award-winning chefs.
It incorporates Italian design with German technology, and users can choose from 5,000 recipes or record their own using family favourites. Two robotic arms featuring fully-articulated “hands” can retrieve ingredients from the smart fridge, adjust the hob temperature, use the sink to fill pans, and pour, mix and plate-up like a human cook.
Rise Gardens Hydroponics
Smart hydroponic garden systems manufacturer Rise Gardens announced at CES 2021 that the company was launching several innovations, including a new, more compact Personal Garden designed to fit into smaller spaces such as countertops and shelves. The company also unveiled an “industry-first” microgreens add-on.
The Personal Garden includes state-of-the-art lights, proprietary water flow technology, modularity (in a smaller, more streamlined model), and an Amazon Alexa skill that enables voice control of the garden.
Couples can grow four large plants (tomatoes, peppers, swiss chard, kale, etc.), eight medium-sized plants (herbs, flowers, etc.) or 12 small plants (radishes, beets, chives, lavender, etc.) – and micro-greens.
Seguro Airsafe
Finally… Seguro LLC’s Airsafe personal air purification face shield and Smartspace social distancing device are designed for the workplace rather than homes, but have special relevance today as the concept of remote office environments evolves. The clear face shield delivers a “clean curtain of purified air”, while the contact tracing device can be used by businesses and communities to keep people safe.
According to the company, Airsafe uses advanced HEPA filter technology to remove 99.97 per cent of impurities as small as 0.3 microns from the air. The face shield “allows users to travel and interact with others safely and comfortably, without the hindrance of a typical N-95 or cloth mask, which covers most of the face”.
A powerful fan purifies the air, then delivers it as fresh air to the nose and mouth, with the gentle air pressure keeping contaminated outside air from entering. “Wearing a fabric or N-95 face mask negatively impacts communication,” explains founder and CEO Gioni Bianchini. “With Airsafe, you are able to eat in a restaurant, share your smile and feel safe to travel again.”
Main photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash – other photos supplied by Ergomotion, Moley, Rise Gardens and Seguro LLC (in conjunction with CES)
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