Weird Commerce: Hayo’s Motion-Controlled Smart Home Hub

For as long as electronics have been around, there’s been one common problem in nearly every home — finding the right remote control for the right device. With the amount of connected technology and a myriad of other devices entering the market, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of them all. And when all of these remote controls are in the same place at the same time, the next question arises as to where to store them all.

Luckily, there’s a New York-based startup that’s developed a new product to help remedy this issue. Hayo is a motion-controlled smart home hub that seeks to replace all remote control devices. Once connected to a home’s Wi-Fi, along with its smartphone app counterpart, Hayo takes a 3D scan of the room it’s in and turns literally any surface into a control button for any music, lighting and media platforms.

To get a deeper look into what inspired the creation of Hayo and its plans for the future, we spoke with one of Hayo’s cofounders, Gisèle Belliot.

When talking about the inspiration behind Hayo, Belliot said: “In 2010, we found ourselves having a discussion with the lead designer of Minority Report’s interactive scenes and sequences. A few days later, we quit our jobs and started our own company to create the technology behind Hayo.”

For those unfamiliar with the hit 2002 Tom Cruise movie “Minority Report,” the technology inside the film allows users to control nearly every aspect of computing devices through hand motions.

Although there aren’t any solid agreements in place at this time, according to Belliot, Hayo has plans to distribute its hub in retail stores and is currently in the process of talking with multiple retailers. When looking towards the future, Hayo wants to partner up with other companies in the augmented reality space and expand its team to strengthen its product offering. In addition, the company also hopes it can integrate its technology into other devices to help elevate augmented reality through motion detection.

Belliot said: “In 2017, it is important to build up the company and the team behind Hayo. Also, we are looking for great partnerships to integrate Hayo with other devices, to improve Hayo and to build our community.”

If Hayo can turn any object into a remote control, it could jump to spaces outside of the home. Belliot said: “After Hayo for connected home, we are going to reimagine every unloved interface in people’s lives and bring the power of augmented reality.”

This past year, we began to see the power of augmented reality with the introduction of Pokemon GO. There were people of all ages walking around their neighborhoods trying to catch the next character, which helped create a sense of community. Reports of large group gatherings were all over the news.

Augmented reality is meant to enhance everyday lives, and Hayo could potentially have found a solution to the irritating problem of locating remote controls. Hayo’s 3D scanning smart home hub is just the beginning with what can be done in augmented reality outside of the gaming community.

Down the line, Hayo has greater plans for what it hopes its technology can do in people’s everyday lives. Belliot said: “We want to create a large community of developers and home tinkerers. We are committed to improving lives through spatial analysis technology and augmented reality, giving users the ability to create useful remote controls.”

To help propel its business further into the future, Hayo has launched its own Indiegogo campaign and has almost reached its fundraising goal of $80,000.