By Adrian Justins
The global pandemic has heightened the need for good physical and mental health, and technology can play a part in helping us adopt practices that help our wellbeing. Contemporary and renovated properties often feature smart home systems that automatically take care of elements such as lighting and air purification but there are many standalone devices that can easily be introduced to other homes.
In the Czech Republic, this modern, five-bedroom villa in a village outside Brno is close to the delightful countryside of the Moravian Karst. The new owners will also be able to enjoy the CZK117m ($5.42m) property’s indoor pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. They might like to supplement these wellness features with the following tech.
AEG smart air purifier, £379
Looking more like a stylish wireless speaker than an air purifier, the 56.5cm-high AEG AX91- 404GY, available from John Lewis, has sensors that continuously measure air quality levels and automatically adjusts its purification rate in response. Air quality is indicated by the colour of a pentagonal light ring on the top panel and is also displayed on a phone app. The latter allows you to set timers and switch the device on remotely, for example when on your way home. There are different filters for different seasons and the app tells you when to replace them.
Click and Grow smart indoor garden, €259.95
Growing your own fruit and vegetables provides nourishment for the soul as well as the body, but not everyone has green fingers. The Smart Garden 9 Pro is a self-contained indoor garden with automatic watering that uses pre-seeded plant pods — three each of tomato, basil and lettuce — to provide the roots with the right nutrients at the optimum time. Growth-stimulating LED lights can be scheduled to come on using a Bluetooth-connected app or controlled by touch-sensitive buttons on the top.
Eve adaptive light strip, £59.99
From the harshness of fluorescent strip lights to overstimulation caused by blue light from mobile phones, unsuitable lighting can be detrimental to wellbeing. Smart lightbulbs that change colour can enhance comfort — and productivity — but finding suitable colours is often a chore.
Apple’s HomeKit features adaptive lighting that can automatically shift the colour of lights throughout the day, starting with warmer colours at daybreak, cooler colours during the day for alertness and less blue light at night. It takes account of your geographical location and the date to match the colour of the light precisely to that of the sun.
Philips’ range of Hue bulbs, lamps and pendant lights, and a light strip by Eve — morning, noon and night are shown here — available from Currys PC World, have adaptive lighting compatibility.
MyKronoz smart bathroom scales, £99.90
These smart scales measure not only weight but also heart rate, BMI, body fat, muscle mass, bone and water mass. Using a phone app, users can better understand their metabolism and overall health as well as set targets and measure progress. The scales have a large LED display with an animated interface, while automatic user recognition allows eight different people to use the scales confidentially.
Relaxound birdsong box, from €49
The sound of birdsong helps us remain connected to nature. Resembling an ordinary bird box, the Zwitscherbox from German company Relaxound plays birdsong whenever someone passes by. A motion sensor triggers two minutes of blackbird chirping, transporting the listener to a relaxing summer morning; the birdsong was recorded in the Black Forest.
The battery-run plastic box is 11cm high and has a front panel made from Plexiglas or wood, depending on the model, and a volume control. A wide range of finishes are available including bright solid colours, natural wood and special editions by international artists, to match your interiors.
Property photography: Christie’s International Real Estate
