

SmartBeings Inc., a Silicon Valley-based startup, has launched a Kickstarter Inc. campaign for WooHoo, an interactive smart home hub that uses artificial intelligence to simplify the smart home.
The $89 WooHoo combines a touchscreen display, facial and voice recognition and 360-degree rotation HD camera into a smart home hub. Amazon.com Inc. is also reportedly working on a high-end voice-activated speaker, which will include a seven-inch touchscreen that will launch in early 2017. Since being released in November 2014, the company has sold 5.1 million Amazon Echo units according to a report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
SmartBeings reached its initial $30,000 Kickstarter goal for its WooHoo device in 24 hours. At the time of writing, the company has raised $38,894 from 139 backers with 43 days still to go. Stretch goals for the WooHoo Kickstarter campaign include camera add-ons for covering multiple rooms using the same tower and third-party app download functionality.
The WooHoo will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show 2017, which runs Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas. In November, SmartBeings received the CES Innovation Award, presented at CES Unveiled in New York City, for its smart home hub.
Here’s a look at the WooHoo smart hub:
Most smart home hubs, like Google Home and Amazon Echo, only allow you to interact with your voice. The cloud-based software powered WooHoo combines a variety of features into one device. The smart home hub includes a 7-inch touchscreen, a 13MP HD camera with 360-degree rotation, facial and voice recognition and a patent-pending Spatial Sound System.
The WooHoo comes with infrared night vision and motion detection. Buyers can choose from a range of five colors, including white, black, pink, red and blue. The device can either be placed on a counter or mounted to a wall.
Check out the WooHoo in action in the video below:
You can preorder a WooHoo for the early bird price of $49, which includes a 12-month subscription to WooHoo’s Smart Home Platform Service. The normal retail price for the WooHoo will be $89 with a monthly $9 fee for the subscription service.
The rumored Amazon Echo speaker with touchscreen will likely cost more than the current Echo, which costs $180, but Amazon doesn’t have a monthly subscription service.
If you preorder your WooHoo on Kickstarter, you will receive delivery in May 2017.
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