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Aladin's smart lamp lights the way for your aging relatives

The wall-mounted Aladin smart light from French startup Domalys uses motion detection to keep an eye on the elderly and alert you if they fall.

Ry Crist Senior Editor / Reviews - Labs
Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking.
Expertise Smart home technology and wireless connectivity Credentials
  • 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
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Ry Crist
2 min read
Tyler Lizenby/CNET

One trend I'm keeping an eye out for at CES 2018 is smart home tech designed to help caregivers keep an eye on the the elderly. Aladin, a wall-mounted smart light (or "magic lamp," as its makers call it), is a good example. With multiple motion detectors inside of the fixture, Aladin can light the way for anyone getting up in the middle of the night. If they should fall, the device can send their loved ones a notification telling them that they need help.

Aladin was created by a French startup called Domalys, and it's actually been available in Europe for the past two years. This September, Domalys will bring Aladin to the United States for the first time, where it will sell for $299 per light.

Each Aladin light connects directly with a base hub that you'll keep plugged into your router. Domalys tells me that the lights are designed to sync with the hub automatically as soon as you plug everything in to keep things as simple as possible. If your loved ones don't have Wi-Fi, there's also a 3G dongle that you can plug into the light to keep it connected.

Another interesting thing about Aladin is that it's designed to detect changes in the user's daily movement patterns. If your aging relative is using the bathroom more than usual or struggling to sleep soundly, Domalys claims Aladin can detect it and let you know about it.

The bar for performance is obviously pretty high with Aladin given that you'll be relying on it to keep your loved ones safe, but I'm encouraged by the fact that Domalys has a few years of post-launch development under its belt. We'll keep an eye out as September draws near, and potentially take Aladin for a test run in the CNET Smart Home. Stay tuned for more.