A number of new artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) innovations have recently been launched in South Africa.

Products unveiled by Hong Kong-based consumer electronics and smart manufacturing company Xiaomi include its smart vacuum and mop, electric scooter, and smart watch. 

The Xiaomi Watch S1 features a streamlined design with sapphire glass and a stainless steel frame housing the watch’s 1.43” Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes, or AMOLED, display. Additional features include a customisable user interface, a selection of 200 watch faces, Bluetooth calls, application (app) notifications, cashless payment support, Amazon’s Alexa built-in voice assistant, and wireless charging. The watch also comes with fitness and health tracking functionality, including 117 fitness modes and 19 professional modes, monitoring of users’ heart rate, sleep quality, stress levels, blood oxygen saturation, amongst other parameters.

The company’s autonomous vacuum cleaner is a hands-free floor cleaning device that incorporates scrubbing action for stubborn stains. The Mi Robot Vacuum Mop Ultra 2 and Mi Robot Vacuum Mop Ultra 2 Self Emptying Station features an automatic self-emptying station that can hold four litres of dust and debris, equivalent to 10 cleans. The station also features dual vents and ducts, while supporting up to 16 500 Pa suction power, designed to ensure no blockages during the auto-emptying process.

LDS laser navigation allows the device to detect and map a room layout and Time of Flight obstacle detection users AI to prevent the device from becoming trapped, bumping into obstacles, falling down stairs or damaging furniture.  

The device can clean up to 240 m² on one charge, thanks to its 5 200 mAh large-battery capacity, it has a suction action of up to 4 000 Pa and three water-level mopping feature.

A new addition to Xiaomi’s Mi Electric Scooter series is the Mi Electric Scooter 3, designed to be lightweight, ultra-durable, and utilitarian. The vehicle features a recyclable aerospace-grade aluminum body and shock-resistant pneumatic tyres. It is available in two colours, namely Onyx Black and Gravity Grey.

The scooter can operate at speeds up to 25 km/h, and a maximum travel range of 30 km. The 600 W maximum power motor enables the vehicle to climb up slopes with an incline up to 16%. The new model includes a number of safety upgrades and a sleep mode to prevent the battery from over-discharging when unused for 10 to 15 days, or when its battery falls under 30% while in storage. It also comes with an upgraded rear dual-pad disc brake and eABS for improved stability to its braking system, as well as a three-step foldable design for easy storage.

All of these AIoT products are available in South Africa from online retailers stores.