Lua is a smart plant pot that wants to be a virtual pet

Fed up talking to your plants, and the things never responding? Bored of faffing about with virtual pets, since when they cark it, you can just reboot? With Lua (£89), you get the personality of a virtual pet combined with the thrill of actually keeping something real alive. This smarter planter uses a range of sensors to detect how the plant bit is feeling, and conveys that by way of a cartoon face plastered across a 2.4in LCD. If your leafy pride and joy is thirsty, it’ll gasp. Too hot and it’ll start sweating. Leave it in the dark for too long and it’ll turn into a vampire, and (presumably) in its new toothy state work to bring about the end of humanity. (Or maybe it’ll just pipe down and cheerily grin when you move it back into the light.)

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.