Knocki turns any surface into a smart controller via knocks

Tired of looking for a remote control? Knocki aims to turn any hard surface into a smart controller you can use by knocking on it.

Just yesterday we've seen a smartphone detecting pressure using its microphone, today I bring you Knocki, a small disc that you can place on any hard surface (glass, metal, wood, walls, doors, etc.) turning it into an interactive surface that can control practically anything you wish. For instance, place it on a wall and you can turn on the lights tapping the wall twice, or play your favorite playlist when you tap it three times or using a customized knock pattern.

There's no magic involved. Knock has the same type of sensors present on your smartphone, the ones that can detect how many steps you walk each day, and it can detect the subtle (or not so subtle) vibrations when you knock on the same surface it's place. Depending on the material the distance it can detect such taps varies, but even so, it has a far wider reach than a physically placed button.

You can even add special secret knock patterns that you can use to turn on/off the alarm system (or open a door), and considering it has IFTTT integration the possibilites are endless - turning its $69 price point even more attractive. The only risk (other than being a crowdfunding project) is that it may be gobbled up by some big company... and eventually terminate its support for the current generation of devices.