Lots of noise, a few gems in smart home at CES

The smart coffeemaker:

A Mr Coffee coffeepot has remote functionality but it’s limited to starting a brew or setting a timer. (And you have to replenish the coffee beans and water after each brew.) But a company named Smarter is making a coffeemaker that lets you put in a week’s worth of water and coffee beans. And the best part: The Smarter device will know when you had a horrible night of sleep, based on data from fitness trackers. It promises to make your coffee extra strong that morning. The $199 device will start shipping in March.

The smart yoga mat: Sensors in the SmartMat analyze your stance. The app alerts you if your balance is off and will tell you to put more weight on your right foot, for instance. You are scored on how well you did the routine.

The app takes up the full screen, so you’ll need a separate device if you have a workout video to watch. SmartMat costs $297 and will ship in July.

The smart lock: For $219, Kwikset’s Kevo system will unlock the door while your phone’s still in your pocket, useful if your hands are full. You train it so that it opens only when you’re right outside the door, not down the block, or worse, inside the house late at night.

Although I’m nervous that someone will find a way to circumvent the safeguards, it’s useful in that you can give guests, nannies and contractors temporary digital keys. You can set parameters - such as working only during certain hours. An upcoming Plus offering will let you check remotely whether you remembered to lock the door - and lock it if you forgot. It would be more useful if it could do that automatically, using motion sensors to detect that no one’s home.

The smart flowerpot: Parrot, a company better known for making recreational drones, uses sensors to detect soil moisture, fertilizer levels, temperature and light. You input what type of flower is in the pot and it adjusts for that plant’s ideal conditions. One model is an actual flowerpot with a container to hold two liters of water. When the soil is dry, the pot opens a valve.

Parrot also has a contraption you stick into an existing flowerpot. You attach a plastic water bottle to it. Neither is smart enough yet to automatically turn on the lights or the air conditioner if necessary. Parrot is leaving it to others to write those apps. For now, you get a phone notification when your plant needs attention. Both models are coming this year. Prices haven’t been determined.

The smart kitchen: The Drop app works with a $100 wireless scale. Low on sugar The recipe will adjust so you can still make the meal for fewer servings. The app also tells you when it’s time to preheat the oven, but it’s not smart enough to do it for you. Maybe that’s a good thing - having an oven you can turn on remotely makes me nervous, too.