Rather than having to repaint a room numerous times in order to change the color

Rather than having to repaint a room numerous times in order to change the color, a new robotic lighting system called Lighty could get the job done in a matter of seconds.

Lighty uses a tablet-and-stylus interface to control a room that is equipped with an array of robotic lights in the ceiling. A camera embedded in the ceiling displays the image of the room on screen, and the user draws on the image, shading in dark or light areas as if they were coloring in a book. As the user shades in the areas, the robotic lights in the ceiling respond in kind, lightening or darkening the corresponding areas of the room.

The computer does all of the calculations, so all the user has to focus on is coloring, and can even blend light and dark areas for a moody effect. The lights in the ceiling are able to swivel around and aim at specific areas of the room, so for example, if you want to be a little suggestive, the room can be made completely dark except for the bed area.

The tablet interface, though simple, is reminiscent of a graphical design or art program, like Photoshop. The user chooses different brushes from a menu, then paints the displayed image of the room. The demo shows different intensities of light, as well as a few tools, such as a standard brush, one called “squirt,” as well as an eraser and undo button. Though the demo didn’t make mention of it, it’s entirely conceivable that the lighting system can replace the standard white lights with lights of a different color, allowing users to paint a room in many shades.

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In the modern world of tech

In the modern world of tech, we generally own multiple devices that often perform similar functions. Your smartphone, tablet, and desktop can browse the same web pages and connect to the same Netflix account. Your phone and tablet often have the same exact apps available on either device, and all three are able to connect to each other in some way in order to share files. So, instead of having some device redundancy, Asus is attempting to remove one of your devices by combining the desktop and tablet into one package called the Transformer AiO.

The concept is fairly simple. The desktop portion of the Transformer AiO essentially acts as a stand for the tablet, but has some computing hardware stuffed under the brim. The screen doubles as a detachable tablet, which also houses some hardware. As we’ve previously discussed, the Transformer AiO boasts an 18.4-inch screen, making it one of the biggest tablets currently available for consumers.

The desktop portion of the mutant device is no slouch, and packs a 3.1GHz Core i5-3350P processor under the hood. Along with that, it houses 8GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GT 730M video card, a 1TB hard drive, four USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port, an HDMI output, and a DVD burner. When the tablet is attached, that 18.4-inch touchscreen becomes a 1080p display.

On the tablet side of things, the Transformer sports 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, a microSD card slot, and can connect via WiFi and Bluetooth. The battery is said to last around five hours, and comes with a kickstand to help prop it up, as well as a handle to help lug the thing around. Considering the tablet is a little over 18 inches and weighs around five pounds, though, it’s probably not something you take on the bus or train ride to work in the morning, but nothing other than your forearm strength is stopping you.

Perhaps the true odd feature of the Transformer is that the desktop runs Windows 8, and the tablet runs Android 4.1, rather than Windows RT. Interestingly, the Transformer provides a remote desktop option so you can run Windows 8 apps on the tablet, or to simply access files kept on the desktop side of things.

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