# Knock-Activated Controllers (UPDATE) Knocki Makes Any Surface Smart to Create Connected Spaces By Meghan Young | Published 2016-05-20 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/knocki References: [contemporist](http://www.contemporist.com/2016/05/18/knocki/) & [kickstarter](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/knocki/knocki-make-any-surface-smart) Knocki is a connected device that has already vastly surpassed its modest [Kickstarter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fingerbot-sense) goal of $35,000. Now more than ten times that amount and counting, it's clear consumers have bought into the idea of a [connected home](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-home-interfaces). Yet instead of clapping to turn on and off the lights, Knocki allows people to control smart devices through surface simply by -- you guessed it -- knocking. Founded by Jake Boshernitzan and Ohad Nezer, Knocki takes on the form of a small digital disc that can attach to anything in order to turn said surfaces into smart tech themselves. From there, people can assign a number of knocks to a specific task. For instance, two to turn lights on and off, three to play music and four to watch a show on TV. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.3/10 - Popularity: 72% | Activity: 79% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Home](https://www.trendhunter.com/home) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Connected Surfaces:** Knocki's knock-activated controllers turn any surface into a smart surface, implying an opportunity for creating new smart home and smart office solutions. - **Gesture-based Interaction:** Knocking on surfaces creates a new way to interact with smart devices, suggesting an opportunity for developing gesture-based control systems. - **Minimalism:** Knocki's simple disc-shaped design for control devices, signals an opportunity for simplistic design innovations in the smart home and IoT space. ### Where This Applies - **Smart Home Automation:** The integration of Knocki's technology in smart homes indicates a potential use case in the Smart Home Automation market. - **Internet of Things (iot):** Knocki's technology has disruptive potential for IoT devices, which could be used to create new solutions and expand device capabilities. - **Consumer Electronics:** Knocki's innovative approach could lead to a surge of consumer demand curves for electronics with impressive functionality and simple designs. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Physical Smart Home Controllers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flic-twist.md) - [App Controlled Appliances](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fingerbot-sense.md) - [Safe Play-Training Kids Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/touchnot.md) - [Tactile Smart Home Devices](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/from-design-concept.md) - [Smart Home-Controlling Rings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lotus-ring.md) - [Advanced Smart Home Interfaces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-home-interfaces.md) - [Quad-Access Connected Doorknobs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tcl-k1.md) - [Cubed Smart Home Controllers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cube-t1.md) - [Dedicated Smart Home Controllers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/home-automation-control-pad.md)