As useful as smart devices like Philips Hue bulbs or Sonos music streaming systems can be, controlling them using separate apps on a smartphone isn't always the quickest or most convenient way to use them. Enter the Sevenhugs Smart Remote, a universal remote with a compact 3-inch screen that promises to control any smart device in your home just by pointing at it.

Launched as an Indiegogo project in November last year and earning over $1 million in funding, the now-finalised hardware features a touch screen that automatically changes based on the device you point it at. For example, point it at a Philips Hue bulb and you're presented with options for dimming the light or changing the colour via a slider. Point it at a Sonos, and the controls change to play, pause, skip, and volume.

The remote is even clever enough to know when two smart devices are close together—say, a Philips Hue lamp next to a Sonos—giving you the option of flicking between the two sets of controls with a swipe. You can even customise it so that pointing at a door or a window automatically brings up an Uber app for ordering a taxi. Almost any Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or infrared device is compatible, and there's IFTTT support included, too.







You can also create custom commands that control multiple devices at the same time, turning on a TV, dimming lights, and cranking up the heating to cuddling-cosy all at once.

It's clever stuff—and it worked flawlessly in a quick-and-dirty show floor demo here at CES—but the remote requires mounting three battery-powered sensors in each room you want to use it in. Those sensors work in conjunction with an accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass to track the position and orientation of the remote and thus know what you're pointing at.

That said, the sensors are small and discrete, and Sevenhugs claims battery life on a single AAA battery is around one year. The remote itself charges via a USB-C dock and lasts around two days with normal use.

Sevenhugs' Smart Remote isn't the first do-it-all device, with Logitech's Harmony Remote performing many of the same functions with the added benefit of featuring physical buttons. That's not to mention the reliability of Logitech's Harmony software, as well as the IR-blasting capabilities of the Harmony Hub. Still, the Harmony Remote requires you to select the appropriate device from a list before it can be controlled, which isn't anywhere near as slick as the Sevenhugs' motion sensing magic.

The Sevenhugs Smart Remote complete with three room sensors will cost $299 (~£249) when it launches later this year. Eager beavers can pre-order a unit now at a reduced price of $229 (~£185).