Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Senior Reviewer, Smart Home

Jennifer Pattison TuohyMay 21, 2025

Now that’s a really smart fridge, Samsung.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins claim to have developed a solid-state refrigeration tech that could increase efficiency by 70 percent compared to traditional thermoelectric materials.

The thin-film material called “controlled hierarchically engineered superlattice structures” (CHESS for short) is a thermoelectric material that could be used to make super-energy-efficient, super-slim fridges. And they might come from Samsung.

Samsung Research was part of the project, and the electronics giant just launched a new line of fridges with a thermoelectric Peltier module.

Updated May 22nd to clarify the efficiency comparison.

Nano-engineered Thermoelectrics Enable Scalable, Compressor-Free Cooling

[jhuapl.edu]

Verge Score

I tested a robot vacuum with an arm, and my dog may never forgive me

The Roborock Saros Z70 is the first vacuum that can tidy up before it cleans — but it’s still a work in progress.

Jennifer Pattison TuohyMay 20, 2025

I let lasers power my smart home — and I don’t want to go back

A year testing a smart lock with a hidden superpower: infrared wireless charging.

Jennifer Pattison TuohyMay 16, 2025

I put four robot lawnmowers through a brutal backyard battle

These autonomous cutters show promise, but there’s still a ways to go before you should trust one in your yard.

Jennifer Pattison TuohyMay 8, 2025

Trump cuts Energy Star program that saved households $450 a year

Jennifer Pattison TuohyMay 7, 2025

Matter’s latest update brings tap-to-pair setup

Jennifer Pattison TuohyMay 7, 2025

WiZ’s new TV light sync box undercuts Philips Hue’s pricing by half

Jennifer Pattison TuohyApr 30, 2025

Wyze paid $255,000 in tariffs on $167,000 worth of goods.

The budget smart home company posted its first tariff bill on X this afternoon, adding that it’s been working on moving manufacturing out of China for a year and will “probably be out in 60 days.”

The next post was a GIF of Robin Williams, indicating that the company, known for its affordable security cameras -- including floodlight cameras, is shifting production to Vietnam.

Jennifer Pattison TuohyApr 30, 2025

This smart grill now costs $50 more thanks to tariffs.

The price hike for the Brisk It Zelos-450 Smart Grill, which went on sale yesterday, brings the wood-pellet grill with a side of AI to $450. While cheaper than the competition (Weber and Traeger smart grills start around $800), it’s a bummer to see more affordable smart grilling go up in smoke.

CEO Christopher Huang tells The Verge the increase is “a direct and unavoidable result of newly imposed tariffs.” This is likely just the beginning of price hikes across the smart home.