The idea behind Vocca is simple: using a smartphone to switch the lights on and off isn’t necessarily more efficient than simply getting up and flicking the switch. Instead, its creators argue, things will be a lot simpler if you can just activate the light using straightforward voice commands.
“Vocca switch light,” that’s all the system needs to hear to switch the bulb on or off in any room. No reaching for your phone, launching an app, and digging through a menu necessary. Want to quickly turn on the lights without fumbling through the dark in the basement? This will work. How about turning the bedroom lights off when you’re too tired to get up? Just say the magic words. Basically, this is like the sound-activated clappers of old, except you speak your commands.
Instead of replacing your bulb, Vocca comes in the form an adapter that screws onto your existing E27 socket. It can take any E27 bulb (even the Self-Dimming Drift Bulb, if you use one), regardless of voltage requirements, so there’s a good chance it will work with your existing sockets and lights. Once installed, it immediately gives the bulb the ability to recognize the three-word command, all while keeping the switch functional, in case you’ve got sore throat and can barely utter an audible sound.
A Pro version of the adapter comes with Bluetooth and an accompanying app (iOS and Android), adding the ability to schedule on and off times for the bulb based on specific triggers, as well as custom voice commands. In its current form, each app can control up to three adapters at a time.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for Vocca. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $39.