Everyone’s wondering what Airbnb could possibly be up to after the lodgings rentals service acquired Lapka, a Russian industrial design firm noted for its unusual gadgets. The massively successful business which connects homeowners or sub-letters to travelers looking for a place to stay, has already initiated a program through which it provides energy-saving Google Nest thermostats to top hosts for free.
Lapka has a breathalyzer called BAM and a set of miniature environment monitors dubbed PEM for measuring radiation, electromagnetic fields, humidity and how organic your food is. Both devices are built to connect to the concerned user’s phone. The hardware maker is also behind a collection of conceptual sensors for Google’s Project Ara modular handset series. Considering that Airbnb just bought the Russian firm, it could be pulled out of the ambitious smartphone initiative.
Vadik Marmeladov, CEO and Creative Director of Lapka, says his company and Airbnb are both passionate about ‘design, beauty and meaningful, cinematic experiences’ and hints that there are no imaginable limits to the products which could be born out of their combined skills. He claims the newly acquired entity was all about designing an adaptable lifestyle brand, and not focused on any gadget or service in particular, like medicine and related devices for instance.
Lapka has made it clear that it will not be producing or working on any new products. So it sounds more like Airbnb, bane of the traditional hospitality industry, went after the talent rather than the devices in its portfolio. Marmeladov’s mysterious words of farewell as CEO of the firm have left many pondering over its acquisition. If not smart Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, what are these two entities scheming over? This is the question on everyone’s mind.