The Science Behind the Sweetness
When we are awake and aware, our brain is continuously monitoring sights and sounds and decoding them for relevant content.
Think of an open window. Without looking, walking over towards it, or even really thinking about it, you’re aware of the conditions outside. Light, dark, windy, cool, calm — even the sound of ice cream truck driving by – are all understood by your brain on a continual basis, effortlessly.
Ever been in a crowded room and still heard your name called out from amid the acoustic clutter? Then you know just how well humans can acquire and process spoken language without foreground consciousness.
This phenomenon is called pre-attentive processing in the field of cognitive psychology. It describes how Ambient displays, by integrating information discreetly in your environment, can communicate without interrupting.
Ambient Products
Consumer devices
Ambient’s products can be found in Brookstone, Best Buy, Walmart or on the dresser at your coolest friend’s house. Scroll down to see which Ambient Device is best for you.
The Ambient OrbAmbient Orb
The Orb is a frosted-glass ball that glows different colors to display real time stock market trends, traffic congestion, pollen forecasts, or any other Ambient information channel: weather, windspeed, pollen, and more.
Flurry Alarm ClockFlurry
Alarm Clock with Weather Forecast Ambient's first alarm clock — Flurry is a supremely intuitive device that will help you wake up on time, and might just help you sleep a little easier in the process. Easy to see and to use, Flurry features a 2-Day forecast from AccuWeather.com and always-accurate network time.
Ambient Products
Energy devices
Saving energy is fun, too. Here are a few of our offerings to help utilities and their
customers use up-to-the-moment information to get a handle on consumption.
Energy Joule
The Energy Joule is Ambient’s latest innovation in its line of energy products. Its elegant display monitors and communicates changes in energy prices by glowing a varying degree of colors. If the device is glowing red, it indicates high energy prices; yellow indicates above average pricing; and green indicates average or low pricing.
In addition to the colored backlight, the Energy Joule has a digital screen that transforms wireless data from the home’s smart meter into immediate, easily accessible information about current energy rates and household consumption trends. This screen is also capable of displaying the local weather forecast, making it a valuable device for consumers even when energy usage is not their top priority (such as in off-peak seasons).
Ambient’s Energy Joule has recently undergone significant testing to become ZigBee-enabled and ZigBee Certified, enabling it to provide data on energy usage and pricing wirelessly and without the need for an Internet connection.
The Ambient Energy Joule is a CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Award Honoree.
Energy Orb
The Energy Orb is a frosted glass ball that provides real-time data about energy consumption, enabling customers to modify their energy usage when it matters most. The simple display communicates changes in pricing and demand by glowing a varying degree of colors; when the device glows green, demand and pricing is low, while glowing red indicates that demand and pricing is high. The Energy Orb receives signals over the Ambient Information Network, a service delivery infrastructure and wireless network. More than a dozen utilities have used Ambient’s Energy Orb in both residential and commercial demand response projects, and a ZigBee-enabled version of the Energy Orb is also available for utilities interested in taking advantage of their smart metering initiatives.
Energy Dash
The Energy Dash expands our suite of glanceable devices with supplemental functionality. In addition to serving as a tool for utility companies to relay information to customers about energy consumption and demand, the Zigbee enabled Energy Dash also provides customers with real time indoor temperature and the option of displaying both individual home and neighborhood level comparative billing data.
About Ambient Devices
Passionately devoted to low-key information.
Ambient Devices is a pioneer in the field of providing consumers with instant, effortless access to information – at a glance. Ambient's technologies deliver dynamic data to everyday products and conveniently do not require a PC or Internet connection. The company’s technologies enable 
The Ambient Home Jouleseamless user-friendly access to dynamic information such as weather forecasts, stock market activity, sports scores, and much more – with little or no user configuration.
Ambient has won accolades from The New York Times, WIRED and The Wall Street Journal and has distributed more then one million units at retail locations including Best Buy, Walmart and Brookstone.
Stock OrbIn addition to our successful retail strategy, Ambient has a successful utility-outreach program that has deployed our products in both residential and commercial demand response pilots worldwide, in collaboration with more than a dozen utilities. The energy product line includes the Energy Orb, which is currently in pilot at utilities including Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE) and Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE). A study from the most recent “BGE Smart Energy Pricing Pilot,” published by The Brattle Group, revealed that homes utilizing Ambient’s Energy Orbs showed a 23-27% reduction in demand during peak events. Ambient is currently working on expanding the line of In-home Energy Orbs, including our new ZigBee-enabled Orb, to be made available to utility partners.Energy Orb
Ambient Devices was founded in 2001 to commercialize patent-pending technologies developed at The Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is privately held.
For consumers.
For energy providers.
