The Black Brick: An Intelligent Doorbell Camera

Revolutionizing Home Security with Minimalist Design

The inspiration for The Black Brick came from a desire to lower the threshold for the production and consumption of intelligent products. After careful inspection of doorbell products on the market, Xiaoyu Jiang identified significant room for improvement in terms of production cost and operational convenience.

What sets The Black Brick apart from other doorbell cameras is its ability to effectively identify the identity of visitors and be controlled through a mobile app. By eliminating unnecessary exposed parts and hardware configurations beyond actual requirements, this intelligent doorbell achieves a smaller size, lower cost, and lower energy consumption.

The casing of The Black Brick consists of only two parts, significantly reducing production costs and complexity. The use of lower power cameras and infrared light makes it more family-friendly. The button is integrated with an infrared lens, and the light sensor and indicator light share a single light guide, further reducing trivial parts. The front shell is made of a single piece of infrared penetrating material, leaving only the buttons, indicator light, and camera exposed. Additionally, the three AA batteries are removable and provide six months of standby time.

The Black Brick's technical specifications include a doorbell size of 52 mm x 19 mm x 122 mm and a chime size of 39 mm x 41.5 mm x 75 mm. Its interaction is simple yet effective, with a large button that can be pressed to activate the camera and chime. Instead of capturing video, the camera captures photos and GIFs of visitors, displaying them on the user's phone.

The design project for The Black Brick started in April 2021 and was completed in December 2021 in Hangzhou. Throughout the process, extensive research was conducted on integrating intelligent products into daily life. By collaborating with hardware engineers and structural designers, Xiaoyu Jiang successfully redesigned the hardware to achieve a convenient operation and simple style.

The Black Brick has received recognition for its exceptional design. It was awarded the Iron A' Design Award in the Security, Safety, and Surveillance Products category in 2023. This prestigious award is given to well-designed, practical, and innovative creations that meet professional and industrial requirements. The Black Brick stands out for its integration of industry best practices, competent technical characteristics, and contribution to a better world.

With its sleek and minimalist design, The Black Brick is revolutionizing home security. By combining intelligence, convenience, and affordability, this intelligent doorbell camera offers a new level of safety and peace of mind for homeowners.