CAIA Smart Solar Reflector Robot User Guide
- June 9, 2024
- CAIA
Table of Contents
CAIA Smart Solar Reflector Robot
Hello!
Scientists have long understood the mental and physical benefits the sun’s rays can bring us. From stimulating the body’s production of essential vitamins, supporting sleep to regulate our circadian rhythms and improving our mental health, sunlight is an essential ingredient of wellness — and life itself of course.
But not everyone gets enough sun. Even in places that enjoy more sunshine, our changing work patterns and the increasing importance of the online world means many of us are spending more time inside and reducing the amount of natural sunlight we enjoy during the day. We are becoming sun poor.
We have developed a new and effective way to bring the restorative power of natural sunlight into our homes and offices.
Meet CAIA, the Smart Solar Reflector.
Self-powering and beautifully designed, the CAIA Solar Reflector automatically tracks the sun through the day to bring natural light effortlessly. Wherever you can — in an office space, a dark living area, illuminating a wall or highlighting a feature — she lifts with sunlight.
The highly efficient mirror made from the thinnest glass and copper can reflect the equivalent of 100W of lighting in full sun, enough to flood a room of 25 square meters (approx. 269 sq feet) with ambient lighting.
WELCOME CAIA!
In a world that spends more of its time inside, CAIA is a smart new way to introduce the restorative power of natural sunlight into homes and offices.
Not a lamp, but an autonomous self-powering solar reflector, CAIA uses unique
algorithms to track the sun through the day and bring natural light simply,
effortlessly and elegantly into life.
CAIA’S POSITIONS
This is CAIA’s ‘FOLD’ position.
In this position she is ‘OFF’.
This is CAIA’s ‘HOME’ position.
In this position she is in ‘STANDBY’.
This is CAIA’s ‘SLEEP’ position.
In this position she is in ‘STANDBY-SLEEP
HOW TO OPERATE CAIA
NEVER APPLY PHYSICAL FORCE AND MANUALLY MOVE CAIA’S MIRROR
Touch Button
| TYPE | DURATION | OPERATION |
|---|---|---|
| Short Press | 2 seconds | START Scan |
| Medium Press | 6 seconds | STOP and bring to fold position |
| Long Press | 12 seconds | RESET and bring to fold position |
CAIA’S Commands
From any of CAIA’s positions, a short press will trigger her to start scanning to find the sun.
While she is in the middle of scanning, a medium press will stop the scan and return to the FOLD position.
While she is in the middle of scanning, a long press will stop the scan, reset and return to the FOLD position.
While she is in the SLEEP and HOME positions, no action is required to trigger her to start scanning. When she senses the direct light hitting her (specifically the Sunlight Pointer and mirror), she will autonomously wake up and scan (this may take several minutes).
When the battery is running low, she will automatically stop all operations and return to the FOLD position.
Sunlight Pointer
This shows the direction the reflected sunlight points to. Just imagine a straight line that starts from the center of the mirror and goes straight through the Sunlight Pointer. This is her straight “line of sight”, and CAIA will point the reflected sunlight in this direction.
The Sunlight Pointer is also the camera sensor that CAIA uses to find and track the sun. There is an in-built infrared sensor that allows her to detect the sunshine when she is in the SLEEP and HOME positions, and automatically wake up.
Adjustable Arm
Raise or lower the direction of the reflected sunlight by simply loosening the dial on the side of the base and sliding the adjustable arc (the one with the Sunlight Pointer) up and down, through the base.
Be careful not to let your hand lose grip while sliding, as you could hit and damage the Sunlight Pointer. After fixing the adjustable arm into the desired position, please remember to tighten the dial on the base and fix the adjustable arm into place.
QUICK START GUIDE
STEP 1 | Removing CAIA from the box
Once you carefully open the box, gently lift CAIA placing both hands on the top arc to lift her up; then fit her onto the add-on base. NEVER MOVE/SWIVEL THE MIRROR OR ITS ROUND CASING BY HAND!
STEP 2 | Charging CAIA
Place CAIA under direct sunlight, with the solar panel facing the sun, for at least one day.
STEP 3 | Pointing & Turning CAIA On
Gently place CAIA in your chosen spot. CAIA’s mirror and Sunlight Pointer must be under direct sunlight and with a direct line of access to the spot where you want to reflect the light to. Use the Sunlight Pointer to set the direction of the reflected light.
You can adjust the height of the reflected beam by sliding the lower arch up and down, through the base.
To switch her on, using two fingers, apply light pressure on the touch button for 2 seconds. She will immediately start scanning (the scan may take up to a few minutes).
CAIA will find her best position and autonomously make micro-adjustments throughout the day. As long as she’s under direct sunlight, CAIA will keep pointing in the same direction.
None of this is happening? Check out our troubleshooting guide below.
HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM CAIA
Where to place CAIA
CAIA can be placed both indoors and outdoors.
What is crucially important is that she must be under direct sunlight to
work.
Just imagine two straight lines. The first imaginary straight line going from
the sun to CAIA. The second imaginary straight line going from the middle of
the mirror, through the Sunlight Pointer, in the direction where you have
pointed CAIA.
Is there anything in the way of these two lines? A tree? A building? A piece of furniture? Etc.
If your answer is “no”, then you have found a perfect spot for CAIA!
If your answer is “yes”, then it’s likely that spot will not work for CAIA.
If your answer is “sometimes”, then consider that CAIA will work appropriately only when those two imaginary straight lines do not have any obstacles in the way. If, for example, a tree is in the way of the imaginary straight line from the sun to CAIA, then she will stop tracking while the sun is behind the tree.
Once the sun comes out from behind the tree, give CAIA a couple of minutes and she will start tracking the sun again, all by herself!
Where to point CAIA
The brightness effect is not created by the reflected beam of sunlight itself, rather it’s created by:
-
The surface that is hit by the reflected beam of sunlight
Color and material make the difference. White will reflect light. Black will absorb light. A white plastered wall or ceiling will maximize the brightness effect. A wooden wall or ceiling will absorb light and produce a negligible difference in brightness. -
The size of the room
The smaller the room, the less space the reflected sunlight will need to “fill”, therefore the brighter the effect. -
The spot that the reflected sunlight hits
We have found that the ideal spot to point CAIA is the ceiling or the corner where the ceiling and walls join. Pointing CAIA high will diffuse light top- to-bottom, maximizing the brightness effect. -
The distance between CAIA and the spot where the sunlight is reflected to
Sunlight can travel far. However, the shorter the distance between CAIA and the spot you point her towards, the greater the brightness effect. -
The brightness of the sun
Seasons, as well as very thin low-level clouds, will affect the brightness of the sun. The brighter the sun, the greater the brightness effect in your chosen room.
HOW TO CARE FOR CAIA
Weather Conditions
While we have tested CAIA for resistance to water, always keep in mind that she is still quite fragile. On particularly windy days, the wind may cause her to topple over and, in falling, she could get damaged (cracked mirror, broken Sunlight Pointer, etc.).
Similarly, if she is hit by solid objects, such as hail or flying debris, this may also cause damage.
So, on those days where the weather is particularly windy or with strong rain, do take extra care and ideally move her indoors to protect her.
Surrounding Environment
Similarly to weather conditions, sometimes the home environment can also experience some turbulence.
Particularly if you have pets or small children, CAIA may be knocked over accidentally and in falling, she could get damaged (cracked mirror, broken Sunlight Pointer, etc.).
Cleaning
Since CAIA will be exposed to the natural elements, whether she’s sitting inside or outside your home, she will collect some dust at the very least.
We recommend to at least routinely remove the dust with any common household duster.
If you have her outdoors, depending on your specific location’s seasonal atmospheric conditions, some climactic events can bring other, “heavier” elements.
For example, it’s common for some rains in southern Europe to carry a lot of sand from Africa. For a deeper clean, we recommend using any lightly dampened cloth to gently remove any dirt from CAIA’s metal and plastic components.
The mirror can be cleaned like any household mirror, by using your preferred glass-cleaning solution and gently applying it with a microfiber cloth on CAIA’s mirror.
While cleaning the glass, place the other hand behind the mirror, so as to keep the circular casing for CAIA’s mirror steady in place.
Security Lock
To secure your CAIA with the security lock, remove CAIA from the add-on base while she is in FOLD position and lay her on a flat surface.
At the bottom of CAIA you will see a metal plate with a large pin sticking out. On that metal plate you will also see a little hole for the security lock.
Once you’ve fixed the security lock to the base of CAIA, you can put her back on the base.
We recommend to routinely clean CAIA
Just add her to your house cleaning routine and get in the habit of wiping her down regularly
CAIA’S LANGUAGE
The sound of brightness!
Important Sounds Your Action Needed
To play the audio files you need to download the manual on your
desktop/laptop. When you click on the first sound, the pdf viewer will prompt
you to trust the document. Then you’ll be able to play all the sounds.
Battery Low: If you hear this sound, the battery charge is still too low
for CAIA to work.
Keep her under the sun for a full day, with the solar panel facing the sun.
Sun Not Found: If you hear this sound, CAIA couldn’t find the sun. Make
sure she is fully under direct sunlight and try again.
Internal Fault 1: If you hear this sound, she encountered some problems.
Reset her with a long press (12 seconds), then try with a short press again.
Make sure there are no obstacles that are impeding her from moving freely.
Internal Fault 2: If you hear this sound, there may be an internal fault
with CAIA. Reset her with a long press (12 seconds), then try with a short
press again. If this problem persists, please contact us at
information@solenica.com.
Background/Operational Sounds – Your Action Not Needed
Ready: CAIA is ready for action! She is ready or about to perform an
action.
Starting Scan: CAIA is about to start to scan. Just sit back and let her
do her thing!
Going To Fold: CAIA is about to move into Fold position. From this
position, she can be packed in her box.
Going to Home: CAIA is about to move into Home position.
Confirm Long Press: CAIA has acknowledged the long press and will reset
and move into Fold position.
TROUBLESHOOTING
As soon as you receive your CAIA, make sure to charge her by keeping the solar panels facing the sun for a full day
Confirm that your CAIA is working
With a full battery charge, she will be able to do a full scan.
Place her on a flat surface and make sure there aren’t any obstacles that could impede her from moving freely as she swivels and turns by herself.
For this test, CAIA doesn’t necessarily need to be under direct sunlight.
She can be anywhere; the objective is to see whether she will do a full scan
or not.
Then apply light pressure with two fingers on the touch button for two seconds. At this point she will emit a sound and, if everything is working correctly, she will start scanning (the full scan lasts a few minutes).
If she doesn’t start scanning, please refer to the “CAIA’s Sounds” on page 14.
If after several days under the sun, her battery is still too low, then please get in touch with us at information@solenica.com.
SAFETY NOTICE & GUIDELINES
- Keep the device away from use and reach of children.
- The product might reflect sunlight unintentionally. Do not look directly into the reflection of the sunlight as it may cause irritation or damage to eyes. Use of damaged product is highly prohibited as it can cause harm.
- The product contains glass. In the event of damage such as cracks, chipped glass, do not continue to use the product, and contact customer service for assistance.
- Do not pressure wash the device as this will void the warranty.
- Do not open, disassemble or replace any components of the device, as this will void the warranty. In the event of malfunction contact customer service for assistance.
- For using the device outdoors, the guidelines provided in the user manual shall be followed. In the event of doubt, contact the customer service for support.
- Ensure there are no loosely hanging objects next to the rotating mechanism, since the device does not have obstruction detection functionality, therefore it will not stop moving if any external object gets stuck in the swivel and rotating mechanism.
The manufacturer will not be responsible for any damage caused due to obstruction.
