Turning sci-fi dreams into reality with futuristic tech
Backstory
Gravity is a user-centric brand that combines cutting-edge technology with art, driven by the vision of "turning science fiction into reality." The company is dedicated to pushing the limits of both technology and imagination by creating tangible experiences that allow everyone to immerse themselves in the wonders of sci-fi. Specializing in consumer-grade black tech products, Gravity designs its offerings to complement futuristic home decor and entertainment. Its product range includes lighting, audio systems, clocks, installation art, wearable gear, and trending collectibles, appealing to technologists, artists, gamers, anime fans, and science fiction enthusiasts alike.
In the early stages of their journey, the young founding team at Gravity secured a seed-round investment from a hardware incubation accelerator led by Professor Li Ze Xiang, the founder of DJI. During an exhibition in Shenzhen, the Espressif team had the chance to meet Mr. Zhao, the founder of GRAVITY. It was then that Mr. Zhao shared his ambitious plans to implement a self-developed magnetic levitation technology in home décor. Impressed by the open development environment of Espressif's chips, Mr. Zhao decided to base their solution on Espressif hardware. However, the team soon faced some challenges in cloud integration and app development.
Choosing RainMaker
As a startup with limited R&D resources, GRAVITY was under pressure to meet production deadlines while striving to build a unique brand capable of competing with the top players in the market. Their first product, the Universe TIME Levitating Clock, was a mesmerizing fusion of sci-fi and visual serenity. It featured a metal sphere floating in the air, rotating on its axis and orbiting around the clock’s face. Given the product's need for an intricate user interaction experience, GRAVITY found many third-party platform solutions inadequate.
Recognizing this, Mr. Zhao quickly realized that ESP RainMaker could be their needed end-to-end solution. It not only addressed their cloud integration and app development challenges but also allowed them to develop their smart hardware product under an independent brand.
The Result
Within just a few weeks of deploying a private instance of RainMaker on Amazon Web Services (AWS), GRAVITY successfully prototyped the Universe TIME Levitating Clock, establishing seamless communication between the device, the cloud, and the app. They also implemented essential features, including device certificate generation, registration, and OTA updates. Over the next few months, Mr. Zhao was able to focus most of the team’s resources on refining the product’s features, including its exterior design, hardware development, molding, embedded systems, app UI, interaction design, and front-end development.
By the end of 2024, GRAVITY had reached its pilot production goal for the Universe TIME Levitating Clock, paving the way for the company to explore new product lines. The team began applying their core levitation technology to new applications. In late 2024, they successfully secured a spot on Kickstarter, and by the first half of 2025, the mass-produced product debuted on the crowdfunding platform, creating a buzz within the tech enthusiast community.
"For companies looking to bring products to market efficiently or lack cloud development expertise, ESP RainMaker provides a comprehensive solution. With its complete suite of firmware, app source code, and ready-to-use examples, we were able to focus on product development without the complexities of server architecture, data storage, or communication protocols. By building on ESP RainMaker, we streamlined our development process, seamlessly integrating app-device interactions, OTA updates, and other essential features. What could have taken months was achieved in just a few weeks, significantly reducing both development time and production costs while ensuring a smooth path to mass production."
Zhao Zhengdong
Executive Director of Gravity
If you are interested in understanding ESP RainMaker and/or Espressif products, please contact us at www.espressif.com/en/contact-esp-rainmaker
