The core of the system is the PMC2 controller and its companion PLX2 two-way ZigBee remote, shown above, which will be priced at around $700. Up to six remotes can be hooked up to one controller, and 100 wireless devices are supported; a P-MNETGW wireless gateway can bridge ZigBee and hard-wired devices, such as thermostats and lighting.

There’s also a touchscreen in-wall control panel, with Windows Sideshow support for email, media and RSS widgets, together with starter kits covering various price points. $825 gets you the controller, remote and wireless gateway; $5,500 gets you four audio zones, a thermostat, fifteen wireless light switches/dimmers and a touchscreen unit. The system is not compatible with other Crestron devices, however, but does promise easier, wizard-based setup.

The control joins NKK Switches’ existing display-control range, which already features a color-OLED button.  However that control is only a push-button, and requires a far deeper panel mount.

NKK envisage the control as being used in home automation systems, scrolling through different options and perhaps replacing a whole bank of lighting or audio/visual controls.  It’s also IP64 rated for resistance to dust and water, meaning it can be installed in industrial locations.  No word on pricing, nor general availability.

[via OLED-Info]

Video demo after the cut

Haddock’s piece is created from wood and paper mache, and shows Andrew Meyer and four of the arresting officers struggling on the floor.  The great thing about this being a hand-cranked diorama is that you can make them struggle as much or as little as you like; unfortunately you’ll have to use your imagination to picture Senator John Kerry.

The whole thing measures 52 x 58 x 31 cm.  Haddock is responsible for numerous art pieces, automaton, comics and sculptures, usually commenting on politics, war or other topical issues.  You can see more here.

[via BoingBoing]

Video demo after the cut

The SmartFaucet heats up the water itself, using an internal heating coil, and because of that has far greater control over temperature than normal mixer taps.  It also means it can use face-recognition to recall your family’s temperature and flow presets, leaving your hands free to load up GMail

Meanwhile LEDs in the spout light up to show water temperature, ranging from cold blue to skin-scalding red.  Unsurprisingly there’s no word on price, but we’re expecting this to be possibly the most expensive faucet around.

[via Born Rich]

As a concept it’s based on a remote servo control project, but Josh applies it to lighting and other, more domestic tasks.  A webserver offers up simple control pages to either your browser or your cellphone, passing on instructions to the home server that, via a serial connection, triggers the control box.  That on its own cost around AU$50 ($34); expect to pay around AU$15 ($10) per 240V switch.

Although an X10 setup would be more straightforward, having a more open web-to-serial system leaves plenty of room for future expansion.  For instance, integrating and remotely controlling a webcam.  The full Java software is available to download and tinker with from Josh’s site.

[via Hack a Day]

Different face-plates and fabric covers are available, if the Center itself isn’t to your tastes, but this is probably yet another box to be hidden away in a cupboard or tucked among computer junk.  More importantly, it offers remote control on different Nokia devices – here demonstrated with a Nokia N95 8GB, but you can bet the N97 will get a look-in too – as well as access from any browser.

The demo wasn’t anything outlandish – turning on some lights, monitoring temperature and heating, and remotely controlling an alarm system – but if Nokia can bring this in at a reasonable price then they might be able to break the entry-level home automation market.  Expect it on sale in May or June 2009.

That will include local and remote control of individual radiator thermostats together with central boiler control, either from a PC or a mobile device.  The second wave of devices will link to so-called smart meters, which give feedback on power usage in the home or office and can be used to automatically control power-demanding appliances.  At its simplest, it could alert a user by SMS message – there’s an optional GMS/GPRS module slated – that the boiler has been left turned onto high, and enable them to switch it off without need to return home.

Nokia expect the first wave to be available by late 2009, with smart meter integration coming after that.  Of course, since the platform is open to third-parties, broader functionality could come earlier.  Danfoss, Delta Dore, Ensto, and Meishar Immediate Community (MIC) and Zensys have already signed up to develop compatible security, energy efficiency, wellness, construction, real estate, and smart home solutions.

Press Release:

Nokia develops a smart home platform to offer consumers new ways to control their homes with a mobile device

Espoo, Finland – Nokia announced today it is developing a smart home platform, Nokia Home Control Center. The platform is opening a new era for networked home services and solutions. Nokia’s Home Control Center will be the basis for next generation security, smart home solutions and household energy management systems.

The platform is open allowing third parties to integrate their own smart home solutions and services; its core consumer value is the plug and play experience across all solution areas with high security levels built in. All solutions based on the platform can be used through a smart phone or PC locally or remotely. Consumers can monitor and control their electricity usage, switch devices on and off, and monitor different objects, such as temperature, camera, and motion. In future, entire systems within the home can be connected to the Nokia platform, including security, heating, and ventilation systems.

“We see there is growth potential in the smart home market”, said Teppo Paavola, Vice President, Head of Corporate Business Development, Nokia. “The home of today has intelligence everywhere, but to date there has not been a solution that is interoperable with wide range of home systems that can easily be controlled. We want to create an open solution where external partners can develop their own solutions and services on top of our platform. We believe that the mobile device is an ideal interface to control home intelligence, especially when the user is not at home.”

Nokia today also announced a partnership with one of Europe’s biggest energy companies, RWE. The co-operation aims at developing a comprehensive solution for managing energy consumption and CO2 footage at home. This cooperation combines RWE’s energy competence with Nokia’s technological know-how.

With this in mind, the first joint solution from Nokia and RWE on late 2009 will focus on home heating management. The product consists of a central control unit together with remote-controlled thermostats for the actual radiator. The user interface will be the PC and the mobile phone. In addition, a separate display will be available. RWE is also planning special offers combining these devices with new energy supply contracts. In a second step, Nokia and RWE are planning additional services in connection with smart meters beyond 2009. These services will provide consumers with real-time information about their energy consumption and allow them to control their energy bill remotely.

“We are delighted to have secured a world-leading technology partner in Nokia for our range of smart home energy products. Our aim is to offer innovative and affordable energy-efficient solutions for every household that are simple and convenient to operate”, said Carolin Reichert, Head of New Business at RWE.

Further, Nokia has started working with a number of companies to define and create a solid basis for building the next generation of products that will introduce a new kind of mobile access to intelligent systems at the home. These collaboration partners include Danfoss, Delta Dore, Ensto, and Meishar Immediate Community (MIC) and Zensys. The Nokia smart home partner program is structured around five key areas which mobile access will open up, creating new opportunities for the next generation smart home. These are security, energy efficiency, wellness, construction, real estate, and smart home solutions.

Nokia Home Control Center will be part of Nokia’s home offering. The solution will be demonstrated at the Nokia World event in Barcelona, Spain, on December 2-3, 2008 and is expected to become commercially available by the end of 2009.

More information about Nokia’s smart home project and the partner program can be found at www.nokia.com/smarthome/partners.

About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

In fact that’s just the start of it.  Appliances, climate and heating, irrigation, window covering and audio/video systems can all be wired up, and the HomeTroller will let you monitor them and even control them via the internet thanks to a built-in web-server.  Even if you’re not so obsessive to monitor the system like that, it can be set to email or call you whenever a preset event happens, for instance someone entering the house or a window being left open.

The same call-alert system is used for voice control, with the HomeTroller either hooking into your phones or using a standalone microphone.  Alternatively it’s compatible with a broad range of touchscreen, standard and remote control panels.  Hardware from Lutron, Leviton, Z-Wave, UPB and Insteon will all connect happily.

It’s available for preorder now, priced at $895.  Plugins – including iTunes and OnQ – will be priced at $29.96.

[via Electronic House]

As standard, the motorized roller stands proud of the wall and there are a choice of fascia finishes to pick from.  Alternatively, Draper will knock you up a custom install, which could be fitted into a wall rebate or into the ceiling.  Either way, it’s all controlled by either a wireless or a wall-mounted remote.

If none of the forty designs take your fancy, Draper can create a custom 100-percent cotton tapestry from a photo or image of your choosing.  Imagine your friends and neighbours delight, as a wall-hanging of vintage swimsuit models swishes aside to reveal The Shawshank Redemption.  Screens up to 50-inches can be covered.

The Draper Fine Art for Flatscreens range is available now.

The display is WUXGA 1920 x 1200 resolution with 160-degree viewing angles and 16:10 aspect ratio.  250 nits of brightness and 1,000:1 contrast ratio aren’t going to threaten a dedicated LCD, but then a standard screen won’t have NEMA 4/IP56 accreditation capable of withstanding water, dust and dirt intrusion.  Video input is either DVI-D or analog VGA, with the capacitive touchscreen layer controlled via USB.

It’s probably overkill for most domestic applications – though the ability to withstand hose-directed water could make it a good poolside option – but where industrial designs go, residential tend to follow.  You don’t tend to see such large touchscreens, certainly not capacitive, but there’s undoubtedly a market for them.  The panel mount touchscreen SV-2400 is priced at $2,495 (with a non-touchscreen version $200 less).

The (optional) service allow drivers to remotely operate lighting and air conditioners, and view still images captured with a network camera.  You can also record TV programs by controlling a Panasonic DIGA DVD recorder from the car.  Impressive stuff, though not something to be playing with when cruising down the freeway; save it for the traffic lights. 

Differing by the dashboard configuration – in-dash and 2-DIN – the two F-Class models will be released in mid-June.  Price is ¥355,000 ($3,500), but don’t expect to see them outside of Japan, sadly.

[via Gear Live]

With no moving parts (onboard storage is SSD) and no fans, the TOUCHCLIENT12 is silent. VidaBox initially set it up in a write-protected mode, meaning any software glitches can be corrected by simply restarting the system. Expansion is via two USB ports, two RS-232 serial ports and two ethernet ports, all easily accessible since the panel can be popped off its magnetic mount. There are also stereo speakers behind the bezel, which although not really suitable for music (since they’re only 1.5W) would be adequate for system sounds and feedback.

While the price – $2,599 – might seem expensive, considering how much companies such as Crestron charge for their touchscreen controls the TOUCHCLIENT12 looks a bit of a bargain. Especially once you consider that it will work with multiple home automation and distributed media packages, not just VidaBox’s own software, or as a standalone system while you save up for the rest. It’s available now.

[via eHomeUpgrade]

The HC-500 primary function is as a media server, for home theatre setup that requires many I/O connections for device control. Other functions include lightning coordination, temperature, video cameras, and other manual controls such as garage door openers.

HC-500 sports DaVinci processor (manufactured by Texas Instruments), a 160GB hardd rive, two USB ports, one Ethernet port, four serial ports (DB9), analog and digital audio I/O jacks, and optional WiFi module.

If you have a Linux hacker or software developer, Control4 provides SDK to allow you to develop your own serial-based drivers for home automation devices – the SDK costs $2000 ($2900 for professional version). The HC-500 is now shipping and priced at $1500.

[via linuxdevices]