Leviton acquires Home Automation Inc. (HAI) for an undisclosed sum, boosting the Leviton porfolio of residential and light commercial automation offerings.

The company says it will integrate HAI products with Leviton solutions, providing customers with "a smart choice for automation and remote access capabilities." The HAI product offering ranges from programmable thermostats and smartphone-controllable light switches to automated video surveillance systems and online audio device control.

HAI will operate as a standalone business unit within Leviton as "HAI by Leviton." Leviton channel partners and distributors will soon start selling HAI products.

Go Leviton Acquires HAI

URC launches the THZ-100-- the first network thermostat from the company making part of the energy management portion of the URC Total Control system.

The THZ-100 acts as a 7-day programmable thermostat and connects wirelessly to the Total Control system. Users can check home temperatures, adjust temperature and reprogram the thermostat via either Total Control controllers or iDevice apps.

Control also comes via 5 hard buttons and 2-inch colour LCD display.

URC also offers "Intelligent Comfort Recovery"-- a system to slowly heat or cool an area according to the current environment temperature. Other features include password protection and optional wired remote sensors.

The THZ-100 is programmed with URC's Accelerator software and ships with mounting template, bracket and screws.

Go URC Introduces First Network Thermostat

We've seen plenty of interesting Kinect hacks, but the "Smart Trashbox" might be the only one to find a home at our office-- a Kinect-powered automated waste bucket able to track and catch thrown bits of trash.

Created by Japanese modder FRP, the Smart Trashbox runs on a battery-powered wheeled base connected to an integrated circuit board. A Kinect sensor installed on the ceiling controls the trashcan, together with code calculating and tracking the trajectories of airborne objects.

The result? A trashcan able to capture thrown waste.

FRP admits the system's accuracy needs improvement, but as you can see from the video linked below it already looks quite impressive. We're sure you will also want one.

Watch Smart Trashbox

Go Smart Trashbox (IT Media)

At InfoComm, SurgeX launched Axess, a line of IP-addressable, surge-eliminating and power conditioning management systems that allow integrators to monitor and control power distribution platforms 24/7 via the Internet.

This system can customize, synthesize and monitor individual outlets and power settings on integrated IP-enabled devices via remote access. Custom sequences can be created across the entire network with email notifications sent about various power phenomena, base.

According to Juniper Research the global smart home market will reach $600 billion by 2017, thanks to "strong growth" from the connected entertainment segment, as well as monitoring, control and health.

Smart home entertainment will account for 82% of total 2017 service revenues, with W. Europe as a key market together with N. America.

In comparison the 2012 market should reach $25bn.

The analyst says broadband connectivity is moving beyond traditional use cases-- with new applications including connected TV, home automation systems and smart meters increasing service revenues to the area.

However smart home demands collaboration between operators, content providers and vendors when it comes to "mutually beneficial" business models. Cable operators and broadband service providers already have existing billing relationships with customers, which enable them to bundle other features within existing services.

Juniper also predicts vendors such as Apple, Google and Microsoft are "will play a major role within the smart home," replicating their success in the consumer market.

Go Smart Home Juniper Research Report

CEDIA reveals details of Future Technology Pavilion within CEDIA Expo 2012-- a stand featuring integrated technology for the "next generation of the smart home."

The 2012 Future Technology Pavilion features 4 areas representing health, work, eat and play.

The "eat" area features Apple-based integration and control from Savant System within an interactive kitchen. The system shows real-time energy consumptions from various sub-systems on an iPad. Users can also use the tablet to "simultaneously answer incoming calls and control lighting, distributed audio and other systems in the home."

Meanwhile Mosaiqq and 3M showcase a kitchen backsplash that is actually an embedded touchscreen videowall.

Audio Design, Auralex Acoustics, Digital Projections, Purdue University, Stewart Filmscreen and Triad power the "play" area, with an immersive video room and an entertainment room able to recognise occupants (in order to play user-appropriate content). For even more fun, Obscura Digital showcases its latest technology-enchanced pool table.

Additional vendors on show at Future Technology Pavilion include Access Networks, Grandcare Systems, Honeywell, Lutron, Nest and Symbol Logic.

Go CEDIA Future Technology Pavilion to Showcase Next Generation of the Smart Home