Smart Home

The VW California continues to capture imaginations, but it's other camper vans with origins in Westphalia now pushing the envelope. The Mercedes Marco Polo becomes the smartest small camper van on autobahns, gaining new smart home-style control.

First came the Google Home speakers, then we got Home speakers with screens, and now we've got the Google Nest Hub Max – the ultimate Google-powered smart speaker for 2019.

There's been a lot to take in at today's Made by Google event in New York, not least the Pixel 4 phones that have just been unveiled. Google had updates to several more of its product lines as well, and we've got all the details you need to know.

First came the smart speakers, then came the smart speakers with displays – and the Lenovo Smart Clock is one of the most compact smart displays yet.

Facebook has three new Portal video calling devices to show off, including one that connects to your TV.

Last year, Mercedes debuted the Sprinter Connected Home to highlight its new MBAC touchscreen and app control system. A year later, the first production motorhomes with MBAC make their world premieres, showing how the tech can streamline #vanlife at campgrounds and off the beaten path.

​You may think that the humble coffee table is something that couldn't be subjected to a high-tech makeover, but … yeah, you'd be wrong. The currently-crowdfunding Coosno is equipped with a mini fridge, voice control, Google Home and more.

The OmniFob is designed to be the last fob you'll ever need. A universal remote of sorts for your keychain. This teachable, versatile device is more than just a key-tracker that can open your garage door or send an SOS, it can integrate with your Smart Home systems and even start and lock your car.

The robot cleaners we have tidying up our houses in the 21st century continue to get smarter and more efficient – such as the Narwal, which combines both vacuuming and mopping in one device, and can even replenish its own water tanks when it's done.

​We've already seen assistive robots for seniors, which sit in one place in the user's home. A team at Washington State University, however, has developed one that figures out where its user is, then goes to them and offers its assistance when needed.

The Nevada desert is not the place you'd expect to find the world's most intelligent yacht, but that's exactly where she's docked right now. The first ever yacht to appear at CES, the US$5 million Furrion Adonis provides luxury and convenience above and beyond other yachts.

​Sitting on the back porch of a giant luxury home in Melbourne's inner East, Crestron's Director of Residential Systems speaks about the switch from commercial buildings to family homes, the state of the art in home automation, and the reasons why he'll always recommend wired systems over wireless.