Austin-based startup Kasita has created a prototype of a prefabricated micro dwelling that can be slotted into a framework like a bottle into a wine rack (+ slideshow). More about Kasita unveils prefabricated tiny houses that slot into "racks" like wine bottles
Milan 2016: Italian design studio Tipic has created a smart kitchen countertop that integrates various interactive functions including a sink that appears out of the surface with a simple gesture (+ movie). More about Tipic's smart Tulèr kitchen features a sink that appears with the wave of a hand
Opinion: "smart" technology promises to make our lives easier by learning what we like and giving us more of it, says Reinier de Graaf. But who will really be in control when the machines know everything about us? More about "Smart devices introduce a fundamental ambiguity over who is in charge"
Competition: Dezeen is giving readers the chance to win a Hive Active Heating kit, including a thermostat designed by Yves Béhar and a customisable coloured frame (+ slideshow). More about Competition: win a Hive Active Heating kit and thermostat frame
Google is attempting to improve the aesthetics of the home Wi-Fi router with coverings by 24 artists and designers, including a fake-fur sheath and a cover that turns a device into a fruit bowl (+ slideshow). More about Google aims to turn unloved Wi-Fi routers into design objects with crazy covers
San Francisco designer Yves Behar's studio Fuseproject is releasing a new home access system that includes a keyless lock and video camera that are controlled by a user's smartphone (+ slideshow). More about Yves Behar's smart security system allows users to remotely let visitors into their homes
Security company Yale has partnered with Google-owned domestic technology firm Nest to release a door lock that can be remotely controlled via a smartphone. More about Yale partners with Nest to launch keyless Linus smartlock
Barber and Osgerby's creative consultancy Map and technology company SAM have designed a kit of "building blocks" aimed at simplifying the creation of internet-connected products (+ slideshow). More about SAM and Map create Internet of Things toolkit for building connected products
Yves Behar has designed a connected thermostat for UK energy supplier British Gas aimed at ordinary consumers rather than technology lovers (+ movie). More about Yves Behar's thermostat for British Gas aimed at "everyone from your grandma to your auntie"
Science fiction writer Bruce Sterling has curated an apartment inside an old industrial building in Turin, Italy, bringing together various designs to create the "open-source connected home of the future" (+ slideshow). More about Casa Jasmina combines Italian design with connected home technologies
Architect Rem Koolhaas has spoken out against the way technology is infiltrating buildings, saying it is "totally astonishing" that people are willing to sacrifice their privacy for convenience and describing the rise of smart systems as "potentially sinister". More about Architects underestimate "potentially sinister" smart-home technologies says Rem Koolhaas
Dezeen and MINI Frontiers: architect Carlo Ratti claims the heating system he developed with MIT, which uses motion sensors to focus beams of infrared radiation on people as they move through a building, can be "one order of magnitude more efficient" than traditional methods. More about Personalised "bubbles of heat" could replace inefficient central heating
News: US technology firm Honeywell has released a minimal smart thermostat that learns household routines, a rival to Nest's similar connected home product. More about Honeywell joins connected-home market with Lyric smart thermostat
First the connected home; now the connected garden: designer Yves Behar and entrepreneur Jason Aramburu have created products that monitor soil conditions and automatically water plants when they get thirsty (+ movie). More about Yves Behar moves towards the connected garden with Edyn
News: every electrical device in the home will be linked to the internet within a decade, according to the CEO of connected home products brand Nest (+ interview). More about Within ten years "everything will have data in it", says Nest CEO
News: Google has announced it is poised to acquire domestic technology firm Nest for $3.2 billion, a move that will increase the tech giant's presence in the home. More about Google buys domestic technology firm Nest in first step towards connected home
Dezeen and MINI World Tour: San Francisco designer Yves Behar, who recently launched a keyless lock controlled by a smartphone, discusses his vision for how technology can be successfully integrated into the home in this movie filmed in Milan. More about The home of the future will "know where you are" - Yves Behar
Technology startup Edison Junior Design Laboratory has created a doorbell that allows users to see who's at their door remotely on their smartphone or tablet. More about DoorBot wireless doorbell by Edison Junior Design Laboratory
San Francisco designer Yves Behar of Fuseproject has designed a lock that replaces physical keys with a smartphone app. More about August Smart Lock by Yves Behar