You want to turn on the lights. Easy. Use your smartphone. Or you want to check that the babysitter hasn’t fallen asleep on the job. A little surveillance will do the job.

The idea of controlling any device remotely has been talked about for some time, but the enabling technology can be complicated. Ninja Blocks attempts to simplify the whole process with hardware and software that can get your devices talking to web applications. Ultimately, they hope to see the hardware embedded in the equipment itself – whether it’s your fridge, washing machine, or home security system.

Marcus Schappi, president at Ninja Blocks, explains to Phil Dobbie how the product works and their plans for the future. There’s no doubt that we all demand some of this interactivity between devices and the internet, but is Ninja Blocks the company that will pave the way?

First published on ZDNet