Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Switched Visits the House of the Future at CES

by Chad Mumm on January 22, 2009 at 11:14 AM


During our trip to the desert, we took some time off from the convention floor to head over to the NextGen Home Experience. This super-green, 5,200 square-foot "smart" home boasts some smooth accoutrements, including a powerful home-automation system and a Microsoft Vista-based, centralized entertainment center and media server.

But there's nothing really new about a media server for your home, even one as slick as this Aspen Media version. No, what really caught our eye was the handsome leather floor tiles made from recycled BMW car leather. We're told they're as easily maintained as any floor surface, and will develop their own patina as time goes on. In a house filled with seen-it-before concepts like televisions disguised as mirrors, wireless remotes in every room and solar panels on the roof, we kept finding ourselves marveling at those dang tiles.

Check out the video after the break.

Tags: bmw, ces-2009-top, ces-2009-videos, ces-2009-videos-top, green, home automation, HomeAutomation, smart home, smart homes, SmartHome, SmartHomes, solar power, SolarPower, switchedvideo, top, vista

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular