We've had our eye on Notion for some time, so we were pleased to learn that the wireless home monitoring system is finally shipping. The starter kit includes a central hub and three small, circular sensors that communicate with each other via WiFi to monitor threats like water damage and burglary.

The automatic arm that raises and lowers the flapper can be set up so that it stays open for the correct amount of time each flush—that means never having to tell guests to jiggle the handle.

The Axiom 2340 model features a deck space off the great room and light-filled, high-ceilinged living spaces.

A look at the interior of the Axiom 2340.

In a like-minded trend alongside Quirky's recent smart home launches, the sleek additions to the WeMo ecosystem announced at CES 2015 use sensors to relay information needed to help keep your home in ship shape condition. The products connect to your house's WiFi network via a bridge, allowing you to control and monitor them using the WeMo app from anywhere in the world.

More accurate than a motion detector, the WeMo Room Sensor detects heat to see if someone enters a space. Program this to work with smart bulbs to automatically shut off lights if you leave a room, or turn them on if you enter.

The drought on the west coast has made more people consicous of water consumption. While energy monitors on outlets and power strips allow you to see exactly how much electricity it takes to run your Play Station (or other specific electronic device), information about how much water a shower, toilet, or sink uses isn't as readily available. You get your monthly meter reading from most utilities, but being able to pinpoint they thirstiest item in your home with WeMo Water could help save you hundreds of gallons of water.

The magnetic contact sensor in this gadget works on nearly any type of door or window in your home—refrigerator doors, medicine cabinets, interior and exterior doors, doggy doors, you get the picture—to detect if they've been opened. The sensor can connect to other smart devices in your home and programmed to run an action. For example, if you have the air conditioner on and a window is opened, the sensor can shut off the A/C to help conserve energy. (No need to cool the entire neighborhood!)

The compact keychain sensor allows you to keep tabs on when family members come home (ie. kids returning from school).

The app contains a database of around 5,000 plants, with information on the ideal growing conditions for each.

The garden sensor communicates with users' Wi-Fi routers and delivers information on fertilizer quality and sunshine levels to the smartphone app.

According to Aramburu, people spend an average of $300-$400 a year on plants.

One of the main features of the Axiom 2450 model is a porch that's enclosed by a 12-foot rectractable glass wall.

The Axiom 2790, ideal for sites oriented toward one direction, features a covered terrace.

S8990 UniQ by Miele, $1,500 This vacuum’s HEPA filter sucks every allergen from the floor and into a self-closing bag. A sensor on the bottom detects which floor surface it’s cleaning and alters its suction accordingly.

Wi-Fi Plant Sensor Indoor by Koubachi, $99 Who says recreation has to be noisy? Watch plants grow like magic while monitoring statistics on the dirt’s water content, temperature, and light exposure. If you’re especially prone to botanicide, the sensor can be set to remind you to water the plants, too.

The kit comes with a sticker that you can set on the tank to indicate that it uses a touchless system.

Notion’s other selling point is integration with existing analog home devices. If a smoke alarm goes off, it can read the sound and alert you, or if a room gets cold, you can be notified and tell your Nest thermostat to turn up the temperature. It has also been accepted into Apple’s HomeKit system.

Alarm by Scout, from $130 Start with a Scout wi-fi base station and add motion sensors, disarming panels, and open-close sensors, as needed. Set the software to respond to, say, the front door opening, with a text to you or a call to the police. The hardware and software can integrate with third-party lock and video devices, too.

A Vissiani refrigerator stands next to the kitchen's formica countertops. The lights are from Ecopower.

A small central hub, about the size of a bar of soap, connects to your home Wi-Fi network and is controlled with an app. Then, the slightly smaller sensors can be distributed throughout the house or apartment.

TOTO’s Axiom faucet is from the EcoPower line—the world’s first faucet series powered by water. It creates their own electricity every time water spins an small internal turbine. Stored in a series of rechargeable capacitors, this auto-generated electricity powers the faucets' operation.

Willson uses Edyn, a smart garden sensor, to track moisture, temperature, fertilizer, and sunshine levels. It automatically updates irrigation patterns based on its findings.

Recognizing that water damage is often one of the most costly catastophes to happen to a home, Michael Taylor (who invented three of the seven new products) sought to create a sensor that will alert you to moisture levels in your home. The Overflow retails for $35, which is far less than the ost of water damage to a home—insurance companies say the average sum is $10,000. Suggested install locations are near water heaters, toilets, and washing machines.

For over a decade, Joel and Meelena Turkel of Turkel Design have been “continually evolving the notion of what a home should be—maximizing flexibility and energy efficiency using engineered materials in thoughtfully designed, sustainably conceived living environments.” Here is a look inside their latest project, the Axiom Desert House, which will soon be their own family abode.

A peek of the Axiom Desert House from the exterior, with the beautiful San Jacinto mountain range in the distance.

The varied capabilities of each small sensor are what make Notion unusual. A single pod, about the size of a stereo’s volume knob, can measure a change in room temperature, the acceleration of an opening door, or the illumination from a lightbulb left on. Sensors have a Piezoelectric transducer, which measures frequency—Notion's example is that you can stick it to a propane tank and know how much volume it has left.

The 510 Cabin is one of Leggitt's designs, executed with the help of student apprentices.

The Axiom Desert House celebrates desert design that is elegant and replicable. Its open plan, indoor/outdoor flow, and innovative use of materials and space are a testament to modern prefab.

Since 2005, Turkel Design has been creating prefabricated homes with a distinctly modern, contemporary design. Their Axiom series of prefab houses, launched in 2015, offers 11 distinct designs, starting at around $800,000.

The dining room is delineated from the kitchen by a long kitchen island with a higher partition between the two spaces. The island provides storage along its length, with exposed shelving at the ends. The drum lighting pendants by Axiom were also made using local timber.

While Joel and Meelena Turkel of Turkel Design have spent the last decade redefining the possibilities of prefab for clients worldwide, they recently flipped the switch and completed their very own net-zero prefabricated residence. Here is a look inside their new home, the Axiom Desert House.

The cover of Murakami Versailles.

In addition to the Turkel Design signature post-and-beam construction, the Axiom Desert House also features a spacious great room breezing out to a private courtyard. The floor-to-ceiling windows allow the home to effortlessly blend indoor/outdoor living, while infusing the spaces with an abundance of natural light.

Axiom Homes at DOD Los Angeles #axiom #dwell #joelturkel

Visitors interact with sensors causing 25,000 water droplets a minute to travel along the channels, then collide and split before pooling into a lake.