In another surprise release to the press, Google announced the acquisition of Nest Labs, the inventor and manufacturer of the stylish learning thermostat device, for $3.2 billion.

According to Aaron Tilley of Forbes, Google has attempted several times to gain access to “connected home” type systems – including its own energy monitoring service.

The smart thermostat device is just one of a series of home products that are robotic in nature and function but not technically robotic. All of Nest's line of products involve sensing, automation and control to effect changes (change temperatures, ring alarms, send messges, etc.) in the physical world.

Not only was the “internet of things” the main theme at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) last week in Las Vegas, with this acquisition Google gains a hardware and software consumer products channel, some great talent, and a resource for unlimited home data. It acquired it's own entre to the “internet of things” and all that data.

Note that Yoky Matsuoka, Nest's VP of Technology, is a roboticist first and foremost.