Is the next Google Nest Australian?

Australian-born home automation outfit Ninja Blocks has secured $700,000 from a host of investors, including Optus parent SingTel.

The Sydney-born company will use the capital injection for the upcoming launch of its Ninja Sphere product.

The investment from SingTel Innov8, Blackbird Ventures and 500 Startups marks continued expansion for Ninja Blocks, which last November locked in $115,000 of Kickstarter pledges for Ninja Sphere.

Ninja Sphere stands apart from competing technologies because "it learns about the user, and their environment", claimed the creators.

"It uses data from sensors and actuators to build a model that can inform users if something is out of place. It can monitor temperature, lighting, energy usage, people or a pet's presence, and anything else connected to the Ninja Sphere," according to a Ninja Blocks statement,.

"By combining all this data the Ninja Sphere is the first device able to deliver truly intelligent control of the home."

Ninja Blocks chief executive Daniel Friedman said: "The early success of our first product, the Ninja Block, opened our eyes to the scope and possibilities of home intelligence. What started as a simple idea has grown into a product we believe has true global appeal. Today’s investment will help with the first step towards realising this goal."

Ninja Blocks stresses its "open hardware" philosophy, which "makes our electronics schematics, case designs and source code available to developers and students so that they can learn from them and submit suggestions and modifications".

Home automation is tipped as a future boom sector, with interest in the sector spiked by Google's US$3.2 billion of smart thermostat builder Nest Labs in January 2014.