Google's Android operating system may have been created for phones and refined for tablets, but the OS is set to move beyond the bounds of mobile devices.

Today, Google announced a new class of Android devices for the home during the opening keynote at its annual I/O developer's conference in San Francisco. These devices—dubbed "Tungstens"—act as an intermediary between an Android phone or tablet and a suitably enabled home appliance. They would allow users to remotely control everything from lighting to refrigerators.

The company demonstrated how a Tungsten could make playing a game on an Android tablet more immersive: explosions and gunfire set the special lights in the room flickering with every blast. New software that makes it easier for Android devices and their apps to interface with other devices and objects, including home automation equipment, was also demonstrated.