Programmable Smart Things

("smart things" is synonymous with "smart artifacts", "smart objects", etc)

This research topic investigates programming models for smart artifacts, or everyday objects augmented with computational, networking and sensing behaviours; such objects are those we use often and are commonplace, as well as everyday objects that are not quite so conventional (e.g., the Ambient Orb). This addition of behaviours might be via hardware (basically, a computer) embedded into these objects or by associating these physical objects with computational behaviours via technology (e.g., via electronic tags).

We term a collection of such smart artifacts (or smart things) that have mechanisms to work together, or cooperate on tasks in some way, an artifact ecology (or thing ecology, or if they are obviously computer devices, a device ecology).

Our earlier work utilized a Web service model of artifacts and explored a workflow metaphor to coordinate device ecologies. We also looked at models for context-aware artifacts and how artifacts can become aware of each other, and explored RFID technologies. More recently, we consider declarative peer-to-peer approaches.

Selected Publications


Updated: S.W. Loke, July 2010