E-GADGETS
Extrovert Gadgets | IST-2000-25240
Website: www.extrovert-gadgets.net
Email: egadgets@cti.gr

e-Gadgets will develop and validate an architectural style for tangible, communicating artefacts [=a Gadgetware Architectural Style (GAS)]. Extrovert Gadgets are objects with communicative abilities. The objects and/or their environments can be enhanced by intelligence. A multitude of loosely coupled gadgets can be bound into ad-hoc interacting clusters which display collective function, thus forming a gadgetworld. The Gadgetware Architecture Style (GAS) provides a common conceptual framework for designers and people, to use e-gadgets as building blocks for composing gadgetworlds. Each e-gadget implements portions of style-specific hardware and software in addition to its custom behaviour. The GAS provides the infrastructure for the formation of gadgetworlds. The nature of the infrastructure (centralised or ambient) is a research issue. The GAS and its infrastructure will be defined within an iterative process of development and evaluation of usage scenarios and artefacts. GAS infrastructure and e-gadgets will build upon industry technological standards. In order for an everyday object to become a GAS-aware artefact, a hardware and software component must be added to it. Gadgetworlds can be used for the needs of mobility challenged people, young children, mature generations, and any ordinary people. Their collection in a space adds ambient intelligence to it.

Objectives and Focus:
The Gadgetware Architectural Style (GAS) will be comprised of: a design �vocabulary�, configuration �rules�, and semantic interpretation; GAS is a generic framework shared by both gadgetworld designers and users; the design and development of GAS and artefacts will be implemented incrementally in three iterative cycles; e-Gadgets will conclude on the value of the idea, and will accordingly provide guidelines on the development of other styles for various application domains; e-Gadgets focuses on: creating a generic architecture, deciding the degree and locus of �intelligence� and enabling the new emerging behaviour of gadgetworlds (as they are configured by end-users).

Partners:

Computer Technology Institute,
Hellas
P.O. Box 1122,
GR 261 10 Patras, Greece.
Contact:Irene Mavrommati
Research Unit 3
Tel: +30-61-225073 ext. 565
Fax: +30-61-222.086

Essex University
Intelligent Buildings Group, UK

National Microelectronics Research Center

University College Cork,
National University of Ireland,

Cork, Ireland

Additional Information:
Total cost: 1,706,001 Euros
Community
funding: 1,326,000 Euros

Project start: 1 January 2001
Duration: 36 months