Pervasive Home Environment Networks

Project Summary

Much work elsewhere focuses on configuration of pervasive devices at the networking level, but there is also a need for a middleware layer that understands what devices are present, how they can be combined in applications and how they share information. It is important that the complexity of the underlying network is hidden from the occupants of the home, so that configuration and operation is as intuitive as possible. It is also recognised that the home network will be a dynamic environment, with resources likely to appear and disappear, whilst at the same time required to provide reliable services. The core research element of the project will address the design of a distributed, resilient information framework to support these requirements in the context of some representative application scenarios and the state of the art technology.

This collaborative project is DTI funded and is part of the Centre for the Integrated Home Environment. The research output from this project will feed into the other projects in the Centre. There is also a strong relationship with projects in the Care in the Community Centre.

This project has now finished but ideas from it are being used in further research.