Year One

During the first year of the lab, researchers created the hardware and software infrastructure for a truly automated and personalized home.  

Home Security Response System 
Remote Management and Personalization
Indoor Positioning System / RFID
Distributed Touch Screen GUI 
Home Automation

Distributed Touch Screen GUI

The residential control and information system is designed to provide control of key home devices and helpful information throughout the home.  The project focuses on building a system that is efficient, ergonomic, and expandable.  The system is based on GUI-driven touch screen terminals that have the ability to view an address and appointment book, to control lighting and the heating ventilation and air-conditioning system, and to playback music when connected to a standard PC via a local area network (LAN). This project explores the idea of distributed small computing systems throughout the home, providing a less invasive environment with multiple points of access, so that the user is not restricted to carrying a device.

Home Information Management(HIM): 

This project involves the development of a family HIM system.  The system includes an address book, a calendar, a message-of-the-day, and a to-do list.  HIM can be installed in any computer as a stand-alone package.