IBM's Advanced PvC Technology Laboratory 79
ShellDawg writes "IBM had this really nice article article which showcases their new pervasive computing technologies lab in Austin, Texas. Gadgets which let you control everything in a room from light bulbs (which have assigned URL's )to smart kitchen-tops to a wireless enabled car. There's even a refrigerator that has a display which projects an image of whats inside without opening the doors." I for one am the first to sign up for this. I'm tired of opening the door just to realize that I'm out of everything except baking soda and butter. Mmmm. Butter.
Bulb / door (Score:1)
I wonder what is more efficient.
__
I hate marketing (Score:1)
Marketing nonsense aside, I think the technology this project represents is impressive. No consumer in the world would want it in their house, but it is a nice demonstration. If you want to turn a light on in the kitchen, 99.99999% of the world will do it with a light switch, not their refrigerator.
The other question about their setup is where is Jabber?
doors of perception (Score:1)
Patent #1292334 Technology for viewing fridge contents
Fridge has door through which user can perceive current stocks of food contained within. This is achieved through use of a clear silicate door substance (a "window").
This patent can be extended to include cupboards and any other sealed system which can be fitted with a window.
What a fine idea though, I wonder how much more the LCD+video camera implementation costs?
I mean, really... (Score:3)
Besides, I bet the screen will go all strange once the users start placing a few refridgerator magnets on it
/Janne
baking soda, eh...? (Score:1)
I think we should be told.
Re:Light Bulbs? (Score:1)
Geez, man, stop giving people ideas. Lightbulbs, hell why not address the bleedin' photons themselves.
Been there and done that..... (Score:2)
Re:Just what my grandma needs (Score:2)
Let me guess, Al is very tall, with an overdeveloped chest and biceps, carries a hammer and tells everyone to, "Just call him Thor" at parties.
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Re:I mean, really... (Score:1)
A Pc with a video camera and LCD monitor mounted on the fridge will fix that problem!
Re:IBM pvc? (Score:2)
Use for windows (Score:1)
Are they loosing it? That's the one thing windows IS good for.
Re:Light Bulbs? (Score:2)
Uh, 2^128 = 3.4 x 10^38: IPv6 address space is BIG. We're not gonna run out of IPv6 addrs anytime soon. (Someone pointed out back in an early IETF meeting on the subject that this is enough to address every particle in the solar system. I haven't verified that math myself.)
Re:My fridge contents (Score:2)
Sorry for the confusion.
-Restil
Re:My fridge contents (Score:2)
I'll post the source someday when its actually in a semi-functional state.
-Restil
My fridge contents (Score:3)
If you want to see, check it out at
http://206.54.177.105/cgi-bin/barcodehtml.cgi
-Restil
Re:I mean, really... (Score:1)
. o O (Sorry, can't go out tonight. Defrosting the CPU.)
Re:My fridge contents (Score:1)
Re:stupid ass (Score:1)
IBM has seen the future, and it is CeBus (Score:1)
So there were no peer-to-peer technologies like IEEE 1394 [1394ta.org] or JINI [sun.com] to be found in their lab. And no Bluetooth [bluetooth.com] or X-10 [x10.com], either.
In fact, the connection technology of the future, if the PvC lab is to belived... is CeBus [cebus.org]! Now, CeBus is mighty fine at what it does, and fits well into IBM's architecture where everything is controlled by a Websphere set-top box, but it is much more expensive than the competing technologies. Right now, I can't see anyone (except Larry [oracle.com]) paying a couple of hundred bucks extra for blinders that go up and down at different times in the day.
Corby
Invaluable if you're like me... (Score:2)
At last, no more dreams of tentacles dragging me inside to a moldy fate...
Re:Light Bulbs? (Score:1)
LS
Neat technology, but could be pointless (Score:1)
I think the research is exciting, but I wonder if it will product anything or anybody else would want to use? I've been interested in home automation since I owned an Apple IIe in the 80's. I had friends that did automate the windows of their home with motors in the 80's.
That said I see some problems. Looking at the buttons and screen of the car and the user interface of the virtual laboratory control makes one thing clear: IBM needs to get some "normal people" to augment their team of engineers. Wives, mothers, and daughters are a great source of input.
The Virtual Laboratory control interface is really slick looking. It just strikes me that from the screen shot I can't intuitively tell how to control things. I can't help but think of VCR's with the flashing 12:00 display J. It reminds me of some of the beautiful user interfaces for software MP3 players in the PC market. Some people get excited about the beautiful skins available for MP3 players. I use plain Winamp with the default skin. At a glance I can see the controls. I've tried other players, and several dozen Winamp skins. I still like to be able to find the stop, pause and play buttons. I did spend 4 hours making my desktop wallpaper though.
The technology is great, the research is great, but will anything come out of this that I want? I want products that perform functions I want, products that I find useful and do not need a course to understand.
end of days (Score:2)
So you have a fully digital life, next what implants to monitor your every move via GPS, monitor your heart rates, etc...? Oh wait that's already coming out next month...
[source [antioffline.com]]
What happened to creativity, are we all turning into the PC and the PC turning into a human?
Re:My fridge contents (Score:1)
PVC technology (Score:1)
Though I'm not sure I want them to be pingable... or fingerable.
[TMB]
Been there done that (Score:2)
The interesting thing was that a friend at Intel told me there was a group some years ago that thought about doing the same thing with a garage freezer in the U.S., since the "deep freeze" American houses seem to have must be a good place to stick a server, and there's space in the garage.
Personally I wouldn't mind having a terabite in the freezer.. ouch just to save a week of TV and not worry about which channel when.
IBM pvc? (Score:5)
Steve Talbott's NetFuture (Score:2)
Re:I mean, really... (Score:2)
LG Electronics, the Korean firm that used to be Goldstar and the Lucky Company (my girlfriend's Korean, she says this sort of name is normal - but still finds it funny) said they made their Internet Fridge (short for 'refrigerator' no d!) because while the tv is the source of information for alot of families to the outside world, they still keep their bills and notes on the fridge. Internally, they believe this is where the world organises itself and communicates the best. So as a 'core router' it makes alot more sense than a tv, which will always be a volatile border device.
The fridge is an ideal situation for a switched centre. Just because the tv already has a screen doesn't mean it's the best thing to inherit all the functions of a household. Think about someone trying to watch tv while someone else downloads their email to a pda via that same screen. Pain in the butt. Sure, later with better wireless networks you won't need a visual display. But you still don't want to lean on your single border device to do all the internal routing of the network.
Seems familiar.. (Score:4)
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Re:I mean, really... (Score:1)
I'll tell you what it is. A big, flat surface that is begging for a flatscreen. Plus, you already plug your fridge into AC. Most people don't have power running to their cabinets. That's the one thing that hit me as soon as I read your post. I'm sure there are many other reasons...
jred
www.cautioninc.com [cautioninc.com]
Re:I've never had that problem... (Score:1)
It takes years for college students to realize that bathrooms and kitchens do not have a Mom Genie that magically cleans up up after them.
Re:it's so obvious... (Score:2)
Dude, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't consider cooking myself healthy, no matter what kind of ingredients I used...
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Were I in touch with the toilet that is humanity, I'd have flushed it long ago.
Jim Knows Best (Score:2)
I just got through watching Me, Myself & Irene, and if there's one thing to be learned from it, it's that skin lotion tends to work better, without being greasy like butter.
Make the switch today, Taco!
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Re:Peekaboo Fridge (Score:3)
Re:Wasn't this so they could break the speed barri (Score:1)
-Paul
IP-Lightbulb (Score:1)
I've never had that problem... (Score:1)
When you're a college student, you know there's nothing in there except baking soda and (maybe) butter.
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Light Bulbs? (Score:4)
I can see toasters and coffepot weeb cams with IP numbers.
but light bulbs? Like we can't run out of IPV6 space fast enough already.
sheesh!
;-)
Check out the Vinny the Vampire [eplugz.com] comic strip
Potential Applications (Score:1)
Gadgets which let you control everything in a room from light bulbs (which have assigned URL's )to smart kitchen-tops to a wireless enabled car.
How long until it becomes passé for hackers to make visitors to their home feel like they're in the Twilight Zone?
Re:end of days (Score:1)
Re:Light Bulbs? (Score:2)
They didn't say IP numbers. They said URLs. If every image, page, frameset, and CGI script on the web can each have their own URL, providing one to each lightbulb isn't going to be that difficult:
http://bulb.erasmusdarwinsapartment.org/bulb1
http://bulb.erasmusdarwinsapartment.org/bulb2
http://bulb.erasmusdarwinsapartment.org/bulb3
Of course, on the other hand, they could also mean URLs in the form of:
http://10.0.5.1/
http://10.0.5.2/
http://10.0.5.3/
So they aren't necessarily doing things the smart way. But my guess is that they use something simpler than TCP/IP for communicating to the actual bulb sockets (unless this is one of those projects that is just mindlessly burning money). In reality, it wouldn't surprise me if the URLs turned out to actually be something closer to:
http://www.erasmusdarwinsapartment.org/cgi-bin/bul b?id=1&set=onl b?id=2&set=offl b?id=3&set=toggle
http://www.erasmusdarwinsapartment.org/cgi-bin/bu
http://www.erasmusdarwinsapartment.org/cgi-bin/bu
Overall, though, attempting to idly speculate based on the vague details from an obvious fluff piece isn't really going to get us much.
PvC? (Score:1)
Kurdt
In related news... (Score:1)
*ring* *ring*
You: Hello?
Cracker: Is your refrigerator running?
You: Yes, why?
Cracker: Not anymore! HA! Y00 B33N 0wn3D, D00D!
*click*
-Phil
Re:Prior art (Score:2)
fridge o' pr0n (Score:1)
would be great to be able to go to the fridge and see my delectable of the day, or take a shower with angelina jolie!
Re:bah (Score:1)
Re:I mean, really... (Score:1)
the point is that as we progress as a technologically advanced society - we will be spending more and more and more time in front of our terminals, the point is that by adding all the terminal features to the fridge - we will be made even more slave-like.
we sit and do our work in from of a terminal all day long, then at feeding time - the display opens up and gives us what we need to keep working. and by having it online and monitoring what we are running low on - it can email webvan to order the re-supply automatically without us have to leave our "desk".
you will see - we will all be turned into terminal-potatoes in no time.
p.s. the "e" it deliberate.
Re:bah (Score:1)
I hope this doesn't mean we've run out of useful things for technology to do.
buggy (Score:2)
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Re:I wonder if this tech can be apllied to relativ (Score:1)
Ok, there's probably loads of ways to protect your house from being hacked like that, but the security won't be SOTA forever, and all it takes is one house being hAX0R3d into the ground to generate enough bad publicity to make a trip on the Hindenburg look nice in comparison.
Kierthos
Now I'm going to need a firewall for my fridge? (Score:1)
bah (Score:4)
Microsopoly (Score:1)
Sweet (Score:1)
Re:Sweet (Score:1)
Net Fridge (Score:1)
Its been up since 95'
but the guy recently bought a new fridge, so it may not be working yet.
http://www.hamjudo.com/cgi-bin/refrigerator
Re: (Score:1)
Peekaboo Fridge (Score:2)
Gee whis, I will be able to... (Score:1)
But wait, that will cost a lot of money. I can log on to ye ol' internet, go to the foodty website, print the recipie, take that to the store and buy my own ingredients and not depend on one PFY to pick out the best stuff. Then I can have the recipie in front of me while I make it.
as to knowing what is in my fridge... 99 bottles of beer in the fridge, 99 bottles of beer...
display fridge (Score:2)
It's huge too, so we can stokepile lots and lots of cold beer... mmmmm... beeeer
Re:I've always wondered... (Score:1)
This is *so* totally missing the point (Score:2)
IBM's Advanced PvC Technology Laboratory (Score:1)
Security (Score:1)
Searchin for vulnerable fridges....
Connected to 127.0.0.1
Escape character is '^]'
FRIDGE OFF
250 Fridge is turned off
Pervasive Computing? (Score:1)
You thought the GPS rental car was bad... (Score:1)
Your mother could check up on your fridge...
"Tim, I see you have only beer and baking soda in your fridge... Buy some damn vegtables!".
Even worse, the government could get involved...
Keep the Democrats out of my fridge!
--T
At Last Science Can Answer... (Score:2)
Between Heisenbergs Principle, and Schrodingers Experiments on a cat, we have never been able to know.
Until now, that is.
When you close the door, is the light on or off?
Thanks IBM.
Just what my grandma needs (Score:2)
It'll be a 2 month project before the fridge is up and running, and grandma retrieves the old oil lamp from the attic, sho she won't blow her household budget on candles.
Friendly neighburs will pop in and help out now and then, amongst others Al, the plumber, who is quite the whiz with computers. In just an afternoon he manages to get the lightning working. Just too bad he broke the links to the fridge.
And the holiday season is getting closer, so the designated webmaster prodigy is now busy programming the christmas tree. Grandma never really cared for disco, but now she'll get a peek at what she missed.
She's a open-minded soul, so she doesn't mind all the cusswords being inprinted on her toast every morning by script kiddies. Also she keeps her cool when FBI busts in one evening to confiscate her washer and dryer, which allegedly had been used to break into pentagon, as well as hosting a web site poking fun at General Motors.
She only gets upset when her electric tea kettle gets the "blue screen thing", and she won't be able to serve those nice FBI agents some nice tea.
I've always wondered... (Score:1)
Re:This is *so* totally missing the point (Score:1)
"Can I interest Sir in a piece of my rump?" - Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (ok, Restaurant at the End of the Universe, nitpickers). Smart food that wants to be eaten, so you have no moral reason not to!
See if glass can do that! (Score:2)
it's so obvious... (Score:4)
Some of them make a lot of sense: remote access to temperature and lights in the home can be useful. Others don't. For example, I don't think more automation in the kitchen does much good: people would probably benefit more from a healthy relationship with food (cooking themselves with fresh ingredients) than minute tracking of soft drinks and junk food. And short of automated driving and road following, I don't really need or want any additional gadgets in my car.
Been there, done that. (Score:1)
Really, this lab that they have on display seems to be really overboard. Who the hell wants or needs all that information at that exact moment and at that exact place? Seems to me that people are just getting lazier (or IBM is encouraging it). I guess that's what you get when you get a bunch of fat, lazy intellectuals together to design "the home of the future." That one guy that was sitting in the automotive prototype looked like he could use a couple of laps around a track to me.
I wonder if this tech can be apllied to relatives. (Score:2)
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Re:Seems familiar.. (Score:1)
Watched Smart House [imdb.com] last night.
So what if it was on the Disney channel?
It is cool since it was directed by Geordi La Forge [imdb.com]!
My fridge set up. (Score:1)
Re:Peekaboo Fridge (Score:1)
I always have the urge to photograph my fridge when it's full. Something about all those vivid colors, or the satisfaction of knowing where your dinner is coming from (at least for a week), just gets my cortical node all squishy.
I think I even did once. See? [dal.net]
Wasn't this so they could break the speed barrier? (Score:1)