e-Gadgets

e-Gadgets (e stands for extrovert) is an EU IST/Future Emerging Technologies Research project that belongs to the Disappearing Computer initiative. It seeks to adapt to the world of tangible objects the notions of component-based software systems by transforming objects in people's everyday environment into autonomous artefacts (the eGadgets). The eGadgets range from simple objects (like tags, lights, switches, cups) to complex ones (like PDAs, stereos) and from small ones (like sensors, pens, keys, books) to large ones (like desks, TVs).

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e-Gadgets video

Extrovert Gadgets (e-Gadgets) will:

  • Develop and validate an architectural style for tangible, communicating artefacts (=a Gadgetware Architectural Style (GAS)).
  • Design and develop an infrastructure and sample artefacts enabling the architectural issues and the GAS evaluation.

GAS is a generic framework shared by both gadgetworld designers and users.

Extrovert Gadgets are objects with communicative abilities.
The objects and/or their environments can be enhanced by intelligence.

gadgetworld

A multitude of loosely coupled gadgets can be bound into ad-hoc interacting clusters which display collective function, thus forming a gadgetworld.

dormitory
scenario

e-Gadgets focuses on:
creating a generic Gadgetware Architectural Style (GAS), deciding the degree and locus of "intelligence" and enabling the new emerging behaviour of gadgetworlds (as they are configured by end-users).

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.

As part of addressing the issues related to the disappearing computer, e-gadgets has co-organized the "cognitive vs physical dissapearence" workshop during the i3 spring days 2001 (April 25, Porto).