Alan Davy

Components of a smart device and smart device interactions

Telecommunications Software and Systems Group (TSSG)
Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT)

A smart space environment is characterized by the presence of "intelligence" in everyday objects (such as fridges, cars, lightening systems etc). In many cases these objects are capable of communicating in order to jointly delivery a service to the user. As the presence of intelligent in smart devices increase, the smart environment can become increasing chaotic and difficult to manage. The overhead in supporting the operation of the smart environment becomes a major cost in the overall operation of the smart environment. As yet there is no standardized architectural model capable of modelling the smart environment. In order to model this environment one must understand what this environment is composed of. This paper will attempt to identify what a smart device is composed of. This will be done from two points of view. 1) Physical, being what are the minimal physical requirements a smart device must contain in order to take part with in a smart space. 2) Logical, being what does a smart devices bring to a smart space and how will these smart devices interact at a logical level with other smart devices and services. With such a model, one can begin to identify common ways in which smart devices may be used, controlled and maintained within a working and sustainable smart space environment.