A coffee machine interacting seamlessly with different brands of light switches and televisions to form a cohesive network of functioning devices may sound somewhat far-fetched. Indeed, the concept of the Internet of Things brings with it many obstacles in achieving a home full of interoperating gadgets. In an effort to overcome these hurdles, a consortium of technology giants has formed the AllSeen Alliance to fast-track the development of device-to-device communication.
Announced on Tuesday, the AllSeen Alliance comprises technology companies leading the charge toward the Internet of Things such as Haier, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Qualcomm and Sharp, and a host of others.
The objective of the 23-member Alliance is to expand upon the Internet of Things "to include more functionality and interaction across different brands and sectors," according to a statement from the Linux Foundation.
A primary factor hindering development of the Internet of Things thus far has been the inherent difficulties in achieving a useful level of communication between devices from different manufacturers. Yet if the manufacturers of televisions and light switches were collaborating to develop products using the same open source software, it would remove considerable barriers and mark significant progress toward what the Alliance has now dubbed "The Internet of Everything."
An open source project named AllJoyn (currently running on Linux, Android, iOS and Windows) will form the framework for members of the Alliance to work within by contributing their own software and engineering resources. The Alliance hopes this will eventuate in hardware manufacturers, software developers and service providers collaborating to create devices and services with unprecedented communicative ability.
"Open source software and collaborative development have been proven to accelerate technology innovation in markets where major transformation is underway," said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. "The AllSeen Alliance represents an unprecedented opportunity to advance the Internet of Everything for both home and industry."
Source: The AllSeen Alliance
