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Tech giants form AllSeen Alliance to fast track "Internet of Everything"

By Nick Lavars
December 11, 2013
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Leading technology companies have formed the AllSeen Alliance to fast track development of device-to-device communicaton
Leading technology companies have formed the AllSeen Alliance to fast track development of device-to-device communicaton

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

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Nick Lavars
Nick has been writing and editing at New Atlas for over six years, where he has covered everything from distant space probes to self-driving cars to oddball animal science. He previously spent time at The Conversation, Mashable and The Santiago Times, earning a Masters degree in communications from Melbourne’s RMIT University along the way.
2 comments
Anne Ominous
They had darned well better implement REAL, robust security in their devices. Otherwise you'll have people injuring other people by turning off their lights, turning on their toasters, etc., etc.
While this may sound great on its face, the potential for disaster is great. I sure hope they pay attention to that, for a change.
Rafael Kireyev
I first heard about the "Internet of Everything" from the Cisco company and this name always seemed to me more correct than the "Internet of Things". The Giants decided to negotiate and it's great! As a result, each of us has the chance to be the captain of his team of things or perhaps, even of everything.
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