Project Ideas - Spring 2011

1. View Content (TV, photos, etc) stored on your computer on your TV.

   For example, you recently downloaded your daughter's birthday party video from your digital camcorder to your PC, and stored it on your computer or network attached storage (NAS) drive. Now you want to share it with your parents who are visiting. You use the TV's remote to call up the video on your TV.

2. Show content from your mobile phone on your TV and save it.

   For example, you can't wait to show everyone the shot of your son's game-winning goal captured on your mobile phone. From your phone, you send the pictures to your TV to relive the goal in all its triumphant detail. Then send the photo over to your network attached storage (NAS) for safe keeping.

3. Access content from your computer using your phone when you aren't at home.

   For example, you're on a road trip and want to get some music to play from your home collection.

4. Choose the TV on which to watch recorded TV.

   For example, you've been waiting all day to watch last week's episode of your favorite show stored on your digital video recorder (e.g. TiVo). But the kids have commandeered the family room for a marathon gaming-fest. You just get the show from the DVR, and send it to the TV in your bedroom, where you can enjoy it in peace.

5. Mobile video calls.

   Start your Skype call on your TV, but then transfer it to your phone when you need to leave the house or go to another room. Move calls while in progress to any device in your home.

6. Set time limits for use across TV's, gaming devices and computers.

   For example, you want to limit your kids to less than an hour of screen time, which they can use across TV, the XBOX and the laptop.

7. Watch your child's PC use on your TV.

   Remotely view what's happening on any PC. For example, while watching TV, you can devote a corner of the screen to watching what your child is doing on their pc and make sure they are working on homework and not surfing the web.

Security and Remote Access

1. Remote access to cameras at your home.

   With cameras installed at your front door, back door and around the yard, you can check who's at the door, and make sure things are okay when you are on vacation or at work.

2. Keep track of what people doing.

   Log who is using computers, laptops and watching TV so you have a good sense of what everyone is doing and when.

3. Remotely open your front door.

   With your new digital door locks you can check you've locked the door from your phone. Or unlock the door remotely if you need to.

4. Automatic Alerts.

   Your house alerts you by phone or email if the movement is detected during times you aren't home, appliances (oven, stove) are left on by mistake or you've left the garage door open.

Centralized Control

1. Ability to set 'scenes'.

   Automated pre-configured combinations of lighting, climate control, blinds, etc. For example, movie night mode or vacation modes

2. Ability to have more centralized control of the different systems within my home (e.g. lighting, climate control, entertainment, etc).

   For example, from one controller being able to control heating or turn off the TV downstairs.

Energy Conservation

1. Smart Thermostat.

   Your programmable thermostat automatically programs itself using motion sensors and GPS data from your phone so that your house is comfortable when you are home and saves you money on your electrical bill.

2. Weather-Aware Home.

   Your home adjusts windows and shades to take advantage of weather conditions to keep your house comfortable. For example, opening windows on nice days and closing them in the rain, helping you use less energy for heating and cooling.

3. Energy Monitoring.

   Show how much energy my heating system and my appliances are using and point out ways to reduce it.

4. Presence Detection.

   Using a few motion sensors, your presence detection application makes sure lights, computers, and TV's are turned off when nobody is using them, but ready to go when people walk up.

Infrastructure

1. Discovery and Beyond: Interposition

   Interposition has been very successful in wired networks, as well as in software systems. Can we interpose between a device and controller in a discovery protocol, which uses broadcast, so that communication between the pair ends up flowing through an interposition layer (external to both)? If we could, we'd have a basic mechanism for extending capabilities in countless ways.