Building Plug-and-Play Smart Homes Using the Atlas Platform

Pervasive computing environments such as smart homes require a mechanism to easily integrate and manage numerous and heterogeneous sensors and actuators into the system. Additionally, the smart space should be assembled programmatically by software developers instead of hardwired by engineers and system integrators. However, most available sensor platforms are not adequate for this task. Atlas is a new, commercially available sensor and actuator platform that facilitates self-integration and pervasive space programmability. It allows for cost-effective development, enables extensibility, and simplifies change management in smart spaces. This paper gives a brief overview of the Atlas platform and describes how to use and program Atlas to build a smart space. The paper also presents several use cases of Atlas in the Gator Tech Smart House -a real-life smart home dedicated to successful aging and independent living research.