Connecting things

Beacons

Beacons are Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices which constantly broadcast data. This broadcast data can be picked up by receiving devices - usually mobile phones - that are within range. This can support experiences relating to proximity or spatiality, because for a mobile phone to pick up a beacon it must be within physical range of it. Beacons have different ranges depending on their radio and power, but in practical terms, it's on order of tens of meters distance.

Beacons are usually used to broadcast an identifier, which by itself doesn't mean much, but the receiving device can look that identifier up in an online data, and thus establish where the beacon is, or what it might represent. Beacons can also broadcast URLs that the user can easily open in a browser as well streaming sensor data.

  • OpenHybrid - UIs for everyday objects (via web technologies and Arduino)
  • Physical Web - Beacon-based UIs for everyday objects and proximity-based services

Flows

A number of services allow you to construct simple rules or flows of data. For example, after a photo has been taken on a mobile phone, automatically email it to a particular address, and post it to Twitter. They are able to integrate across services and hardware platforms, and are easily used for prototyping Internet of Things-type scenarios.

Telecommunications

  • Twilio - APIs to call, SMS, message and notify people

Connecting platforms