Program the World!
Sun has had the amazing good fortune of getting Java onto well over 1 billion cell phones (sources tell me that it is already over 1.5 billion!) That's billion with a "B." It's pretty mind boggling, but of course it leads us in labs to ask the question, what comes next? I mean, just look at the numbers. You've got something like 6 billion people in the world. Suppose everybody has 2 cell phones. That means we saturate at around 12 billion cell phones. Kind of a limited market don't you think? ;-) How can we reach 100 billion or even a trillion devices? Nothing is that popular today. The answer is to be part of devices that haven't even been created yet. Something that will be so popular it will become ubiquitous. We just need to make sure whoever invents that uses Sun technology. So there's a challenge for Sun Labs and Sun in general. Create the technology, tools and community that will enable the next big (or little in this case) thing.
Some people look at wireless sensor devices as the technology that will lead to the next big thing. We may each surround ourselves with hundreds or thousands them. Our friends at Edinburgh in the Speckled Computing Project believe that someday you will buy these devices by the pound and brush them on like paint. Some have said that this technology is at a stage similar to where the internet was before the web... Everyone knows it's going to be big, but no one knows why yet. We just need that enabler (like the web) that will make it explode. There are so many possibilities. One thing for sure, we'll need to get beyond today's computers. We need programmers/engineers/designers to think beyond the keyboard, mouse and screen in order to bring about the internet of things. We need to inspire them.
From a Sun perspective, we'd like to have them invent the future using our technology, but even if for some reason they don't, we still want internet of things to happen. You see these little devices, whether Java-based or not, will generate data that needs to be stored and processed. They will need to be coordinated and controlled. In short, they will pull a huge infrastructure of servers and storage with them. A billion cell phones is impressive, but you should see the infrastructure required to keep them up and running. There are lots of Sun logos in places like that. The internet of things is good for Sun.
To act as a catalyst for the internet of things, in Sun Labs we've created Project Sun SPOT and we've released something called the Sun SPOT Java Development Kit. It consists of several small, battery powered, wireless devices that are programmed entirely in Java. It is designed to inspire developers to invent the internet of things. It is a platform for embedded wireless device development. This isn't your standard Sun product, it's early access to some interesting technology directly from Sun Labs.
Until now, embedded development required all sorts of specialized knowledge and skills. Just to get started, you needed to get out your bit tweezers and start doing stuff that is not for the faint of heart. We're talking about cross compiling and debugging by blinking LEDs. Embedded programmers are a hearty lot. They often put up with tools that haven't changed since the 80s. With the Sun SPOT we want to make embedded systems more accessible. While its true that device drivers and interrupt routines are scary, the Sun SPOT JDK lets Java programmers build applications that run in the palm of your hand in a matter of minutes. It includes a basestation and two complete, free-range Sun SPOT devices loaded with sensors. On the software side, it includes the Squawk VM, a JME CLDC 1.1 compliant Java virtual machine. This means that you can develop code for it using Netbeans or any other favorite Java IDE. The package also includes Netbeans, the Java Development Kit as well as tutorials, example code and documentation to get you going.
I'll go into details about some of the cool features in other posts, but let me just point out some highlights here. The kit includes three devices. Each includes:
- 180 MHz ARM 9 processor
- 512K RAM and 4M Flash
- Built-in USB interface with mini-B connector for charging and programming
- Built-in Radio Communication with IEEE 802.15.4 radio for general communication as well as over the air deployment
• Java Virtual Machine - JME CLDC 1.1 with IMP profile
• "Java on the Metal" - Java is the operating system. Almost the entire system (including the Java VM) is written in Java
The two free-range Sun SPOT devices also include the following:
- 2G/6G 3-axis accelerometer
- Light sensor
- Temperature sensor
- 2 push buttons
- 8 RGB 24 bit LEDS
- 6 analog inputs
- 5 General Purpose I/O pins and 4 high current output pins
- Easy to interface to servos, speakers and other devices
- Battery powered with 750 mAh rechargeable Lithium Ion battery
Sun SPOTs are just becoming available now, but already people are finding interesting uses for them. From Bob Beasley, who used Sun SPOTs to put his dog on the internet, to University of North Carolina where they are dropping Sun SPOTs out of autonomous helicopters (be sure to check out the video), to Systronix who has designed the Trackbot robot platform for Sun SPOTs, to Ashok Sukumaran, an artist who used Sun SPOTs to develop Park View Hotel, an award winning art piece.
I'll describe much more about this project in the future.
- Project Sun SPOT Web Site
- Project Sun SPOT Forums - for all your questions and comments
- Purchase a Sun SPOT Java Development Kit
Now get a Sun SPOT Dev Kit and go program the world!
