The requirements to software in appliances are strongly increasing and for a large part of the appliance industry, it is difficult to be up-to-date with respect to know how in software development. More and more appliances depend on software, which means that efficient development of software becomes a central issue for most producers of appliances. Object-technology is one of the technologies that seem to be the most promising with respect to an increase in quality and effectiveness in software devel-opment. Object-technology can be applied within almost all areas of software devel-opment and there are a wide number of possibilities for establishing activities within object technology. It is suggested to put emphasis on objects in appliances based on the following reasons:

• In Denmark there is an important industry developing appliances, including Danfoss, Grundfos, Terma, Cotas, B&O, Lego, Nokia, Ericsson. Among the members of Alexandra, Grundfos, Cotas and Terma have initiated the activity on Objects in Appliances, but it is expected that a large number of other compa-nies would be interested as well.
• Aarhus University and Technological Institute have a considerable expertise within the area. They have been central partners in the CIT-project, Centre for Object technology (COT) where a major case was about software for appliances in cooperation with B&O and Danfoss. The results from COT can profitably be transferred and continued in Objects in Appliances.
• Sun has placed a group headed by Lars Bak at the Alexandra Institute. Lars Bak was the chief designer of Suns HotSpot Java System and is now head of a new group for development of object technology.
• The Engineering Colleges in Århus and Horsens have expressed an interest in participating in the activity. Recently the Engineering College in Århus has hired a docent in distributed real-time systems and an a new candidate education in distributed real-time systems has just been announced as a cooperative effort between Computer Science Department, Aarhus University and the engineering College of Århus.
• Several members of the Alexandra Institute have expressed an interest in par-ticipating in CIT’s Center for Pervasive Computing. The reason is that perva-sive computing is expected to be central for a large number of members of Alexandra. An Alexandra-based activity around Objects in Appliances involv-ing communication and infrastructure is considered a central element in a part-nership in pervasive computing.

The main purpose of the activity will be to focus on technologies that are of interest to the Alexandra members, as well as from a business point-of-view but also from a re-search point-of-view. It is important to focus on activities that are of interest to the participating companies, but at the same time can be the basis for more long-term ac-tivities

Top