Sun SPOT
Sun Small Programmable Object Technology (Sun SPOT) is exciting!
[tease] (emphasis added)
Sun SPOT: Simplified Development of Wireless Transducers Using Java Technology
Researchers at Sun Microsystems Laboratories (Sun Labs) are developing a system that takes major strides toward solving the key challenges that are inhibiting development of wireless sensor and transducer applications.
Based on a 32 bit ARM CPU and an 11 channel 2.4GHz radio, Sun SPOT radically simplifies the process of developing wireless sensor and transducer applications. The platform enables developers to build wireless transducer applications in Java using a sensor board for I/O, an 802.15.4 radio for wireless communication, and use familiar Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), such as NetBeans to write code.
The Sun SPOT system uses Java technology to up-level programming. Developers can write a program in Java, load it on a wireless sensor device, run it, debug it, as well as access low-level mechanisms-with standard Java IDEs. The inherent portability of Java makes it simpler to migrate applications among platforms and enables developers to build new wireless sensors devices using off-the-shelf hardware components. Java also eliminates or streamlines many of the low-level tasks of traditional development languages such as C, and for the millions of developers who already write code in Java there is little additional learning curve for building wireless sensor/transducer programs.
The Sun SPOT system features the “Squawk VM,” a small J2ME virtual machine (VM) written almost entirely in Java. It provides the ability to run wireless transducer applications “on the metal,” (directly on the CPU without any underlying OS), saving overhead and improving performance. End users also gain the flexibility to experiment with different implementations of low-level services, such as networking protocols, which are typically buried inside an OS. A set of Java libraries under development will provide access to the sensors, the I/O pins on the sensor application board, and the integrated on-board radio. By running multiple applications on the one virtual machine, and by using a more compact representation of class files, the Squawk VM makes better use of the small memory space available on SPOT devices.
How to Get One
In May, a development kit will be available that includes two complete Sun SPOT devices with demo sensor boards, a base station Sun SPOT to connect to your development machine, and all the software development tools and cables required to start developing applications for your Sun SPOT. The expected price is $499.
I want this kit!
[via unmediated]