Making interactive domestic environments tangible
ACCORD, an EC-funded project has created a tangible toolbox that enables people to convert a physical environment into an active tangible environment. This allows functionality by combining numerous devices in practice. The first step was to realise the required facilities for administering and managing complex activities within a domestic environment. This involves dynamic and adaptive methods, techniques and facilities so that inhabitants may develop their own environment. Thus, they needed to determine current and new forms of applications and which home activities need support. In light of this The Tangible Toolbox was created. It consists of communication and configuration infrastructures as well as a set of editorial tools. Furthermore, there are template components which can assist developers in creating new components that can easily be integrated into the toolbox. Scientific papers about the Tangible Toolbox have been published and presented at international conferences. Also the toolbox is available at the project website http://www.sics.se/accord/ to download free and use. These different forms of documentation can support several different potential user groups. Research labs have already expressed an interest and the hope is that the toolbox will be used elsewhere in different R&D labs around the world.
