The IBM alphaWorks team treated LinuxDevices.com to a sneak preview today of a technology demonstration that will be unveiled publicly next week at IBM's Solutions Developer Conference in San Francisco, and later this month at LinuxWorld (also in San Francisco)

The technology demo took the form of a modified Ford Explorer, dubbed the IBM TechMobile, to which the alphaWorks team has added a pair of PCs which act as the brains of an elaborate embedded computing demonstration based on Linux and Java technologies.

IBM's alphaWorks team developed the TechMobile “to demonstrate how IBM technologies can be used to create applications that may soon dramatically transform everyday life, from enhancing communications and increasing comforts to saving lives.”

Included in the suite of cool apps that the team has incorporated into the TechMobile are eye movement monitoring functions, voice recognition, BlueTooth wireless connectivity, wireless Web access via a cellular modem, the Linux operating system, and Java-based middleware technologies which glue the various system software components together.

Drivers and passengers can use voice commands to “read” email, play music, and control vehicle functions such as the headlights, door locks, open or close the car's windows, sound the horn, etc. Commands can also be given from a console-mounted touch screen, or from Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices such as PDAs, laptops, and even IBM's Linux wristwatch.

The TechMobile's Web interface
Additionally, the TechMobile — which is equipped with cellular modem networking technology — can be accessed and controlled from a remote computer over the web via its built-in webserver. Functions available from the browser-based interface include . . .

• Turn the engine on/off
  
• Turn headlights on/off
  
• Lock/unlock the doors
  
• Check fuel and fluid levels
  
• Read the car's odometer

As you might imagine, since these functions are currently accessable from anywhere in the world, the alphaWorks team is being very careful to keep the URL of the TechMobile's built-in control webserver a closely guarded secret!

The alphaWorks team provided the following description of four key technologies which they have embedded into the TechMobile . . .

• TSpaces — a Java-based platform-independent primary communications middleware that allows for interoperability and data-sharing between Java-enabled devices. TSpaces enables communication between applications and devices in a network of heterogeneous computers and operating systems, and provides group communication, database, URL-based file transfer, and event notification services.

• Artificial Passenger — this software, developed at IBM's T.J. Watson Laboratory, keeps drivers awake with speech generator conversation analyzing responses for clarity, correctness, and lag time. A database about the individual driver, including musical taste, jokes, and personal history provides Artificial Passenger a full range of gambits such as, “Who was the first person you dated?” If the response is mumbled or incorrect, an alarm may sound, a window is rolled down, or music starts playing. The program may also tell you to pull over, or suggest you stop at a hotel. The technology will be available in three to five years.

• Embedded ViaVoice — this software provides a measure of voice control of some of the features of the TechMobile, including e-mail and music. IBM's Embedded ViaVoice technology translates voice commands into Java code, which communicates with the car's Linux-based embedded computer. In response, the car's embedded computer send signals over the car's wiring harness to perform a desired function within the car. Drivers can compose and send email by voice command, and select for play MP3 files stored locally on computer.

• Bluetooth — a Bluetooth Network allows synchronized communication between multiple end-point devices, such as PDAs and laptops, as well as with the car's Linux-based control computer. Among other things, passengers can wirelessly connect to and play video games in the TechMobile.

Some of the technologies used in the TechMobile can be downloaded for free or via commercial license from IBM's alphaWorks website.

“The TechMobile shows how technology can completely change the experience of driving a car,” according to Daniel Jue, Program Manager, alphaWorks. “But these technologies are not limited to an automobile. They can be used in a variety of settings and applications, including wireless devices working remotely with the Web, eye-directed commands for security needs, and human/computer interactions through the spoken word. These latest innovations are all awaiting the creative hand of developers to analyze their utility and bring them to market.”

alphaWorks is part of IBM's developerWorks program, through which IBM offers developers access to tools, code, and education for open, standards-based development. developerWorks primarily focuses on new and emerging Java, Linux, XML, Web technologies. The purpose of alphaWorks is to give early adopters and innovators early access to IBM's “alpha-level” technologies, through a combination of free downloads and commercial licenses.

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