Webinos project
Webinos is an EU funded FP7 project aiming to deliver a platform for web applications across mobile, PC, home media (TV) and in-car devices. Webinos demos include using a phone to control a TV, home automation and home healthcare.
- Webinos project home page http://www.webinos.org/
A key aspect of Webinos is the concept of a Personal Zone as illustrated below:
Each of us has an increasing number of personal devices along with the apps and services that run on them. The Personal Zone is basis for people to manage their personal devices. All Webinos devices include an agent (the Personal Zone Proxy) that integrates the device into the zone. Webinos applications run within web browsers. The Personal Zone is exposed to trusted application with a suite of Webinos APIs. These include the means for applications to discover and bind to services on devices within the zone.
The Zone is visible on the Internet via the Personal Zone Hub which can be implemented on a personal device or as part of the cloud. You can install apps and services onto the Hub for inter zone applications. Intra zone messaging is possible either peer to peer or indirectly through the Personal Zone Hub. Zone APIs are subject to access control policies. You can thus determine just which APIs and services are available to your friends. The webinos project implements Personal Zones with an embedded agent (a Personal Zone Proxy) using node.js. Public key certificates issued by the Personal Zone Hub are used for authentication of devices. Internet of Things devices either embed a Personal Zone Proxy or are connected to a device that is. Webinos restricts devices to belonging to a single zone. For shared devices like TVs, the zone owner needs to set the policies for sharing the device with other people.
Personal Zones support peer to peer applications, and give users back direct control over their personal data, avoiding the need for handing over personal data to centralized databases and services hosted by Internet giants such as Google and Facebook. Personal Zones thus correspond to Personal Data Vaults. The URI for your Personal Zone Hub can be discovered from your email address using the Web Finger protocol.