Hello

I've been working on hardware object technology since 2003. It is a simple concept, really just putting two and two together. Reusable objects work in the software world, so why not extend the concept into hardware?

While there may be various ideas of how to define "hardware object", I see it as the marriage of an object-oriented device driver to a microcontroller-controlled circuit board, implementing a specific atomic function. A standard interface is required, that is, there must be a means by which collections of these hardware objects can be interconnected using a common protocol and common hardware interface.

It's a software object that brought along it's own hardware!

An example of a hardware object would be a LED light with an embedded microcontroller. Communication to the microcontroller might be through a serial communications interface. One could send a command to the light to say "set the brightness to 50%"...and the light would respond accordingly. There would be no need to know the internals of the light hardware or firmware design, just as one does not need to know the implementation of a software object to be able to use it.

The product name I gave to the hardware object system I am designing is "microappliance". This is a registered trademark. The rationale behind this name is that we have seen an evolution, from microprocessor to microcontroller, and the microappliance is the next step. A microappliance is a microcontroller circuit endowed with firmware implementing a object-oriented protocol and hardware interface, to implement a particular atomic function.

A simple example: a dimmer, and a light. The dimmer has a slider control. A microcontroller monitors the slider position and outputs "set value" messages on a serial interface. The microcontroller embedded in the light receives these messages, and adjusts the light accordingly.

It's a simple idea, and clearly not entirely original. It is rather obvious. I contend that his is the future of electronic hardware.

The goal of this blog is to track this technology as it moves forward into becoming a reality in the marketplace. Please let me know if you have news to contribute!