WS4D-PipesBox

our solution for easy creation of device and service compositions.

What is WS4D-PipesBox?

WS4D-PipesBox is a tool to combine devices and Internet services in an easy way. It allows non-technical users to combine devices without programming knowledge. It is not based on a specific technology but can integrate any technology like DPWS, UPnP, Bluetooth, ZigBee … . Technologies and their features are wrapped into modules that can be combined in a graphical way directly in a web browser.

Why another composition tool for devices and services?

During our projects and research work with DPWS and our WS4D implementations, we evaluated several composition tools to control and combine devices. All of these tools have two major pitfalls that we want to omit with WS4D-PipesBox:

• Technology Dependency: tools base on one specific technology like e.g. web service and require everything to be integrated into this technology first.
• Bad Usability: tools and the underlying concepts require deep technical knowledge to combine services and devices. They define an abstract high-level language but still require programming experience.

So we created a solution that is radically optimized towards usability and technology independence. WS4D-PipesBox can integrate any technology and by modules. Modules and Technologies can be installed at runtime so WS4D-PipesBox designed to fulfill the users needs exactly.

How does it work?

WS4D-PipesBox consist of a Java and OSGi based Runtime that executes pipes (processes) with devices and services and a web based front end to create pipes that can directly be used with any modern web browser. The runtime has a small footprint so that it can be installed an small scale embedded PC systems. For building automation scenarios this PC could be installed in the central control cabinet of the building to connect to the automation bus systems.

Where can i get it?

Unless our other tools this tool is not yet available as open source software. There is an working prototype that we showed on several exhibitions like CeBit 2009/2010 and Embedded World 2010. If you are interested in WS4D-PipesBox please contact us at info@ws4d.org!