Kenneth Oshman’s Echelon Corp in Palo Alto, California is trying to push forward its concept of the Local Operating Network for integrated home automation, and reports that it has rallied a group of companies to develop a prototype home automation system using Echelon’s Lonworks control network products. This completed system is intended to demonstrate home automation through interoperable applications and products with something to show next year. Some participating companies – none identified – will modify existing products rather than developing new ones, simply interfacing Echelon’s Neuron Chip node processor, which is fabricated by Motorola Inc or Toshiba Corp, directly to the existing microprocessor or microcontroller, or using the Neuron Chip’s internal processing capabilities in the product. A local operating network is a collection of intelligent nodes – lights, switches, sensors, thermostats and such – intercommunicating over a variety of media, using a common message-based protocol.
