IBM, STMicroelectronics and Shaspa Advance Smarter Home Initiative

8 januari 2013 Cloud computing enhances control of "Internet of Things" in the home to help manage heating, lighting, security and more via multiple user interfaces including gestures and voice recognition LAS VEGAS, CES -- January 8, 2013 -- IBM (NYSE:IBM), STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) and Shaspa today announced a collaboration to tap cloud and mobile computing for manufacturers and service providers to provide innovative ways for consumers to manage and interact with their homes' functions and entertainment systems using multiple user interfaces such as voice recognition and physical gestures for a smarter home. A "smart home" brings networking functions together, creating a gateway that connects a television, computer or mobile device with smart meters, lights, appliances, plugs and sensors within the home as well as services from outside. Parks Associates forecasts that more than 8 billion devices will be connected on the home network by year-end 2015.[1] In Las Vegas this week during the world's largest consumer electronics exhibition, the three companies will demonstrate a TV linked to ST's Home Gateway, running software from business partner Shaspa, and connected to the IBM cloud. Through sensors, the system can monitor home parameters such as temperature, carbon dioxide[2] level through a wireless or batteryless IPv6 network, or human motion within the home. The data can be communicated to a smartphone or tablet via a wireless router. In this way, the homeowner can offload much of the home management to the cloud and interact with the system using event and time-based preset scenarios. The companies anticipate that this initiative could allow consumers to use any device capable of running apps to manage a variety of personal activities such as viewing their home's energy consumption; controlling security, heating and lighting systems; activating home appliances such as washing machines; monitoring health and assisted living conditions; or engaging in e-commerce. For example, a person with limited mobility could gesture to the TV to unlock the front door, turn up the heat or check vital signs. This project represents the future of electronics technology as sensing devices and equipment seamlessly respond to user needs and requests, emulating the way humans sense their environment. "Thanks to emerging cloud services we are entering a new era in which the role of the personal cloud is expanding into daily life and the smart home to improve energy efficiency, health and wellness and home entertainment," said Bruce Anderson, General Manager Global Electronics Industry, IBM. "This collaboration is a great example of how cloud computing can be used for business and industry innovation versus solely for IT efficiency purposes. In the future, cloud- enabled electronics will sense what people want, evolving from seeing-to- noticing-to-remembering personal needs and histories." In this project, ST's Home Gateway and Shaspa's embedded software acts as a bridge between the home and cloud services provided by the IBM SmartCloud Service Delivery Platform, which gives electronics manufacturers a cloud platform to manage smart devices and rapidly introduce new consumer services. The gateway, based on a STiH416, provides the physical connectivity, provisioning and management middleware, application protocols, and interfaces for connecting and controlling the "Internet of Things." The connected-home System-on-Chip runs software including Linux and a service management system compliant with the OSGi industry standard. The infrastructure for the gateway-cloud service operation is provided by Shaspa's GUI and application software. IBM Worklight in combination with the Mobile Interface of the Shaspa embedded software is the mobile application platform that enables end users to control and manage their homes from their personal devices. The mobile platform is used to build the application, connect the app to all the sensors within the home, and manage all events that take place. IBM software such as MQ Series and Worklight helps transmit the data to mobile devices. Data captured in the cloud supports the discovery of new insights through advanced analytics. "Smarter buildings are an essential part of the journey towards a sustainable world, and this building-to-cloud system shows that connected living is becoming possible today," said Oliver Goh, Founder & CEO of Shaspa. "This secure, scalable offering with be the enabler for ecosystems, enabling the fast creation and deployment of value-add services." The idea of an intelligent home that uses technology to enhance the lives of its occupants is far from new; in fact, it was a major theme in the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. We are now in a position to realize the intelligent-home dream with systems that feature scalability, interoperability and security built-in from the start.  This requires collaborations among leading players across the ecosystem. "The smart home is a key part of the smarter world we need to address important global challenges, including energy saving and more affordable and accessible healthcare, and many different technologies and skills must be brought together to accelerate its development," said Alessandro Cremonesi, Group Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Systems Technology, STMicroelectronics. "This demonstration confirms that ST's solutions, from sensors, low-power microcontrollers and communications devices to home gateways, combined with our unrivalled track record in successful partnering, can contribute significantly to making smart homes a reality." The demo will be shown at two venues near the Las Vegas Convention Center: A private, invitation-only suite at The Encore Hotel (ST) and The Venetian, exhibit meeting room 2405 (IBM). About IBM Cloud and Mobile Computing Mobility is fundamentally transforming the way people live, work, play and make decisions. As the first new technology platform for business to emerge since the advent of the World Wide Web, mobile computing represents one of the greatest opportunities facing organizations. With an array of solutions that connect, secure, manage and develop the networks, infrastructure and applications that run the growing number of devices. IBM is enabling governments and industries to reinvent their business and reach customers, employees, partners and other constituents in completely new ways. IBM has helped thousands of clients adopt cloud models and manages millions of cloud based transactions every day. IBM assists clients in areas as diverse as banking, communications, healthcare and government to build their own clouds or securely tap into IBM cloud-based business and infrastructure services. IBM is unique in bringing together key cloud technologies, deep process knowledge, a broad portfolio of cloud solutions, and a network of global delivery centers. For more information about IBM cloud solutions, visit www.ibm.com/smartcloud. Follow us on Twitter @cloudchat and on our blog at www.thoughtsoncloud.com. About Shaspa Shaspa, is a leading provider of a service delivery framework for smart building projects. An end-to-end framework allowing personalized automation and control solutions for residential, commercial and specialized properties. Founded in 2007 we have built an innovative platform and set of services that blends emerging services and technologies to manage environments. Using wireless sensors, it brings together multiple medias to integrate and manage physical and virtual environments from the palm of your hand in an intelligent way. Shaspa users can improve energy efficiency, manage their home when away from home and support independent living in an unobtrusive way. The Shaspa platform provides creative developers with a space develop applications which foster better energy management, greater understanding of physical processes and the creation of intelligent shared spaces. Shaspa is using a rich ecosystem of technologies - web based, mobile, and 3D. Further Information can be found at www.shaspa.com About STMicroelectronics ST is a global leader in the semiconductor market serving customers across the spectrum of sense and power and automotive products and embedded processing solutions. From energy management and savings to trust and data security, from healthcare and wellness to smart consumer devices, in the home, car and office, at work and at play, ST is found everywhere microelectronics make a positive and innovative contribution to people's life. By getting more from technology to get more from life, ST stands for life.augmented. In 2011, the Company's net revenues were $9.73 billion. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com. ### For more information: Linda Hanson Hunt IBM Media Relations 914-766-2015  lindah@us.ibm.com Michael Markowitz Director Technical Media Relations STMicroelectronics +1 781 591-0354 michael.markowitz@st.com Anette Schmidt Shaspa - Media Relations +49 7031-7145680 a.schmidt@shaspa.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Parks Associates study: Service Providers and the Connected Home, 2011, http://www.parksassociates.com/whitepapers/parks-serviceproviders-wp2011 [2] While carbon dioxide isn't generally dangerous, monitoring CO(2) levels is useful so that environmental systems can adjust ventilation to suit the number of occupants in a room. Knowing how many people are in a room can save energy; fewer occupants produce lower levels of CO(2) and therefore ventilation levels can be set lower. IBM ST Shaspa Smart Home Initiative: http://hugin.info/152740/R/1668966/542147.pdf This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: STMicroelectronics via Thomson Reuters ONE [HUG#1668966]