Microsoft Releases Prototype of HomeOS to Academic Institutions

Microsoft’s HomeOS smart home platform prototype has been released under a free non-commercial license to academic institutions which will be used to work toward simplifying the management of household technology across multiple electronic devices.

At least 16 Universities across North America and Europe are currently taking advantage of the non-commercial licensing of the HomeOS prototype in their courses from USA’s MIT to as far as the Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca in Milan, Italy.

Smart home application development is considered to be one of the next technological frontiers and is slowly being encroached upon by large companies including Microsoft, Google, and IBM as well as smaller firms such as Z-Wave and ZigBee who have grown by providing consumers with simpler applications to control light switches, home security systems and thermostats.

“You need either time or money,” says Microsoft Researcher Ratul Mahajan to describe the current situation of Smart Home application availability in a demonstration of HomeOS’s potential and uses. In its current infant state of home automation a user either needs to understand how to develop their own applications to synchronize their home technologies or have enough money to pay someone who is talented enough to do so.
Smart Home technologies, like those being development along with Microsoft’s HomeOS, are currently experimental at best and will take time and testing before we see a product we can purchase.

HomeOS Demonstration from TechFest 2011:

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