Tiny computers + wireless mesh network + Python → Awesome

http://us.pycon.org/media/2009/talkdata/PyCon2009/073/SnapPycon09.pdf

by mdakin • 17 years ago

71 11 17 years ago

us.pycon.org

mdakin2• 17 years ago

Yesterday at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose I saw David Ewing of Synapse demo his company's cool Python-controlled mesh networking hardware/software.

The embedded devices contain a Python bytecode interpreter. You blast your code down to them over the wireless mesh network the devices themselves are realizing via a special USB dongle connected to your computer. From your Python code running on a device you can make unicast or multicast XML-RPC calls to the other devices running on the network.

There is a library of C functions you can call from the Python code to accomplish various real-time tasks. I asked if it was possible to write new C functions of your own which can be called from the Python code. Right now that's not possible but they are working on it and at some point in the future it might be possible to do so utilizing sdcc as the C compiler.

I was really impressed with the demos and the simplicity with which various applications can be realized using this technology!

You can get a development kit from Digikey for $150.

(For the record I'm not associated in any way with Synapse Inc.)

MaysonL• 17 years ago

250K bps for as little as $24 - amazing.

mdakin2• 17 years ago

Indeed it's wild. Didn't mention in my orig. post but at the ESC demo Ewing made the point that given the various overheads typical performance is closer to 100 kbps and bursty FWIW. Still fast compared to my first POTS modem which ran at 2.4 kbps.

grinich• 17 years ago

Let's put one in every large home appliance and measure performance statistics over its lifetime.

danw• 17 years ago

You don't even need one in every appliance to do this:

"much like CDs in the CDDB, AMEE has discovered that the energy fluctuations of home appliances are so unique that they can tell what make and model of refrigerator you have by the way it acts when the motor turns on. Then it can suggest a more energy efficient appliance"

- http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/five_applications_tim_o...

They can also tell changes in an appliance over time, all from a single device like the Current Cost monitoring a homes overall energy usage.

harpastum• 17 years ago

This kind of stuff fills my head will fanciful dreams of ubiquitous environment interaction. Like X10 but a thousand times better.

And I could get back at my grumpy neighbor by telling his toaster to burn his toast every morning. Mmmm....I can't wait for the future.

smanek• 17 years ago

Reminds me a lot of Sun's sunspots ...

asmithmd12• 17 years ago

except the Sun SPOT dev. kit is $750 and I don't see where you can buy individual Sun SPOTs

cnlwsu• 17 years ago

Another example of this(python on embedded system controlling xbees and such) at same price: http://www.digi.com/products/wirelessdropinnetworking/drop-i...

asmithmd12• 17 years ago

I have used those Digi modems and they are not bad, $21 for each node gets you wireless serial cable or wireless GPIO.

These are much better, for $35 you get a wirelessly connected little computer that let you download and run Python scripts.

joshu• 17 years ago

Anyone ever work with these? Any suggestions on how to get started?

Tiny computers + wireless mesh network + Python → Awesome

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