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UbiREAL is a simulator for developing and testing applications which run on smartspace or smarthome. UbiREAL provides functions to arrange virtual devices such as sensors and information appliances in a 3D virtual space, to visualize communications and state changes of the virtual devices, and to reproduce realistic context changes such as moves of virtual inhabitants and temporal transition of physical quantities (temperature, humidity, etc.) in the virtual space. This simulator allows software developed using UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) protocols to run on the virtual space without modification, and enables parts of virtual devices to be synchronized with real devices in simulation. Using UbiREAL, we can develop prototypes of new and/or large-scale smartspace applications rapidly and reliably.
A poster about UbiREAL(pdf)
Japanese page is here| What's UbiREAL | Demo Movie | Members | Publications | Contact | Link |
UbiREAL is a smartspace simulator for developing and testing ubiquitous applications. In the smartspace, sensors and information appliances are controlled for users based on context consisting of user preference/location/behavior and surrounding environment. Since applications running on smartspace have influence on convenience and even safety of our daily life, those applications must be developed carefully so that they run expectedly and safely. However, it is difficult and expensive to test them thoroughly in real world environments, since test examiners have to assemble testbeds using various types of sensors and information appliances and generate a quite large number of contexts for tests. To mitigate the problem, UbiREAL provides the following functions: (1) designing virtual smartspace by GUI; (2) simulating communication between virtual devices (network simulator); (3) emulating temporal transition of physical quantities (physical quantity simulator); (4) visualizing state changes of devices by 3D animations (visualizer).
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| Fig. 1. Visualization of a 3D space in UbiREAL | |
UbiREAL has a GUI to import 3D object data in VRML and to place it to the 3D virtual space by drag-and-drop with a mouse. UbiREAL visualizer displays state changes of virtual devices (e.g., Light is turned on, TV shows sport channel, etc.) by 3D animations (Fig. 1).
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| Fig. 2. Setting a route of avatar using GUI | Fig. 3. Visualization of a network among virtual devices |
GUI of UbiREAL allows users to place static objects (e.g., furniture, TV, and stereo) and movable objects (e.g., virtual inhabitant) in the 3D space. It is possible to make an avatar appears during a simulation by setting a route and movement speed of a virtual inhabitant in the 3D space as shown in Fig. 2. Since each avatar can be regarded as a moving device, user's context such as location can be obtained by corresponding a positioning device to the avatar.
UbiREAL network simulator simulates communication between devices by taking into account influences of obstacles (e.g., walls) in the virtual space. The network simulator provides functions to allow code for real device to run on the simulator without modification, and to bridge communication between real and virtual devices. The network simulator has a visualizer (NS Visualizer) to display the network and communication among devices (Fig. 3). UPnP protocols such as SOAP and SSDP, and TCP/UDP are supported in the simulator. Also, ad-hoc network protocols such as OSPF and AODV, and wireless communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, ZigBee and Bluetooth will be supported.
Physical quantity simulator of UbiREAL simulates temporal transition of physical quantities such as temperature, humidity, luminance, acoustic volume and radio (currently, temperature is supported in the simulator). The physical quantity simulator periodically calculates the latest value of the physical quantities based on appropriate formula in Physics.
Since UbiREAL only provides virtual testbed (transition of virtual environment, communication between devices and visualization of state changes of devices), to control devices based on context we need an application which runs on the testbed separately. We are proposing rule based device control framework called CADEL, and developing software for devices controlled using UPnP protocols. UbiREAL can execute not only CADEL but also other applications which use protocols supported.
| When Alice enter the room | When Dave enter the room | |
| Illumination | Dim | Bright |
| TV | Music channel | Sport channel |
| Stereo | Play back sound from TV | OFF |
| Air-conditioner | 28C | 24C |
| Electric Fan | OFF | ON |
* Graduate School of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology
** Department of Information Processing and Management, Shiga University
Graduate School of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science
and Technology
Keiichi Yasumoto (associate
professor)
E-mail: yasumoto[at]is.naist.jp (replace [at] to @)
8916-5, Takayama, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0192, Japan
Phone: +81-743-72-5251
Fax: +81-743-72-5259