Lithne - a platform for interaction designers to develop interactive networked environments

Designing intelligent environments is a complex, interdisciplinary process, performed by experts from different domains. These intelligent environments often consist of wireless sensor/actuator nodes that together form a network to achieve certain goals. While there are many prototyping tools and wireless nodes available, there are few that are suitable for use in interdisciplinary projects for people with varying backgrounds. We identify the need for an easy-to-learn platform that provides a smooth integration between soft- and hardware and offers possibilities for wireless networking. In this paper we discuss existing development platforms that are used by designers and identify qualities that are important for the design of intelligent environments. We then present the Lithne platform, consisting of nodes that are user programmable and software packages that facilitate wireless networking. One of the core qualities of the Lithne platform is the possibility to wirelessly program the nodes, allowing designers to develop intelligent environments iteratively in the actual context. Finally, we present cases in which Lithne has been used in the design and implementation of intelligent lighting environments.