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Research

General research interests include distributed systems, embedded systems, and pervasive computing. I enjoy building systems - both software and hardware.

Sensor Networks

My current research focus is on wireless sensor networks at the intersection of distributed systems, embedded systems, and data management. Specific research efforts include:

• Web of Things: Web-based infrastructure and services for sensor-enhanced real-world objects and places.

• Deployment and management: Passive inspection of deployed sensor networks.

• Programming abstractions: Generic role assignment, Distributed mining of frequent event patterns.

• Localization: Self-localization for smart dust with a single base station.

• Time synchronization: Synchronization by timescale tranformation in networks with intermittent connectivity.

• Design space: What exactly is a sensor network?

• Platforms: BTnodes.

Project responsibilities:

• NCCR-MICS

• Searching the Real World with Mobile Phones

• CONET

Previous Projects

RFID Middleware

Led the design and implementation of a middleware for pervasive computing applications where objects are tagged with RFID (e.g., an augmented card game). This middleware offers services such as location and context management, virtual counterparts for real-world objects, and an artefact memory.

MICO is CORBA

I am the co-founder and lead architect of MICO - an award-winning (Swiss Open Source Competition, Eiffel Struggle) CORBA-compliant middleware that is based on a flexible micro-kernel architecture. Development of MICO components has been funded by Alcatel, AT&T Broadband, Deutsche Telekom AG, and the European Commission.

Even Older Projects

Service Trading

I contributed a service matching engine and an ontology service to AITrader - a distributed knowledge-based service trading platform. The project was funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) and Deutsche Telekom AG.

Graphical Windowing System for Handheld Devices

I contributed parts of the graphics engine, a widget programming toolkit, and several applications (including a Web browser) to the W Window System WWS (not to be confused with the predecessor of X11). WWS was the official window system of the first version of the YOPY Linux PDA manufactured by Gmate Inc., a Samsung spin-off.

TCP/IP Stack

I am the lead architect of the TCP/IP networking stack MiNT-Net for the MiNT operating system running on good old Atari computers.