Fifteen of Europe’s leading companies and research establishments in mobile and home networking, software development, consumer electronics and domestic appliances have joined together in Amigo – an integrated project that will realize the full potential of home networking to improve people’s lives.

Home networking has already emerged in specific applications such as PC to PC communication and home entertainment systems, but its ability to really change people’s lives is still dogged by complex installation procedures, the lack of interoperability between different manufacturer’s equipment and the absence of compelling user services.

By focusing on solving these key issues, the Amigo project aims to overcome the obstacles to widespread acceptance of this new technology. The project will develop open, standardized, interoperable middleware and attractive user services, thus improving end-user usability and attractiveness. The project will show the end-user usability and attractiveness of such a home system by creating and demonstrating prototype applications improving everyday life, addressing all vital user aspects: home care and safety, home information and entertainment, and extension of the home environment by means of ambience sharing for advanced personal communication. The Amigo project will further support interoperability between equipment and services within the networked home environment by using standard technology when possible and by making the basic middleware (components and infrastructure) and basic user services available as open source software together with architectural rules for everyone to use.

For further information / comments about the project, please contact:

Dr. Maddy D. Janse

Amigo project manager
Philips Research
Connected Consumer Solutions (CCS)
Sector Digital Lifestyle Technology
High Tech Campus 34
Bldg WB 6-43
5656 AE Eindhoven
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 40 27 49540
Fax: +31 40 27 46321
E-mail: maddy.janse@philips.com