An example of how the rules engine works in Things Gateway. Source: MozillaLast February, Mozilla, the creator of the Firefox web browser, launched its Things Gateway Raspberry Pi-based developer board in order for makers and engineers to create web-based command and controls for internet of things (IoT) devices.
Now, Mozilla is expanding the Things Gateway with the 0.5 release, which includes a more powerful rules engine, an interactive floorplan, customizable devices and an experimental smart assistant users can talk to.
The custom capabilities of the new Things Gateway means that devices are no longer restricted to a predefined set of Web Thing types, giving developers more flexibility to create any type of device they can think of. Mozilla gave the examples of a door sensor that doubles as a temperature sensor, or a smart plug that has multi-color LED rings or multiple integrated sensors in one device.
The board also supports custom icons so when users add a device to the gateway they can choose which main function they want to use it for and what icon is used to represent it.
The interactive floorplan view allows users to view the status of devices and control them directly inside the floorplan. Tap things to turn them on and off or long press to get a detailed view. Mozilla said this provides a helpful visual overview of the status of the whole smart home.
The rules engine now supports rules with multiple inputs and multiple outputs. Simple rules are still easy to create but more advanced rules can be created for sophisticated automations through a drag and drop interface.
Finally, the experimental smart assistant allows users to talk via chat-style interface by either typing or using his or her voice. Commands such as “turn on the kitchen lights” can be carried out via this assistant. Currently the system can only understand a basic set of commands to turn devices on and off, set levels, set colors and set color temperatures.
