Meetup VII: JavaScript & the IoT: Friends or Foes?
Details
Speakers: Niko Köbler and Sebastian Golasch.
Much of the web already "speaks" JavaScript, and the scripting language is backed by a large and very active community that is dedicated to open source ideals. Plus, there is already some great IoT hardware supporting JavaScript. But does this qualify JavaScript as the language for the IoT?
TALKS
- The current state of Home Automation in Node
HomeMatic, EnOcean, ZigBee, Z-Wave, HomeKit, Amazon Echo ready, Bluetooth, Wifi powered ... these labels are found on almost all "smart home" devices. But what exactly do they mean? And how can I interact with the devices and Node.js without using the proprietary APIs? What if I want to add my own, self-developed hardware based on Arduino, Tessel, Espruino etc.? In his talk Sebastian will give an overview of possible ways to interact with consumer hardware and Node.js to interact, not via proprietary APIs, but rather "close to the metal", directly via the vendor's own protocol.
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Sebastian has been responsible for Web front ends of Deutsche Telekom's Qivicon Smart Home platform for the last 4 years. In his spare time he has made it his hobby to create Node modules for popular home automation protocols – for fun, not profit.
- Espruino – JavaScript for Things
Espruino is JavaScript bare to the metal of a microcontroller. It's an open source hardware Espruino Board and an open source interactive JavaScript interpreter, running natively on the controller (not only on the Espruino Board, but also on similar microcontrollers, too).
The project was launched in 2013 through a Kickstarter campaign and it raised 5x its target. It's a bit like Arduino, but for JavaScript! It's perfect for beginners in IoT or prototyping/showcasing. Lots of GPIOs (PWM, ADC, USART, SPI, I2C, DAC), SD Card Slot, USB and battery connectors, Bluetooth module pad, etc.
From 0 to hero in 3 minutes! Just plug the Espruino to your computer, connect it with the Espruino Web IDE, update the firmware and start coding. It works, right out of the box! Just run your code as you type! Even programming the Espruino from your phone is possible. There is already a large open source community which comes up every day with new interesting ideas for the microcontroller.
I'll give you an introduction to Espruino and its capabilities and show you Espruino in action!
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Niko works as an independent and self-employed software architect, developer and trainer for Java and JavaScript enterprise solutions, integrations and web development. He advises and supports clients across industries, conducts workshops, trainings and architecture reviews. Niko is co-lead of a local Java User Group, writes articles and speaks regularly at international tech conferences. He is tweeting at @dasniko (https://twitter.com/dasniko).
Introductory reading
A good introductory reading might be this (controversial) blog post (including comments): http://www.sitepoint.com/javascript-internet-things/
S. also:
https://tessel.io (https://tessel.io/)
http://www.espruino.com (http://www.espruino.com/) (s. pic)
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