LINC, the Esperanto of smart buildings

How do you get smart-building systems and sensors working together if they all use different communication protocols? Leti has come up with an ingenious solution to this problem: it uses a middleware, LINC, to share important information—temperature, hygrometry, and presence, for instance—regardless of the technology used. In this way, information can be shared across multiple systems to complete processes, like using the input from a sensor to start a fan, for example. The development was part of the EU-funded Scuba project.

LINC revealed some truly impressive capabilities during a test rollout at five sites. The middleware can rapidly reconfigure modular office spaces, generate energy savings of around 20%, and adjust lighting in real time according to energy costs. Negotiations with several manufacturers are underway. The possibility of launching a startup is also being considered.

Contact: suzanne.lesecq@cea.fr

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