The startup TOI - ThingsOnInternet conducted a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter with the project VIPER, a smart object development suite that brings cloud and IoT connectivity to design projects with just a click of the mouse. The 22.579 dollars obtained will allow finalizing the development and releasing process, in view of the official market launch in the end of this summer.
As its name implies, VIPER — or "Viper Is Python Embedded in Real-time" — makes it possible for Makers and embedded designers to create their next connected project in Python for Arduino, UDOO and Spark, all in in real-time. And, unlike other solutions that already exist today, this collection of products is platform-agnostic and compatible with all sensors and kits.
The idea was first conceived after conducting some detailed market analysis, where the company discovered that designers, Makers and programmers all faced a similar set of challenges. In hopes of simplifying how "things" are brought onto the Internet, VIPER converged a series of components to better streamline the process. This included an IDE to manage and program the boards, a Virtual Machine to serve as its operating system, a plug-and-play TOI Shield, an extensive library of ready-to-use functions, and a mobile app to act as the interface for smart objects. On top of that, it's also cloud-ready. With just a little coding, users can develop a wide-range of IoT applications, ranging from interactive storefronts, to home and industrial automation systems, to art and museum installations, to smart farming.
Since millions of developers already know Python, VIPER makes the programming language readily accessible for commercial interactive products as well, therefore amplifying the potential for smart objects to be as pervasive as mobile devices in their ease of design interactivity. To do this, VIPER provides a browser-based, minimal-installation development environment where users can write code with extensive library support and have it executed on any Arduino-like board. What's great for designers is that, with VIPER, it leaves them able to focus on the features and functionality, not the tediousness, along with a mobile app to control their creation for free.
The Kickstarter campaign has been an important market test for VIPER. More than 320 backers from 25 different countries pledged the project, mainly from US, UK and Italy. Besides single backers like professional product designers, makers, developers and researchers, many companies put their attention on VIPER, including players from software development, embedded electronics and consumer electronics sectors. The leading embedded system manufacturer, Atmel, highlighted the potential of this solution with two different posts on the official blog.
The campaign also allowed starting the first industrial collaborations for the development of a dedicated microcontroller board and the development of a set of 12 synchronized rotating platforms for luxury goods exposition installed in a Paris jewelry.
Check the official website for the next updates and news about the official market launch of the VIPER suite.