myDevices has launched Cayenne, a drag-and-drop application for developing Internet of Things (IoT) projects for the Raspberry Pi. The platform aims to provide IoT developers with a visual tool that mitigates the complexity inherent in creating new IoT projects by reducing the need to investigate details of SDKs and APIs.
In the announcement, myDevices CEO Kevin Bromber said "there are few IoT platforms that actually let the developer build a project without having to dig deep into SDKs and APIs just to get a simple proof of concept created."
Cayenne's capabilities include automated discovery of devices and sensors connected to a Raspberry Pi. Additional highlighted features are:
- a mobile app for setting up, monitoring, and controlling devices and sensors (currently Apple only, but Android is under development);
- setup procedures that quickly connect the Pi to the internet, sensors, actuators, etc.;
- a rules engine that can trigger actions on one device based on conditions measured by another device;
- a customizable dashboard with drag-and-drop configurable widgets;
- scheduling of actions for connected devices such as lights, motors, and actuators;
- GPIO configuration and control using the mobile app or computer dashboard.
The current Cayenne edition requires that the Raspberry Pi has the Raspbian OS installed, and that the Raspberry Pi is connected with the Internet. IoT Design Technology Editor Brandon Lewis notes that Cayenne uses the WebIOPi framework, "which enables developers to remotely view real-time resource utilization, power cycle the device, as well as configure hardware using GPIO controls from the myDevices web dashboard or app."
The image below is an example provided by myDevices of a GPIO control interface for a household IoT application.
The Cayenne Documentation provides information on how Cayenne works, its features, how to prepare your Raspberry Pi, how to install and set up Cayenne, add and configure sensors, configure actuators, triggers, and alerts, and more.
Developers can get started with Cayenne for free. The myDevices Cayenne Developer Community is available for asking questions and finding answers to issues developers may confront.
The initial reaction to Cayenne within the IoT technology community has been positive: it was named "Best IoT Edge Gateway Solution" in the "Battle of the Platforms" at the recent IoT Evolution Expo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.