Information dissemination framework for context-aware products

• A new kind of intelligent product is introduced referred to as “communicating material”.
• A three-step information dissemination framework is developed.
• The framework first selects the relevant data to be stored on the product during its PLC.
• The framework then splits the selected data on all or parts of the communicating material.
• A case study presents how context-sensitive data is embedded on communicating textiles.

In recent years, some scholars claimed the usage of intelligent products to make systems more efficient throughout the Product Life Cycle (PLC). Integrating intelligence and information into products themselves is possible with, among others, auto-ID technologies (barcode, RFID, …). In this paper, a new kind of intelligent product is introduced, referred to as “communicating material” paradigm. Through this paradigm, a product is (i) capable of embedding information on all or parts of the material that it is made of and (ii) capable of undergoing physical transformations without losing its communication ability and the data that is stored on it. This new material is used in our study to convey information between the different actors of the PLC, thus improving data interoperability, availability and sustainability. Although “communicating materials” provide new abilities compared to conventional products, they still have low memory capacities compared to product databases that become larger and larger. An information dissemination framework is developed in this paper to select the appropriate information to be stored on the product, at different stages of the PLC. This appropriateness is based on a degree of data relevance, which is computed by taking into account the context of use of the product (actor’s expectations, environment, …). This framework also provides the tools to split information on all or parts of the material. A case study is presented, which aims at embedding context-sensitive information on “communicating textiles”.