Pervasive computing

Pervasive Computing
The contributing group members are as follows

• Matthew Shannon
• Wojciech Plesiak
• Adam Grzywaczewski
• Mansoor Mohammed
• Mohamed Fareed Mohamed Shameer

Our Definition of Pervasive Computing is as follows

"Integrating computer functions into everyday life typically in an invisible way to the user. This often involves the device/computer being very small, mobile or embedded into any type of object. The overall objective being that these computers/devices become so naturalized with the environment that the user will not even know they are interacting with a computer."

The topic we have selected is "Wearable Computers"

Our definition of "Wearable Computers is as follows"

A wearable computer is a computing device small and light enough to be worn on one's body without causing discomfort. Unlike a laptop or a palmtop , wearable computer is constantly turned on and interacts with the a real-world task. Information could be even very context sensitive.

"Wearable computers can be seperated from conventional computers using the following critera

• UNMONOPOLIZING of the user's attention: it does not cut you off from the outside world like a virtual reality game or the like. You can attend to other matters while using the apparatus. It is built with the assumption that computing will be a secondary activity, rather than a primary focus of attention.
• UNRESTRICTIVE to the user: ambulatory, mobile, roving, you can do other things while using it', e.g. you can type while jogging, etc.
• OBSERVABLE by the user: It can get your attention continuously if you want it to, the output medium is constantly perceptible by the wearer.
• CONTROLLABLE by the user: Responsive. You can grab control of it at any time you wish. Even in automated processes you can manually override to break open the control loop and become part of the loop at any time you want to.
• ATTENTIVE to the environment: Environmentally aware, multi-modal, multi-sensory. As a result this ultimately gives the user increased situational awareness.
• COMMUNICATIVE to others: Can be used as a communications medium when you want it to. Allows the wearer to be expressive through the medium, whether as a direct communications medium to others or as means of assisting the production of expressive media. "

Reference "http://wearcam.org/wearcompdef.html"

Wearable computers breaking the paradigm of desktop computing

A Visio-Haptic Wearable System for Assisting Individuals Who Are Blind

Individuals who are blind rely on their sense of touch for perceiving their proximal environment. Unfortunately, this modality is limited to the extent of one’s reach, thereby limiting haptic perception of objects in the distal environment. This system proposes a wearable system to estimate Haptic (tangible) features from visual data (i.e., visio-haptic information analysis or simply visio-haptics) to enable users to feel objects from a distance.

Source: Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (2006) http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/1200000/1196151/p12-mcdaniel.pdf?key1=1196151&key2=6481497711&coll=Portal&dl=GUIDE&CFID=21326057&CFTOKEN=38652514

M.F.M Shameer

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Wearable Displays

Microvision is developing Color Eyewear: a see-through, high-resolution display platform that enables lightweight and fashionable eyewear displays for mobile devices. By combining the Integrated Photonics Module with the company’s revolutionary ultra-thin optical design, Microvision enables a new class of wearable display products that can meet stringent fashion and performance requirements, enhancing the usability and visual experience of mobile devices.

• See who’s calling you without reaching in your pocket
• Read text messages and emails while heading to your destination
• Access navigation and GPS-enabled services while looking at the outside world
• Stay connected to mobile social networks and check out who’s around you

Source: Microvision (2007) http://www.microvision.com/wearable.html

M.F.M Shameer

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Personal Contextual Awareness through Visual Focus

A considerable amount of research exists in the areas of hand-based user interfaces and Computer-vision techniques used to locate and recognize hand gestures. Data gloves, magnetic trackers, and optical sensors can all be used to obtain hand orientation. In these cases, however, the hand acts solely as an input device. We designed Handel (hand-based enhancement for learning) to rely on hand movements to trigger an augmented-reality overlay onto the user’s hands during piano practice. Essentially, Handel creates a “hands-up” display instead of a heads-up display.

Source: IEEE intelligent system http://wearcam.org/ieeeis/wearable_ai_sample_article.pdf

M.F.M Shameer

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A mobile pet wearable computer and mixed reality system for human–poultry interaction through the Internet

In modern cities and societies, it is often difficult to maintain contact with pets, particularly for office workers. Following image describe a novel cybernetics system to use mobile and Internet technology to improve human–pet interaction. It can also be used for people who are allergic to touching animals and thus cannot stroke them directly. This interaction encompasses both visualization and tactile sensation of real objects.

The interaction between the human and the chicken is through a mobile wearable computer system on the chicken and a tangible interactive system for the human.

The system benefits both the human and the poultry in an equal partnership. As shown in the user study, people like to be able to touch their pets when they are out of home and their pets are alone, and they had a feeling of presence for the remote pet with our system. As for the pet, the experimental results confirmed that the proposed system is pleasurable for the pet too. The system is specifically designed for sentient beings.

Source:Pers Ubiquit Comput (2006)

http://portal.acm.org/ft_gateway.cfm?id=1149823&type=pdf&coll=Portal&dl=GUIDE&CFID=21326057&CFTOKEN=38652514

M.F.M Shameer

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Intelligent Assistant

developed, in Georgia Tech, in use for over 13 years.

It's a system which consist in:

• camera attached to one side of the glasses
  
• head-up display magnetically attached to the other side, can be simply removed
• headphone with incorporated microphone
• joystick attached to wrist to control some of the computer functions

The computer can see and hear what user does.

"The computer would remind the user of appointments, automatically schedule meetings, and open relevant notes and documents as the user talks about different topics."

Intelligent agent is able e.g. to redirect incoming call and record the message if the user is busy with a conversation or can simply display who is calling to give user possibility to decide how urgent it is.

Thanks to head-up display user has all the information and data just in front of him, which can access by handy joystick just next to his hand. "Wearable computers are good for getting to pieces of information in two seconds, anything longer than two seconds becomes an undue burden on the user, and he won't bother using it. Being able to get to your keyboard or screen so quickly that it's so easy to take down a memory or a quotation is incredibly valuable.”

Source: http://www.gatech.edu/innovations/wearable/index.php

W. Plesiak

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One area in which wearable computers are breaking the paradigm of desktop computers is mediated /Augmented reality. This is the ability for a computer to enhanced presentations of reality or additional information to the user. One idea that is currently being explored is using a camera and face recognition linked up to database so that if you meet someone you are instantly given information about that person. One application for this would be for business people at conference's which avoid them having to introduce them self's over and over again. A more scary idea would to equip police officers with this type of system that could recognise known criminals with outstand convictions etc

Another area in which wearable computers break the paradigm of desk top computers is Mediwear which is embedded computers in clothes that closely monitors the wearers body functions. When any of these body functions becomes critical either the wearer or a predefined database could be notified . This could be useful for the armed forces so that they could monitor their personal when out in the field, this linked up to GPS could mean that rescue teams could automatically be deployed to a injured person.

Reference http://about.eyetap.org/library/weekly/aa060100a.shtml

M.Shannon

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Wearable Display on Informal Face-To-Face Communication

Wearable computers have the potential to support our memory, facilitate our creativity, our communication and augment our physical senses but, like email and cellphones, they also have the potential to interrupt, displace or downgrade our social interactions. I found a research which presents the results of a simple laboratory-based study which examines the impact of a xybernaut head-mounted Shimadzu display on conversation between two people. We hypothesized that the wearable, by reducing eye-contact and attention in the wearer would have a detrimental effect.

More Details: <http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/1130000/1124780/p45-mcatamney.pdf?key1=1124780&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;key2=8202497711&coll=Portal&dl=GUIDE&CFID=21326057&CFTOKEN=38652514

M.F.M Shameer

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Some videos

• Wearable vision system:

• ZyPAD Industrial Rugged Wearable Computer from Arcom

• PEnG: Playing our mobile realtime-strategy game

Useful link:

• Innovations @ Georgia tech

• Innovation for Collaborative Working Environments

M.F.M Shameer

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Usability and HCI issues hindering wearable computers being adopted by the wider market

Text Entry for Wearable Computing

Most of the commercialized wearable text input devices are wrist-worn keyboards that have adopted the minimization method of reducing keys. Generally, a drastic key reduction in order to achieve sufficient wearability increases KSPC (Keystrokes per Character), decreases text entry performance, and requires additional effort to learn a new typing method.

We are faced with wearability-usability trade off problems in designing a good wearable keyboard. To address this problem, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology adopted a new keyboard minimization method of reducing key pitch and have developed the One-key Keyboard. The traditional desktop keyboard has one key per character, but one-key Keyboard has only one key (70mmX35mm) on which a 10*5 QWERTY key array is printed. One-key Keyboard detects the position of the fingertip at the time of the keying event and figures out the character entered.

Among the detected problems during the research, high text input error rate is one of the tasks to be improved in the near future. This is inevitable because of the dramatic reduction of key space.

Source: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (2006)

http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/1230000/1228229/p305-kim.pdf?key1=1228229&key2=7661497711&coll=Portal&dl=GUIDE&CFID=21326057&CFTOKEN=38652514

M.F.M Shameer

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One of the main HCI issues currently stooping some of the wearable computers available becoming pat of the main stream is the size of the device. I can understand that to make the device easier to use when the user is intending to use it but when the user isnt using it then it may hinder them in any other activity they are trying to do.

For example the ZYPad WL 1000 shown below, if you where to wear it for a whole day your arm would hurt, and the number of times you would have banged it against other objects would be huge.

Another example is this bluetooth watch by seiko

Picures taken from http://www.redwoodhouse.com/wearable/

M.Shannon

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Hey i've found this like talks about a new computer which can be strapped round the waist or even the wrist, personally I would like such an device hanging on my arm, more then likely my arm would fall off.

source:http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/25/symbol-technologies-wt4000-series-wearable-computer/

Mansoor

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Apple and Nike, Running Mates

iPod-compatible footwear that tracks runners' training routines is just the beginning of a collaboration betweenApple and Nike. Their first jointly produced product: the Nike+iPod Sport kit, which involves an electronic sensor inserted under the inner sole of a new Nike running shoe dubbed the Moire (pronounce (MOR-ay). That sensor talks to a small wireless receiver that attaches to Apple's iPod nano music player. The components work together to give voice prompts, interjected while music is playing, that tell runners how far they've gone and at what pace. The iPod will also keep track of the duration, distance, and other information on each run. The data could then be uploaded to a Mac or PC, and from there to a Nike Web site called Nikeplus.com, where users can track progress, set goals, and share results.

Source:

W. Plesiak

Interfacing a wearable computer.

Each and every year we are witnessing smaller and smaller computers being realest on the market. More and more PDA and mobile computers as well as GPS devices are being sold each and every day. They performance as well as number of different uses increases. No wonder that the concept of a real wearable computer is being discussed and researched so often. Wearable computers are not equivalent to small computers anymore, they aim to become a new paradigm in computing.

Companies all around the world as well as universities invest money in developing both hardware and software that is suppose to change a small computer that we carry with us into a real ubiquitous technology. One of the biggest problems that still has to be faced is the user interface of devices like that.

Interfacing a small device like that in a efficient way is a problem by itself. B. Thomas, K. Grimmer, J. Zucco, and S. Milanese in their work “Where Does the Mouse Go? An Investigation into the Placement of a Body-Attached TouchPad Mouse for Wearable Computers” discuss in depth a problem not only of a size of the interface device but its placement during various situations.

They not only perform a set of experiments that is suppose to measure the efficiency of each position of an input device but also consider them in various situations.

The only reason why I mention this particular research is because how ineffective are the standard ways of interfacing based on a keyboard, mouse and WIMP interface. Not only times of reaction are to big for every day usage also the input devices themselves due to human limitations have to be of a significant size. Moreover what might be obvious they require hand usage what makes them useless in some applications, because they can not be simply used while driving or during other activity that requires both hands.

That is why to speak about ubiquitous computing we have to forget about traditional interfaces and focus on other solutions that are less consuming not only physically but also mentally.

So what are the other solutions? First one that came to my mind was sound. Asim Smailagic in his article “An evaluation of audio-centric CMU wearable computers” focuses on the systems that already have been developed and their implementation and accuracy.

Systems presented by the author prove to have very high accuracy as well. But the error introduced by the voice recognition is still too big for everyday use. Not to mention the fact that the research considering efficiency was based on well defined tasks only and it is difficult to tell on that basis what will be the efficiency for new undefined tasks.

When talking about vocal interfaces it is worth mentioning that it is not only voice based control. Yong Xu , Mingjiang Yang, Yanxin Yan, Jianfeng Chen in the paper “Wearable Microphone Array as User Interface” describe the usage of sound as a tool for detecting context of the usage of the wearable equipment.

A big advantage of systems like that is the fact that they can be easily used by people with movement disabilities. But a serious disadvantage is that sometimes voice commands are even slower than manual commands and not always sounds can be used for control.

The other method for control of the wearable devices are gestures. There is a big amount of research describing usage of finger tracking (like the one by Sylvia M. Dominguez, Trish Keaton, Ali H. Sayed “Robust Finger Tracking for Wearable Computer Interfacing”) gesture and head movement tracking (M. Hanheide, C. Bauckhage, G. Sagerer Combining Environmental Cues & Head Gestures Interact with Wearable Devices).

Using that interfacing system interaction is much more faster, discreet and easier. This technology combined with aye tracking techniques can not only be used by disabled but requires much less effort from a human being.

But still to call this technology pervasive active human involvement has to be as small as possible. Computer should be aware not only of the context of usage adjusting interfaces and behavior to the particular situations but also should be able to learn from our behavior. Learning patterns, customs and our hobbies. It should be able to anticipate our actions and be able to suggest possible solutions to everyday problems involving us as little as possible.

Thad Starner- guru of wearable computers

Thad Starner is another who has conducted research regarding wearable computer. In the following article he also talks about limitations of wearable computers "There are four problems in wearable computing - power, networking, privacy, and interface,".

Starner was inspired by the film Terminator 2 after watchin this film he decided he wanted a wearable computer, thats when he first started researching into wearable computers and in 1993 he produced his first device.

source: http://www.gatech.edu/innovations/wearable/index.php#limits

Mansoor

limitiations in wearable computers

Carolyn Strano talks about limitations of some wearable computers

"Limitations

Wearable computers acquire all of the attributes and constraints of any wireless network. The gaps include limited bandwidth, seamless communication, and ubiquitous access. Other tough issues fall into four categories – technical, social, economical, and political. The technical issues involve protocols, mobility/disconnected operation, infrastructure maintenance, saturation and ubiquitous access. The social issues are primarily privacy and security. The economical issues are billing and commerce and the political issues involve access rights and spectrum ownership. (Boeing Wearable Computer Workshop, 1996)

The technology limitations associated specifically with wearable computers are primarily with the screen and with the means for controlling the computer. The head-mounted displays are still low resolution and the user may lose vision when moving about. There is not a seamless mechanism for inputting and outputting. (Gartner Group Analyst. Fenn, J. Personal Communication, 1999, July 27) Additionally there are limitations with the power supplies, heat dissipation, and bulkiness. Steve Mann experimented with the first class of Cyborgs this year at the University of Toronto. Students complained that the " Xyberbaut systems were not really all that wearable – at least, not comfortably for more than a few minutes at a time." The battery life was too short to allow online, extended use. Although the system supports a windows operating system, it remains cooler with a more efficient, less user friendly code. To gain wider acceptance, the cyborg outfit must become less cumbersome. (Mann, S., 1999) "

the full article can be found on http://www.johnsaunders.com/papers/wearable.htm

Another issue that has come up quite recently that could effect wearable computers is the use of WiFi. During the last few weeks a report was out that the teachers want more research into the health risks of WiFi. If a wearable computer was to use WiFi there might be concerns on whether it is safe to use or not.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6583213.stm

Mansoor

The Future of Wearable Computing

Image Below -

Motion Aware Clothing M.A.C. unobtrusively integrates various sensors as well as computational and communication abilities in a textile.

” Currently a 1kg, A5 sized subnotebook with a PCMCIA wireless modem can offer virtually all the functionality of a conventional PC. Simple PC functions and rudimentary Internet access are also available in handheld computers and personal digitalassistants that can be carried along in the pocket. Most mobile phones manufacturers are also working on integrating such functionality into their phones. Where will this trend take us? One likely answer is the concept of wearable computing. The vision behind it is that a mobile computer should not just be a machine that we put into our pocket when we plan on doing some office work while on the road. Instead it will be an integral part of our every day outfit (hence wearable), always operational and equipped to assist us in dealing with a wide range of situations.

Just imagine a tourist arriving in a foreign city. As soon as he leaves the train his wearable computer contacts the local tourist office and compiles a list of suitable nearby hotels. It then guides the tourist towards the chosen hotel. The directions are integrated into the tourist’s view of the real world using a see through computer display in his sunglasses. The display is also used to show information on landmarks and restaurants passed on the way to the hotel. At the same time the computer informs the user about any local customs or hazards that he should be aware of (e.g. ‘mind this area after dark’)

Whole article: http://www.wearable.ethz.ch/vision.0.html

M.F.M Shameer

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Here is what Infineon's wearable MP3 player looks like.

It has four units: a central audio module, a detachable battery and data-storage pack, an earphone and microphone module, and a flexible keyboard.

More Details: http://www.primidi.com/2002/10/17.html

M.F.M Shameer

Conclusion

Wearable Computing is transforming the way people conduct business, take care of their health, entertain themselves, and more. Several research challenges arise in the area of user interface design, power management, input devices, wireless communication, sensors, data synchronization and analysis, and device symbiosis for pervasive devices and wearable.

The barrier is now something less amenable to forecasting than transistor density or disk capacity: the barrier is social acceptance. When you can wear a computer and walk from one end of the mall to the other without people sniggering that are when you know the world is ready. Having said that Wearable computing will arrive as soon as society stops laughing at it. Ten years ago, the barrier to widespread wearable computing was the technology. Where do you put a computer on your body? How can you power it? How do you look at the screen? How can you type at it? Now those problems have been solved, more or less.

The overall theme of this Blogger is to explore how business processes can be made more efficient with the use of pervasive technology and to understand the changes they drive in the back-end and the infrastructure.