Ubiquitous Computing: an Introduction

Ubiquitous Computing

Una Introduzione

Alessandra Agostini

The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it.

Mark Weiser (1952-1999)

Xerox Parc, 1988

Computing Eras• Phase I – Mainframe Era

• Phase II – Personal Computer Era

Transition: Internet, digital gadgets

• Phase III – Ubiquitous Computing Era

Computer User

Computer User

Computer User

The Ubiquitous Computing Era

Lots of computers sharing each of us

• Computers* : – Molto diversi tra loro: inch/tab,

foot/pad, yard/board– Per compiti diversi– In numerosità diverse: 100ia, 10ine,

1-2

*Il termine computer verrà usato in senso lato: dispositivi, tecnologie, ecc.

The UC Era: Tecnologie Context-Aware• Sistemi che sanno dove sono e sono

consapevoli del contesto (context-aware) in cui avviene l’interazione– L’ampia varietà di device di interazione

(fisse e mobili) e di contesti d’uso delle applicazioni rende necessaria questa consapevolezza

• Sistemi:– Che si adattano al contesto d’uso e

all’utente– Utili alle persone nella loro vita quotidiana– Focalizzati sull’interazione degli utenti (tra

loro) e i loro obbiettivi, non sulle funzioni fornite

• UC integra scienze sociali e computer science

Ubiquitous computing pushes the user interface away from the desktop and into our everyday environments

• Computers:– Invisibili e discreti: “If computers are

everywhere they better stay out of the way”

– Usati inconsapevolemente: scompaiono dal focus centrale del nostro pensiero

– Integrati seamlessly nell’ambiente per migliorare la nostra vita quotidiana

Alcuni esempi, similitudini:– Scrittura (e lettura); alfabetizzazione

versus scribani; elettricità; Olivetti ActiveBadge

The Ubiquitous Computing Era

Cosa non è Ubiquitous Computing• Non è Virtual Reality

– VR puts people inside a computer-generated world, UC forces the computer to live out here in the world with people

• Non è Mobile Computing– UC is nor a superset nor a subset of

Mobile Computing– UC does not just mean computers

that can be carried to the beach, jungle or airport

Ubiquitous Computing

The Coming Age of Calm Technology

Calm Technology• Encalms and informs• The users remain serene and in

control• Engages our peripheral attention

– Allows us to attune to more things– A large portion of our brain is

devoted to peripheral processing• Moves easily from center to

periphery and back– Recenter to take control– Eg: Car engine; when not OK we

notice it

Calm Technology & Affordance

• Calm technology is related to the notion of affordances

• An affordance is a relationship between an object in the world and the intentions, perceptions, and capabilities of a person

Calm Technology & Affordance

• Calm technology is related to the notion of affordances

• An affordance is a relationship between an object in the world and the intentions, perceptions, and capabilities of a person

• A flat push plate in the side of a door that only pushes out is an example of good affordance

• Maggiore informazione che tranquillizza:– videoconferenze versus conferenze

telefoniche

• Non è solo un problema di Interfaccia Utente:– Inner office windows versus open space

• Peripheral two way information channel• You can catch the other person’s attention

Calm Technology: Some Examples

• Maggiore informazione che tranquillizza:– videoconferenze versus conferenze

telefoniche

• Non è solo un problema di Interfaccia Utente:– Inner office windows versus open space

• Peripheral two way information channel• You can catch the other person’s attention

• I computer non sono davvero multimediali, il focus è sempre sul computer:– Dangling string

• Rotation speed connected to network traffic• Motion(vision), sound and touch

Calm Technology: Some Examples

Ubiquitous Computing

Dwelling with computers

Open House

Interactingwith computer

Dwellingwith computers

Many personsper computer

Many computersper person

Smart houses/

assistants

Dwelling with Computers• Dwelling with computers versus

interacting with computers– Computers will inhabit the most

trivial things– Interacting with something keeps it

distant and foreign– We don’t want to interact with our

everyday environment in the same way as we interact with computers

Dwelling with computers

• Dwelling with computers:– Co-exist comfortably – Provide clues about environment– We can ignore them most of the

time– Like weather, street sounds – Suggestive but not intermediating

• Some examples:– Augmented window– Wake up music-chooser

Smart People versus Smart Computers• Previous (r)evolutions in computing

were about bigger, better, faster, smarter

• Smart is a bad metaphor• Does all things get better if they get

smarter?– Smart Cappuccino?

• Next computing revolution must focus on smarter people:– Machines take care of unnecessary details– People can think about (care) less

• It is not enough to put computers everywhere. You must specify what they should do

Ubiquitous Computing

Aree Collegate e Esempi

Ubiquitous Computing

Invisible/Silent/Calm Interfaces

Wearable Computing

Tangible Interfaces

Augmented Reality

Context sensitivity

Public Interactions

Ad hoc Networks

Mobile-Nomadic Computing

Software Agents

Mechatronics

Aree di Ricerca Collegate

Adaptive services

Embedded computers

Augmenting the physical real-world with digital world content

• La Realtà Aumentata aumenta la realtà con l’aggiunta, in tempo reale, di contenuti ed animazioni virtuali

• È l’approccio opposto alla Realtà Virtuale

• È adottata in molti domini diversi:– Entertainment, archeologia,

turismo, …

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality: Settore Automobilistico

Vengono mostrate direttamente sul parabrezza informazioni utili al guidatore

Augmented Reality: Alcuni Esempi

Cosmetic MirrorRay-Ban Virtual Mirror

Augmented Reality: Turismo

Tuscany+iPhone app

“The World Park”, New York

QR Code

Torino, Microsoft TagtagMyLagoon, Venezia

QR Code

Augmented Reality: Turismo e Passato

Actual pictures are overlaid with old pictures/paintings of the same sceneAmsterdam

Milano d’autore

Un percorso temporale sulle tracce di Ermanno Olmi

Augmented Reality: Alcuni Progetti di Studenti

Vergilius

Cimitero Monumentale di Milano

Visual Message System

AR: Alcune Tecnologie Coinvolte• Quick Response Code (QRCode)

– Codice a barre bidimensionale a matrice, contiene informazioni destinate a essere lette tramite uno smartphone

• Microsoft Tag– Sistema di barcoding multicolore

proprietario• Radio Frequency Identification

(RFID) – Assegnamento di un identificatore

univoco e universale ad ogni singolo oggetto, acquisito autonomamente da sistemi radiofrequenza

Tangible Media group (MIT)• Facing the challenge of

reconciling our dual citizenship in the physical and digital worlds

• Seeking a seamless coupling of bits and atoms by giving physical form to digital information and computation

Tangible interfaces – Tangible Bits

• Trackmate is an inexpensive, do-it-yourself tangible tracking system that allows your computer to recognize tagged objects and their corresponding position, rotation, and color information when placed on a surface

• I/O Brush is a new drawing tool to explore colors and textures found in everyday materials by “picking up” and drawing with them. It has a small video camera with lights and touch sensors embedded inside

Tangible Bits: a couple of examples

(Semi-)public Interaction

Social affordances of tables/wall

InteracTable and Dynawall, From www.ipsi.fraunhofer.de i-LAND project

When computing devices become ubiquitous, the amount of public devices will increase; e.g. CityWall in Helsinki

Public Interactions

Il Futuro?

Per finire…

qualcosa di non ancora realizzato ma che potrebbe essere già prodotto

SeaBird (MozillaLabs)

Sitografia in Ordine di Esposizione• La pagina di M. Weiser su Ubiquitous

Computing: http://www.ubiq.com/hypertext/weiser/UbiHome.html

• The Computer for the 21° Century, M. Weiser: http://www.ubiq.com/hypertext/weiser/SciAmDraft3.html

• The Coming Age of Calm Technology, M. Weiser & J. Seely Brown: http://www.ubiq.com/hypertext/weiser/acmfuture2endnote.htm

Sitografia in Ordine di Esposizione• Ray-Ban Virtual Mirror: http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGryj-2OZ8I• Cosmetic Mirror: http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5zZ5qZP5Ok• The World Park, New York: http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OCyfV_k2_g• Tuscany+:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghk_qTAb43M

• Torino TV, Microsoft Tag: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J3XKScDdws

• Augmented Reality for Historical Sites, Amsterdam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB3BwvHdJiI

• Milano d’autore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LZfZZeIvtA

Sitografia in Ordine di Esposizione• Vergilius – Cimitero Monumentale di Milano:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yUuwifStZs

• Tangible Interfaces, Tangible Media group (MIT): http://tangible.media.mit.edu/index.php

• SeaBird, Mozilla Labs: http://mozillalabs.com/conceptseries/2010/09/23/seabird/