This papers presents some ideas to use so-called software agents as a software representation of a product not only during manufacturing but also during the whole life cycle of the product. Software agents are autonomous entities capable of collecting useful information about products. By their design and capabilities software agents fit well in the concept of ubiquitous computing. We use these agents in our newly developed manufacturing process. This paper discusses further use of agent technology.
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Ubiquitous computing, new sensor technologies, and increasingly available and accessible algorithms for pattern recognition and machine learning enable automatic analysis and modeling of human behavior in many novel ways. In this introductory paper of the 6th International Workshop on Human Behavior Understanding (HBU’15), we seek to critically assess how HBU technology can be used for elderly. We describe and exemplify some of the challenges that come with the involvement of aging subjects, but we also point out to the great potential for expanding the use of ICT to create many applications to provide a better life for elderly.
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Intelligent environments can offer support to people with early-stage dementia, who often experience problems with maintaining their circadian rhythm. The focus of this work is developing a prototype of an Intelligent Environment for assisting these people with their daily rhythm while living independently at home. Following the four phases of the Empathic Design Framework (Explore, Translate, Process, and Validate), the needs of people with dementia and their caregivers were incorporated into the design. In the exploration phase, a need assessment took place using focus groups (N=12), observations (N=10), and expert interviews (N=27). Then, to determine the requirements for a prototype of an intelligent environment, the second phase, Translate, used three co-creation sessions with different stakeholder groups. In these sessions, Mind Maps (N=55) and Idea Generation Cards (N=35) were used. These resulted in a set of 10 requirements on the following topics: context-awareness, pattern recognition, adaptation, support, personalization, autonomy, modularity, dementia proof interaction, costs, data, and privacy. Finally, in the third phase, the requirements were applied to a real-life prototype by a multidisciplinary design team of researchers, (E-Health) tech companies, designers, software engineers with representatives of eight organizations. The prototype serves as a basis for further development of Intelligent Environments to enable people with dementia to live longer independently at home.
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Programmed control systems are ubiquitous in the present-day world. In current educational practice, however, these systems are hardly being addressed, and little is known about children’s spontaneous understandings about such systems. Therefore, we explored pupils’ understandings prior to instruction in three concrete settings: a car park, an elevator, and an autonomous robot. We analysed written responses from 49 Grade 3 (aged 7 to 10) and Grade 6 pupils (aged 10 to 13) to assess their understandings from two perspectives: the user and the system programmer perspective. Results indicate that most pupils were capable describing programmed systems from a user perspective point of view but found it hard to describe the system programmer perspective. Substantial differences were found between the contexts. The car park context evoked richer descriptions for the user perspective and the system programmer perspective in comparison to the elevator and autonomous robot contexts.
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This paper introduces the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and describes its evolution from a concept proposed by Kevin Ashton in 1999 through its public emergence in 2005 in a United Nations ITU report entitled “The Internet of Things”, to the present day where IoT devices are available as off-the-shelf products from major manufacturers. Using a systematic study of public literature, the paper presents a five-phase categorisation of the development of the Internet-of-Things from its beginnings to the present day. Four mini case studies are included to illustrate some of the issues involved. Finally, the paper discusses some of the big issues facing future developers and marketers of Internet-of-Things based products ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) through to customer privacy and acceptance finishing with an optimistic assessment of the future of the Internet-of-Things.
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In this paper we explore the extent to which privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) could be effective in providing privacy to citizens. Rapid development of ubiquitous computing and ‘the internet of things’ are leading to Big Data and the application of Predictive Analytics, effectively merging the real world with cyberspace. The power of information technology is increasingly used to provide personalised services to citizens, leading to the availability of huge amounts of sensitive data about individuals, with potential and actual privacy-eroding effects. To protect the private sphere, deemed essential in a state of law, information and communication systems (ICTs) should meet the requirements laid down in numerous privacy regulations. Sensitive personal information may be captured by organizations, provided that the person providing the information consents to the information being gathered, and may only be used for the express purpose the information was gathered for. Any other use of information about persons without their consent is prohibited by law; notwithstanding legal exceptions. If regulations are properly translated into written code, they will be part of the outcomes of an ICT, and that ICT will therefore be privacy compliant. We conclude that privacy compliance in the ‘technological’ sense cannot meet citizens’ concerns completely, and should therefore be augmented by a conceptual model to make privacy impact assessments at the level of citizens’ lives possible.
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Conference poster Digitally controlled systems, such as elevators, washing machines, and traffic lights, are ubiquitous in children's present-day world. However, in current educational practice, such systems are hardly being addressed, and little is known about children's initial understandings about such systems in concrete situations. Therefore, we explored grade 3 and grade 6 pupils' understandings of digital control systems in the contexts of a car park, an elevator, and an autonomous robot. We interviewed 48 pupils to explore their initial understanding of the system at hand from the perspectives of the user, the computer, and the programmer perspective. The interviews were analyzed through a directed content analysis. Results from three perspectives and three contexts are described.
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ICT is veel meer dan een hulpmiddel bij onderwijs en opleiding: zij provoceert een voortdurend nieuwe kijk op de essentie van leren en daarmee ook op het leraarschap. Opvallend is dat ICT in onderwijs penetreert nog voordat er enig model of theorievorming over haar bijdrage gevormd is; dat is pragmatisch en opportunistisch. Sterker nog: als we achteraf kijken naar hervormingen van onderwijsopvattingen, dan worden ze vaak aangedreven door technologische innovaties op dat moment: de entree van de boekdruk, telecommunicatie, computersystemen en virtuele realiteit. Binnenkort zullen we ingrijpende invloeden zien vanuit de biotechnologie, genetische modificatie, nanotechnologie etcetera. De huidige stap van laptop naar het veelkunnende mobieltje is er slechts één van de lange rij ICT-hulpmiddelen die er nog aan gaan komen. Als we de trend van ICT in onderwijs doortrekken, dan valt te verwachten dat 'mobiel leren' vooral zal leiden tot 'ubiquitous learning': overal- en voortdurend leren. Het begrip 'learning by heart' krijgt opnieuw betekenis: niet alleen het 'van buiten' leren, maar het opbouwen van een relatie met het onderwerp dat je bestudeert. De persoon van de docent wordt nog belangrijker dan hij nu al is. Mobiele communicatie gaat haar eerste vruchten afwerpen bij het 'voortdurend leren' van de docent. Het mobieltje en de on-line PDA gaan hierin een cruciale rol spelen. De Fontys lerarenopleidingen nemen met enthousiasme deze voortrekkersrol op zich. Het lectoraat Educatieve Functies van ICT begeleidt docenten en promovendi hierbij.
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De dominante, zichtbare aanwezigheid van computers is op zijn retour. De technologie die ons eens de computer bracht, raakt verweven in de alledaagse dingen en wordt onopvallend. De gewone dingen worden verrijkt met rekenkracht, krijgen sensoren waardoor ze gevoelig worden voor wat in hun omgeving gebeurt, en ze hebben een radio aan boord om onderling te communiceren. Het resultaat is dat mensen voortdurend omringd worden met apparaatjes die zich samen bewust zijn wat er in de omgeving gebeurt: wie is er aanwezig, wat doet die persoon, wat heeft die persoon nodig, welke hulpbronnen kunnen die persoon ten dienste staan? Door karakteristieken van de aanwezige personen en hun behoeften te kennen kan de veiligheid, het comfort en de kwaliteit van leven worden verhoogd. De omgeving past zich op een intuïtieve manier en al lerend aan de mens aan. Door op te merken hoe iemand reageert op aanpassingen in de omgeving, wat bijdraagt aan zijn veiligheid, gezondheid, wensen en behoeften, kan de omgeving zelf anticiperen en zelf initiatieven ontplooien. Zoals de mens al eeuwen de fysieke omgeving aanpast aan zijn behoefte, brengt de mens nu intelligentie in zijn omgeving om de aanpassing te verfijnen. Bij dit perspectief gaat het niet uitsluitend om technologie, maar komen allerlei vragen op ten aanzien van de maatschappelijke wenselijkheid en ethische en juridische aspecten. Dit artikel is een bijdrage van Henk van Leeuwen, lector Ambient Intelligence bij Saxion, aan de conferentie NIOC 2011 en opgenomen in de Proceedings NIOC 2011.
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