ACM TechNews

Ambient Intelligence: Snowboarding to the New Frontier

ICT Results (01/07/08)

Research in ambient intelligence may one day lead to sensors in our clothing, or even our skin, that are capable of alerting emergency services the moment an accident or injury occurs, or automatically reveals to friends the type of mood you are in. However, before people can fully interact in a responsive electronic environment, several hurdles need to be solved, such as the development of miniaturized, unobtrusive hardware, unique interfaces, secure data systems, autonomous and flexible network protocols, and more efficient wireless infrastructures. "The idea is to integrate sensor networks into wireless communication systems and to 'capture' the user's environment, perhaps using a mobile phone as a gateway, and then transmit this context to a service platform to deliver a personalized service and act on situations," says Laurent Herault, project coordinator of the e-Sense project, a research scheme developing new ways of capturing ambient intelligence. Potential applications include entertainment, e-health and safety, and remote asset monitoring. Systems could be created to improve the response of emergency services to car crashes and other accidents, as well as leisure and sporting applications. "We can measure the feelings you experience while skiing, such as acceleration, speed, and happiness," Herault says. "This can be useful if you want to share your experiences with friends."

http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm/section/news/tpl/article/id/89427

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