Brochure co summit 2012

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Smart Composite HUMAN COMPUTER INTERFACES INTRODUCTION Smarcos project aims to help users of interconnected embedded systems by ensuring their interusability. Nowadays, users deal with many products connected with web services (media players, refrigerators, e-books, even cars). This distributed computing is becoming the norm in embedded systems. However, connection problems, firmware incompatibilities, incomprehensible dialogue boxes and just plain bugs plague many commercial offerings. New challenges have also come up for user interaction: multiple platforms, multi-user applications, internet synchronization, and application and service adaptation to the changing situational contexts. Existing efforts towards interoperability have largely focused on architectures. Smarcos extends these efforts on to the user level. Therefore, Smarcos allows devices and services to communicate in UI level terms and symbols, exchange context information, user actions, and semantic data. It allows applications to follow the user's actions, predict needs and react appropriately to unexpected actions. Smarcos use cases go around three complementary domains: attentive personal systems, interusable devices and com- plex systems control. Our results will be applicable to all embedded systems that interact with their users, which is a substantial fraction of today's market. SMARCOS: Artemis project 100017 WHAT Smarcos propose new seamless and „natural‟ ways to interact between the employed technology and its users, with the main objective of enhancing and en- riching their lives: It explores the usability of communicating embedded devices through a combination of user centric research and technology developments that are validated in several medium- and small-scale trials: Ixonos’ WutuBand: A tangible UI that can be used to track one's health, sim- plify tasks, track the user's location, provide reminders and safety signals and other uses. Indra’s NFC-based bicycle rental: Indra is currently working in a mid-scale prototype with a bicycle-rental scenario in which the user accesses to the prod- uct by using an NFC smart phone. Offcode’s Domestic Energy-User In- terface: The UI can be distributed to mobile terminals, but it will also be build visible at home in the i.e in the kitchen. ISTI-CNR’s Mashup Editor: It allows the creation of a communication system among components originally belonging to different applications, composing web components with a direct selection and manipulation of existing web applications. Nemein: Contextual Collaboration Space: Building a system that gathers project data from all the relevant infor- mation systems in an organization, merges them into an overall picture of what is happening University of Twente: Smart Photo Sharing: It aims to develop a smart photo-sharing application for smartphone devices that provides a holistic experi- ence to its participants by providing capture, share and consumption support. VTT Context-Aware User Interface Migration: The ContextMigrationDae- mon mobile application in conjunction with the Migration Platform is a proof-of -concept prototype on migrating the user interface based on contextual triggers. TP Vision's Smart Phone interaction with embedded systems: explores the control of embedded systems by enabling the mobile phone to exchange informa- tion based on ontology structures HOW The work is carried out iteratively in rapid cycles of concept creation, design, implementation and testing. All major developments are incrementally validated in medium- and small-scale trials. In the first cycle of concept development the usage of context-based awareness cues in informal information sharing was investi- gated. In the next cycle of iteration, the focus are techniques with which users can build services out of connected context- aware devices. BENEFITS The trials demonstrate new ways to fos- ter and enrich human-human interaction and human-computer-device interaction employing ubiquitous computing and em- bedded systems. . SMARCOS COMPLEX SYSTEMS CONTROL WHAT Smarcos centers in the research and development of new interface designs, increasing the usability of the ever-growing technology that users find on a quotidian basis; but human-machine communication is increasingly difficult as the machine perform gradually more intricate, while strictly needed, activities. Interface research must be studied independently when dealing with very sophisticated, multi-layered devices. This is why Smarcos focuses also on the control of the so-called complex systems. The second goal is the reusability of components. Therefore, four different pilots are being developed to cover separate areas of technology, learning while building and proving through achievements. The core of Smarcos Complex system control is: Aviation pilot: New technology adapted to the Electronic Flight Bag, offering an interface for an airplane pilot to be used during flight from the cockpit, interacting with the airplane's systems to share data with it. Monitoring system pilot: Several monitors will collect, visualize and distribute information to present it in a large area display, so that several users can interact with the same display wall. This will be used in traffic and security for emergency control situations. Disabled people pilot: Advanced technology with less-than-usual interfaces will ease the interaction of visually-impaired people with their environment, making their daily interactions easier than now. Vehicles pilot: Using advanced communication technology, vehicles will automatically report their situation and status to each other, & start automatic processes when needed in a case of emergency HOW To do so, each of the four main pilots is being supervised by one of the main partners of the WP, with the other partners providing support when needed. The partners also collaborate with each other, studying potential joint pursuits both technologically and other- wise, and perform collaborative manage- ment on an international range thanks to the advantages of the ARTEMIS environment. BENEFITS Research is fruitful not only by itself. In this case, it also provides progress beyond the state of the art, as Smarcos is building devices that did not exist until now. Besides, the result products are expected to be marketable for several purposes. The main customers currently in mind are mostly industries of several kinds, such as emergencies and control systems, but this will always be of advantage to the final consumer. INTERUSABLE DEVICES ContextCapture -application demonstrated at UbiComp 2011 in Beijing, China Complex Control Systems Domains www.smarcos-project.eu

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Transcript of Brochure co summit 2012

Page 1: Brochure co summit 2012

Smart Composite HUMAN COMPUTER INTERFACES

INTRODUCTION Smarcos project aims to help users of interconnected embedded systems by ensuring their interusability. Nowadays, users deal with many products connected with web services (media players, refrigerators, e-books, even cars). This distributed computing is becoming the norm in embedded systems. However, connection problems, firmware incompatibilities, incomprehensible dialogue boxes and just plain bugs

plague many commercial offerings. New challenges have also come up for user interaction: multiple platforms, multi-user applications, internet synchronization, and application and service adaptation to the changing situational contexts. Existing efforts towards interoperability have largely focused on architectures. Smarcos extends these efforts on to the user level. Therefore, Smarcos allows devices and services to communicate in UI level terms

and symbols, exchange context information, user actions, and semantic data. It allows applications to follow the user's actions, predict needs and react appropriately to unexpected actions. Smarcos use cases go around three complementary domains: attentive personal systems, interusable devices and com-plex systems control. Our results will be applicable to all embedded systems that interact with their users, which is a substantial fraction of today's market.

SMARCOS: Artemis project 100017

WHAT Smarcos propose new seamless and „natural‟ ways to interact between the employed technology and its users, with the main objective of enhancing and en-riching their lives: It explores the usability of communicating embedded devices through a combination of user centric research and technology developments that are validated in several medium- and small-scale trials: Ixonos’ WutuBand: A tangible UI that

can be used to track one's health, sim-plify tasks, track the user's location, provide reminders and safety signals and other uses.

Indra’s NFC-based bicycle rental: Indra is currently working in a mid-scale prototype with a bicycle-rental scenario in which the user accesses to the prod-uct by using an NFC smart phone.

Offcode’s Domestic Energy-User In-terface: The UI can be distributed to mobile terminals, but it will also be build visible at home in the i.e in the kitchen.

ISTI-CNR’s Mashup Editor: It allows the creation of a communication system among components originally belonging to different applications, composing web components with a direct selection and manipulation of existing web applications.

Nemein: Contextual Collaboration

Space: Building a system that gathers project data from all the relevant infor-mation systems in an organization, merges them into an overall picture of what is happening

University of Twente: Smart Photo Sharing: It aims to develop a smart photo-sharing application for smartphone devices that provides a holistic experi-ence to its participants by providing capture, share and consumption support.

VTT Context-Aware User Interface Migration: The ContextMigrationDae-mon mobile application in conjunction with the Migration Platform is a proof-of-concept prototype on migrating the user interface based on contextual triggers.

TP Vision's Smart Phone interaction with embedded systems: explores the control of embedded systems by enabling the mobile phone to exchange informa-tion based on ontology structures HOW The work is carried out iteratively in rapid cycles of concept creation, design, implementation and testing. All major developments are incrementally validated in medium- and small-scale trials. In the

first cycle of concept development the usage of context-based awareness cues in informal information sharing was investi-gated. In the next cycle of iteration, the focus are techniques with which users can build services out of connected context-

aware devices.

BENEFITS The trials demonstrate new ways to fos-ter and enrich human-human interaction and human-computer-device interaction employing ubiquitous computing and em-

bedded systems.

.

SMARCOS COMPLEX SYSTEMS CONTROL

WHAT Smarcos centers in the research and development of new interface designs, increasing the usability of the ever-growing technology that users find on a quotidian basis; but human-machine communication is increasingly difficult as the machine perform gradually more intricate, while strictly needed, activities. Interface research must be studied independently when dealing with very sophisticated, multi-layered devices. This is why Smarcos focuses also on the control of the so-called complex systems. The second goal is the reusability of components.

Therefore, four different pilots are being developed to cover separate areas of technology, learning while building and proving through achievements. The core of Smarcos Complex system control is:

Aviation pilot: New technology adapted to the Electronic Flight Bag, offering an interface for an airplane pilot to be used during flight from the cockpit, interacting with the airplane's systems to share data with it.

Monitoring system pilot: Several monitors will collect, visualize and distribute information to present it in a large area display, so that several users can interact with the same display wall. This will be used in traffic and security for emergency control situations.

Disabled people pilot: Advanced

technology with less-than-usual interfaces will ease the interaction of visually-impaired people with their environment, making their daily interactions easier than now.

Vehicles pilot: Using advanced communication technology, vehicles will automatically report their situation and status to each other, & start automatic processes when needed in a case of emergency

HOW To do so, each of the four main pilots is being supervised by one of the main partners of the WP, with the other partners providing support when needed. The partners also collaborate with each other, studying potential joint pursuits both technologically and other-wise, and perform collaborative manage-ment on an international range thanks to the advantages of the ARTEMIS environment. BENEFITS Research is fruitful not only by itself. In this case, it also provides progress beyond the state of the art, as Smarcos is building devices that did not exist until now. Besides, the result products are expected to be marketable for several purposes. The main customers currently in mind are mostly industries of several kinds, such as emergencies and control systems, but this will always be of advantage to the final consumer.

INTERUSABLE DEVICES

ContextCapture -application demonstrated at

UbiComp 2011 in Beijing, China

Complex Control Systems Domains

www.smarcos-project.eu

Page 2: Brochure co summit 2012

WHAT Smarcos objective within this section is to develop and refine design methods for interconnected embedded systems, and applying the developed methods for creating Smarcos application and service concepts. Traditional concept and UI design are based on a given type of interface (e.g. a web browser or mobile phone) with a limited number of user stories. In Smarcos, our focus is on systems that operate in a context of multiple devices and involve a large number of user stories. In this context, both established and experimental design methods are going to be applied, evaluated and refined. HOW To approach the objectives we have used a set of research methods from interviews to surveying and from design workshops to benchmarking of existing services and products. First of all, to start off we investigated the current challenges the designers are facing in the emerging fields of interactive

systems. Through semi-structured interviews of 17 professionals working on interaction design and probed into the challenges faced in their daily work. The identified challenges include but are not limited to: the inefficiency of using low-fi prototypes in a lab environment to test inter-usability and the challenges of “seeing the big picture” when designing a part of an interconnected system. Using this insight we can approach the challenges with tools to support the specific needs of interaction design. Secondly, to generate insight into user interface designs, metaphors and interactions currently applied in cross-platform and networked services we used 4-stage design process (research, analyze, synthesize, create) to benchmark existing cross-platform, inter-usable services such as Spotify, Google TV, Nike+GPS and Nabaztag. The analysis resulted in a set of 16 topics, grouped into four larger subject areas: Crossing Platforms; Networked and Connected Services; Managing Complexity; and Communicating across Platforms.

BENEFITS Using the aggregated set of design guide-lines and best practices, designers can avoid common pitfalls in designing inter-usable systems A holistic set of methods and guidelines for the designers to tackle the emerging design challenges in developing cross-platform services In addition we seek at demonstrating the gathered knowledge as new concepts of applications and services which demon-strate innovative and novel use of inter-connected devices in practice

INTERFACE, INTERACTION AND CONTEXT MODELLING

WHAT The objective of Smarcos in this area is to develop models for inter-usable user interfaces (UI) & context-based functionalities. Such models can be useful to better obtain context-dependent UI adaptation and collaborative context negotiations. The models enable support for multiple interaction modalities and for multitude of devices, seamless context negotiations and UI adaptation mechanisms. Moreover, the models act as a support for developing runtime mechanisms for interconnected and migratory UIs of applications and services. The models are provided in semantic and machine understandable format to enable rapid processing. The format of models aim at W3C compatibility for facilitating wide exploitation and impact for various software industries. HOW Once the relevant model has been identified (task, UI, context), the previous in the area is started and extended to better address the issues raised by multi-device environments with particular attention to the necessary aspects to

model the scenarios considered in the work packages application. The extended models are represented in languages (CTT, MARIA, context) that allow the development of tools able to analyze, manipulate, and exploit their content. Such a tools can be useful to obtain context-dependent UIs for various types of interactive devices. The capabilities of the resulting languages and tools are validated through their applications to various case studies relevant for the project goals, e.g. application to model and generation of adapted UI im-plementation for applications that allow users to get messages/notifications regarding their health conditions. BENEFITS The adoption of model-based approaches has various advantages: Highlight important aspects to be considered by designers & developers when developing interactive applications Provide precise documentation of the design choices Allow designers in multi-device UI to obtain a small general vocabulary for describing possible interactions and then

derive the possible platform-dependent implementations through refinement of general vocabulary Facilitate the possibility of developing context-dependent adaptation engines that are independent of the implementation languages Allow the possibility of semantic reasoning about how to dynamically support users in accomplishing their activities

A number of tools have been developed in WP3 to develop model-based specification and exploit them at design and run-time.

DESIGN METHODS AND CONCEPTING WHAT To enable successful inter-usability between devices located in an environment we need tools and methods for processing information on contexts and interaction tasks of users at a run-time. In order to accomplish an interaction task successfully in multi UI environment, the devices must be able to negotiate their properties, current context and to compose user interfaces to fit to given conditions. This section develops tools for processing models at design and run-time. The developed tools, methods and algorithms enable quick and cost efficient (power and computational complexity) functionalities for UI composition and context processing. The developed methods are evaluated according to technical requirements derived from Smarcos application domains. HOW Three development phase stages address the challenges of developing inter-usable systems: design & run-time and evaluation. A tool is being developed for prototyping different aspects of inter-usability to

support design-time. The key questions to explore are:

How does a change in a part of a system affect the other parts (seeing the change visually)? This can be visualized simulating the control and data flow among the interconnected/inter-usable system´s parts. E.g. how does a sensed context changed affect the perceived system state?

The ability to “mash up” composition of interconnected components into the system through a visual programming paradigm (e.g. cable patching metaphor to establish data and control flow between different components, establishing a composition)

BENEFITS The benefits span the whole development-cycle of inter-usable systems. Using the developed prototyping tool, the designers of inter-usable systems will have a way to test and analyze the system behaviour using rapid prototyping. Using the developed methods and algorithms for enabling run-time context recognition, the developers of inter-usable systems can develop rules for context triggered functionalities, such as providing situation-aware feedback.

Various decision making strategies are being developed for run-time support, such as deciding on the most suitable device for giving feedback to the user. To evaluate the developed methods and tools the approach is tested using the scenarios from Smarcos application domains.

The developed tools and methods are evaluated by integrating them into small-scale trials in relevant application demonstrators (demos and trials are developed in the Smarcos industrial applications).

ATTENTIVE PERSONAL SYSTEMS

WHAT The goal of attentive personal systems is to provide a use case of a system which uses several sensing devices to sense the context the user, integrates the data obtained from the sensing devices into a knowledge base and uses this knowledge to provide context-tailored advice to motivate healthy behaviour. The challenges are (1) to obtain knowledge of the user‟s context in an unobtrusive manner, (2) to calculate context-tailored advice and feedback on performance from this sensed context, and (3) to present advice and feedback about the user‟s performance in several health domains in a user-friendly way.

HOW To overcome these three challenges, a system is devised that uses sensing devices that the user is already using: a mobile phone, a computer, a television, a pill dispenser, an activity monitor. These devices are connected to one Smarcos system, where they share their information. This shared information is then used to determine:

Which advice to send to the user

To which device the advice should be sent

How the advice should be presented (visual, auditory, haptic, or a combination of these)

The right timing of the advice (send it immediately, or wait until the meeting is over, or until the user stopped typing, etc.)

The system‟s architecture builds on the existing context aware SOFIA platform, which provides a technical solution for connecting multiple devices to one system, allowing us to focus on the method for integration of information and presentation of the system to the user. A number of prototypes will be constructed and tested by user from both target groups (office workers and diabetes patients), following Smarcos design methods and concepting guidelines. BENEFITS The final prototype provides a way to manufacture a holistic solution for healthy lifestyle promotion and also demonstrate a methodology for creating a user friendly multiple-device system – an interusable system - for the consumer market. All prototypes will be tested by a small group of target users. Online questionnaires will also be used to test the system‟s concept in a larger group of people.

TOOLS FOR RUNTIME UI & CONTEXT COMPOSITION

Interusability via Smart Interoperable Devices

Map of themes and relationships identified

from benchmarking UI Wireframe mock-up for the prototyping inter-usability tool, displaying a view for assigning properties to entities

Inter-usable User Interfaces