Development of a Large-Scale Ubiquitous Computing Interface

We propose the development of a unique experimental facility for the exploration of large-scale ubiquitous computing interfaces and applications that are aware of the context of their use and can capture salient memories of collaborative experiences. Our research goal is to explore new paradigms for human-computer interaction through a prototype next generation ubiquitous computing interface. Our engineering goal is to build a computational and sensing infrastructure so pervasive that it can do for supporting and capturing collaborative activities what the worldwide computer network has done for e-mail and on-line communities. Like the telephone system or the road network, this interface must be available throughout a user’s work space to fully reveal how it will be used and the scientific issues raised. Current ubiquitous computing experiments are limited to the scale of a single room or just provide a minimal service (e.g., location) across a larger area. We propose developing a rich ubiquitous computing infrastructure for the distributed space occupied by the College of Computing at Georgia Tech. We will add sensing capabilities to the environment, including microphones, cameras, and position measurement systems. We will explore a variety of display elements, including speakers and handheld, wearable, and wall-mounted displays. Furthermore, we will install computational resources sufficient to process and generate all of the information that will be sensed in this environment. Scale is not the only hard issue when dealing with ubiquitouscomputing interfaces. Applications supported through ubiquitous technology must provide natural, multi-modal input and output. Users may speak, gesture, or manipulate in the context of the task they are performing, and the ubiquitous interface must make sense of that input. The interface needs to be as accessible as possible so as to reduce the cost of use and support novices. These applications must also be seen by the users as providing a value-added service, or they will not be used in everyday tasks no matter how accessible the interface. Projects that would use this experimental facility include: studies of systems that capture what is happening in an environment and make that information available to users (focusing on capture systems to enhance education); explorations of systems issues in delivering multimedia services in this type of ubiquitous computing environment; studies of how computers can be made aware of what is happening in an environment (computational perception); studies of software engineering issues for ubiquitous computing; and explorations of designs for new interfaces and interface paradigms for ubiquitous computing environments. Basic scientific questions include: