SPECx: Another Approach to Human Context and Activity Sensing Research, Using Tiny Peer-to-Peer Wireless Computers

A small battery powered peer-to-peer proximity sensing platform that can be attached to people, places and things can be a valuable tool to conduct research in human activity sensing. Such a platform senses the subjects’ presence and activities in a wide variety of contexts, for example home, car, work, or shopping. It eliminates the need for deployment and maintenance of prohibitively expensive infrastructure. The goal is to sense the activities of one individual at large in their world, rather than the activities of a group in a well- instrumented laboratory setting. Preliminary results with a real-world application are described.