Update:

Did it again on March 8, at the same time and the sample place, on “Out of Control: the bottom-up power of social computing”. But this time is not that surprising anymore

Robot used in the case study

PhD project done by Alex Juarez.

The topic of this PhD project is in the context of cross-reality, a term that defines mixed reality environments that tunnel dense real-world data acquired through the use of sensor/actuator device networks into virtual worlds. It is part of the ongoing academia and industry efforts to achieve interoperability between virtual and real devices and services.

The research hypothesis can be formulated in short as follows:

Interoperability between virtual worlds and real robots can be achieved by applying state of the art (semantic) web technologies in a proper way. These technologies should handle the heterogeneity and high reconfigurability of robotic systems, while at the same time create information and knowledge about their capabilities, in such a way that this knowledge can be understood and used not only by current virtual world software but also by other web agents. Virtual worlds (and the virtual world’s user experience) can be enriched by augmenting it with the abilities of real robots in remote locations.

The focus of this thesis is on three aspects: a) it focuses on the mechanisms necessary to make information about robots available to virtual worlds, b) it focuses on the creation, maintenance and use of knowledge about robot capabilities to enhance the virtual world functionality, and c) it focuses on the virtual world’s user experience with such system in a remote communication scenario.

To this effect, two systems have been developed: RoboDB a collaborative, communityoriented web system based on Semantic Web technologies that gathers information about robots and their capabilities in a structured way, and PAC4 a web service discovery system that utilizes the knowledge created by RoboDB to connect virtual worlds to real robots. Finally a study was conducted on the virtual world user’s perception of presence when using PAC4 to interact with the real robot in a remote communication scenario.

The department of Industrial Design (ID) of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is located in a highly industrialized region, known as ‘Brainport’. This region is internationally recognized as a top technology area with a special focus on the integration of design and technology. The department was established in close collaboration with the technological industry, and, because of this, focuses its research on the Design of Intelligent Systems, Products and related Services in a social context. With these intelligent systems it aims at offering new, breakthrough possibilities leading to societal transformations.

The social context for the PhD research in this call is carefree ageing. One of the major problems in modern society is that, due to the continuous increase in life expectancy and the decreasing number of children, we are currently faced with a situation where, if no fundamental change takes place, an increasing number of people will have to rely on increasingly expensive healthcare paid by a decreasing number of people.   Many attempts to try to prevent this negative spiral, such as public education and prevention campaigns, have demonstrated only limited success. A main ambition of this research is to create agents for social transformation that enable people to maintain, for a much longer period than currently, a high quality of life against reasonable costs, and to remain or to get again in control of their home-, work-, and social network-situation without or with a minimum of additional external care.

In the intersection of information technology and life science, this research is based on four pillars:

1. Understanding motivational principles behind (un-)healthy living
2. Creating persuasive concepts that will lead to a healthier lifestyle
3. Creating supporting products and systems that support the above
4. Creating products and systems to self-control the home-, work-, and social network situation

Applicants to this PhD research shall have a background in industrial design, computer science, information technology or electrical engineering.

The applicants can apply for one of the following projects:

1. Design for Social Interaction through social computing, in the context of carefree ageing. we explore the impact of Social networks, Internet, multimedia, and virtual reality on ageing society, the impact of the bottom-up power and the much flattened structure of the social media on societal transformations, the impact of the social and systematic perspective of intelligent systems, products and related services on industrial design, and in turn, the possible impact of industrial design on these on-going societal and technical changes. The primary research areas are social computing, social interaction, linking between the virtual and the physical,  the opportunity and challenge brought up by connecting the web of people and the internet of things, and the related cultural and societal issues. For more information about this project, please contact Jun Hu (j DOT hu AT tue DOT nl)
2. Wearable intelligence prototyping platform. The aim of this project is to design and develop an integrated development platform that enables designers with minimal engineering skills, and especially no software engineering skills, to prototype wearable systems that combine: textile technology, wearable sensors, and actuators, computing and networking. Its aim is to relieve designers from engineering concerns they face when prototyping wearable technologies.   The PhD will create a proof of concept that will be validated with the implementation of concepts typical of the range of applications we examine at industrial design, such as wearables for sport and healthcare for ageing society. For more information about this project, please contact prof.dr. Panos Markopoulos (p DOT markopoulos AT tue DOT nl)
3. Design for elderly independent living through intelligent mobility product service systems (PSS). The introduction of one child policy in 1979 in China has led to the increase of the ratio of elderly people in the total population. Increased mobility of elderly people can help maintaining their social integration within the community and allowing elderly to live much longer in their own homes. In this project we will explore the use of electronic cars as the basic carrier to integrate ICT based services to further develop collective mobility PSS proposals that aim to not only improve elderly mobility but also support their integration in the community. Cross-cultural insight will be generated and industrial and managerial implications will be obtained for companies in both the Netherlands and China.  For more information about this project, please contact dr. Yuan Lu (y DOT lu AT tue DOT nl)
4. Design for cultural change to sustain wellbeing (regarding e.g. social inclusion, healthy eating and safety). Design for societal transformation is intrinsically linked to cultural change. The aim of this project is to define how designers can, through their actions, convincingly shape society and thereby change culture. Research is required to define how designers can make a convincing statement regarding the envisioned change by relating the evidence of their actions to their vision. The context to explore how to design for cultural change will be regarded through the observation of social activities that are profoundly embedded in culture such as cooking and eating. Inspired by these explorations the designer researcher will envision, design and evaluate (intelligent) products, systems and related services that may contribute to cultural change in these social activities. The project will rely on an experiential approach of designing in context and requires a thorough documentation of and reflection on the actions that contribute to the development of the vision. For more information about this project, please contact dr. Miguel Bruns (mbruns AT tue DOT nl)

More about research at ID, TU/e.

More examples of research projects at ID, TU/e.

More about the requirements in applying the Scholarship from China Scholarship Council (CSC) for Chinese PhD candidates:

• From TU/e.
• From CSC (in Chinese).

For further questions, feel free to contact Jun Hu: j DOT hu AT tue DOT nl.

EIT ICT Labs

The EIT ICT Labs Master School offers two year programmes where you can choose two universities in two different European countries to build a curriculum of your choice based on your skills and interest. The school offers double degrees, which combines technical competence with a set of skills in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. While you get an excellent theoretical education, you also get the opportunity to work with European top research institutes and leading business partners.

Deadline for applications: February 15th 

Visit EIT ICT Labs Master School on

• http://eitictlabs.masterschool.eu
• http://www.facebook.com/ICTInnovation
• http://www.linkedin.com/company/eit-ict-labs-master-school
• http://twitter.com/eitictlabsms ”

Click here to view the embedded video.

The vision for this course is that Industrial Design will be about Intelligent Products which are Adaptive with respect to the user and to the environment.

Moreover Industrial Design will not only be concerned with products but more and more with Systems and Services. This is because the products are connected, for example via the Internet and via wireless connections and because the users are connected through their social context.

One of the most important tasks for designers is to explore what things mean to humans. The explorations, coupled to constructive activities, will lead to innovative Products, Systems and Services. Adaptive systems have sensors, computation and actuators.

Whereas for traditional Industrial Design products it would be enough to create drawings and CAD models, for Intelligent Products, Systems and Services it is much better to create experiential prototypes as well.

Entrance screen

The aim of this industrial project at Smart Homes , the Dutch expertise centre on home automation and smart living, was twofold. On the one hand, the level of appreciation of existing (concepts of) smart home applications was examined. In this purpose, (concepts of) smart home applications were first collected through field research, literature, and European and national projects Smart Homes contributes to. Afterwards, the collected (concepts of) smart home applications were filtered based on the smart home classification by Aldrich and its appreciation was tested by means of a questionnaire. Based on the results of this questionnaire, the applications that were most appreciated were visualized. Ideally, these visualizations will be shown in the Smartest Home of the Netherlands, a test and demonstration home located in Eindhoven, to show visitors the added value of home automation (i.e. domotica).

On the other hand, the graphical user interface used to control the Smartest Home of the Netherlands was redesigned. First, the current user interface was evaluated by means of heuristic evaluations and the thinking aloud protocol. Next, the user interface was redesigned, based on the results obtained by the evaluations. Finally, this redesign was evaluated using an interactive PowerPoint prototype. In general, participants were quite positive about the redesign of the graphical user interface. They described the interface with quotes like “A serene and clearly structured interface”, “Clearly readable and easy to use”, and “Very efficient”. In the upcoming month, Smart Homes will implement this design in the Smartest Home of the Netherlands.

Besides examining the level of appreciation of (concepts of) smart home applications and redesigning the graphical user interface, a brainstorm session was organized to reconstruct the scenarios (i.e. scenes) implemented in the Smartest Home of the Netherlands and personas were created to visualize its possible inhabitants.

The results of this project will hopefully contribute to the optimization of the Smartest Home of the Netherlands.

ICE EMJD

The deadline of the EMJD ICE Call for Application is approaching: 15 January 2012 at 12 AM CET.

The Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral Programme in Interactive and Cognitive Environments offers PhD candidates a education programme in the field of research related to computer science, electronic and telecommunication engineering. Candidates must hold a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree or equivalent title and in-depth knowledge and understanding of the principles of ICT engineering.

TU/e is involved in the research area of “Design for Social Interaction”.

More about EMJD/ICE, see www.icephd.org.

A new round of  EMJD call for application is open. Download ICE_call_III_cohort (PDF) for details.

Location-based Sound

Surround Sound Systems are designed to faithfully reproduce a movie soundtrack and provide an immersive sound experience to the user, when the loudspeaker placement and the listening position comply with certain standards. Deviation from these standards can cause a distorted or unnatural sound image. In order to address the impact of the loudspeaker setup on the listening experience, two Philips Surround Sound Systems were integrated with Ultra Wideband (UWB) localization technology for the design of two demonstrators. Each demonstrator is composed of two parts; a localization module, providing user’s and speakers’ coordinates and audio tuning algorithms which use this information for the calculations of the signals that are sent to the speakers. In the present study, the performance evaluation of each component as well as the implementation of the demonstrators are described and discussed.

LIGHT THROUGH CULTURE

The Final Day to Finalize

During the past two weeks, 14 young designers from the Netherlands and China worked together intensively in a masterclass led by the OPENLIGHT creative light laboratory.

For two days, the team lived with Beijing’s cleaners, bus drivers, parents and school kids.

They turned their insights from Beijing Culture into three lighting concepts, which we show here in three cylinders. The purpose is a dialogue about how smart lighting can contribute to a healthy city.

The presented installations are realised by technologies such as intelligent systems and LEDs, which reveal new design opportunities.

At OPENLIGHT, the creative lab of the Intelligent Lighting Institute (ILI, Eindhoven, the Netherlands), we explore for instance how light can help us focus, reflect, regulate our biorhythms, improve safety or escape from hectic everyday life.

OPENLIGHT initiated ‘Light through Culture’ to respond to cultural challenges in various cities, such as here in Beijing with Tsinghua University. We present the results for you in three cylinders:

LOST IN BEIJING

LOST IN BEIJING

Xiaohua is one of the 2 million urbanites without a Beijing ID. Six years ago he left his hometown and family, to earn money. Non stop work, no time to live a life beside his work.

He helps to shape a city that is anonymous to him. He feels lost in a city that is not his own. Soon, he will have to return to the region where he belongs.

Did he only loose some years of his life in return for money?

We asked Beijing workers and understood their desire to leave a personal mark in the city. Could their unique identity bring a personal and human face to the city?

In this cylinder, we use light to give recognition to those who built Beijing with loyalty.

Could light help to recognise your location in a place that is anonymous to you?

WATTS MATTER

WATTS MATTER

For Zhang and her family, energy matters. Many Beijing families have only one lamp in their house.

Zhang exactly knows that her light bulb only uses 12 Watts of energy: Saving watts means saving money. It means more money for the future of her child.

Saving (energy) is one of the common habits in Beijing.

At the same time, bright spaces have become a luxury to aspire to: “A lot of light is for the rich. Darkness is for the poor. A lot of light is beautiful”, Zhang says.

In this cylinder we show that Less is More could also apply to light: this installation never uses more than 12 watts at a time, no matter which switch you pull.

Can you find a lighting setting that saves energy and gives you a feeling of luxury at the same moment?

PEACE IN THE CROWD

PEACE IN THE CROWD

Wener is 13 years. School is intense. Short eye exercises are one of the few possibilities to relax. Goal: be focussed again. Perform. Be the best student you can.

Mother Limin escapes everyday life by taking her car for a nightly drive around Beijing. Destination: inner peace.

Beijing is in a competitive mode. It is hard to find time for personal reflections and emotions.

We explore how the lighting in public transit spaces helps us to find inner peace in moments which are normally wasted. In the cylinder you experience natural movements. Imagine the attraction of a woodfire, or a shadow of a tree waving in the wind. Through light these natural movements are synchronised with the movement of a crowd of people.

How does it feel to achieve ‘inner peace in a crowd’? (ancient Chinese saying)

Slow down and you will be rewarded.

Guest Professor Appointment

September 5, 2011. I am very proud of being appointed as a Guest Professor at School of Digital Media, Jiangnan University. I am looking forward to more productive cooperation with my Chinese colleagues.

Source: http://dm.jiangnan.edu.cn/cn/news/events/hu-jun-guest-professor.

9月5日下午，胡军客座教授受聘仪式在数字媒体学院410报告厅隆重举行。数字媒体学院院长刘渊、党委书记曹瑛、副院长王峰、陈秀宏、殷俊、党委副书记陈炜昀等出席了受聘仪式。

仪式上，数字媒体学院院长刘渊首先简要介绍了胡军教授的基本情况。胡军教授现就职于荷兰埃因霍温理工大学，他曾先后获西北大学数学学士学位、西北大学计算机科学硕士学位以及荷兰埃因霍温理工大学博士学位。他先后担任全欧华人专业协会联合会理事、全荷华人协会联合会理事、 荷兰华人学者和工程师协会秘书长、荷兰华人学者和工程师协会主席、荷兰华人经济技术中心理事会理事等职务。胡军教授主要从事计算机科学理论与实践、人机交互理论及设计方面的研究，近年来发表高水平学术论文10多篇，会议论文30余篇，出版专著10余部，多次承担欧盟研究项目及各类地区性横向项目。

接着，胡军教授与在场师生们分享了他个人的科研经历和感悟，并表示非常乐意担任江南大学客座教授，并由衷希望在任职期间与我校师生加强沟通、增强合作、共育成果。

随后，刘渊院长为胡军教授颁发了江南大学客座教授聘书。刘院长对胡军教授担任我校客座教授表示衷心的感谢和热烈的欢迎。他表示，能够聘请胡军教授担任客座教授，将对我院人才培养、学科发展、对外合作等方面起到积极的推动作用。据悉，胡军教授在为期两年的聘期中，将致力于以下方面的工作：1.推动合作英文版专著的出版；2.参与辅导硕士和博士研究生；3.就交互设计、基于物联网的设计、或面向社交网的设计开设研究生课程，或就软件、图形界面、可用性开设本科课程；4.与相关老师合作，就与物联网和社交网有关的设计开展具体的科研工作；5.和江南大学合作，在International Journal of Art and Technology组织一期英文特刊；6.进一步推动江南大学、埃因霍温理工大学双方在教学和科研方面的合作，推动包括浙江大学在内的三方合作。

数字媒体学院

2011.9.5

Semantic Resources

Technological advances in computational, networking and sensing abilities are leading towards a future in which our daily lives are immersed with interactive devices that are networked and interoperable.

It is imperative that users are able to understand such complex intelligent and interactive environments. Design has an important role in facilitating users in making sense of the many connections between devices in a networked environment.

Two design solutions based on tangible interaction have been developed that allow users to manage wireless connections between devices in a smart living room context.

One design (SCD) is a centralized approach based on a high-level of semantic abstraction. The second design (Nodes) employs a distributed and localized approach, building upon laws of grouping from Gestalt psychology.

A user experiment (N=15) was conducted, comparing both design solutions in the form of video prototypes. The goal of the research was to gain insights into the mental models users construct when using the methods and how they differ.

Findings suggest that users’ mental models of the Nodes design are more accurate representations of the actual architecture of the network and that it allows for the projection of different mental models. Furthermore, findings also suggest that this does not necessarily lead to better usability or increased perceived value.

Enriching Reading Experience

The goal of this research was to analyze to what extent applying dramatic soundtracks to a short story enrich the reading experience on an E-reader. This is an opportunity to give reading a new face allowed by the capabilities of the digital nature of eBooks and E-readers. The set up tested for imagery, transportation and attention through a questionnaire. Additionally arousal was measured with the help of GSR sensors. The results did not show a clear enrichment of the experience. The soundtracks were distracting at some points and complementing at others. The opportunity of dramatic soundtracks in eBooks is still a valid proposition which rests on the proper implementation.

Semantic Resources

In the EU, policy makers have been debating over carbon reduction for many years. One of the methods that pursue to reduce our carbon footprints is to raise energy awareness and stimulate energy efficiency through behavioral and attitude change. However, these same policy makers currently overlook the reasons why people consume resources, how these ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ establish themselves and evolve over time in our everyday lives, also known as ‘practices. (E.g.) (Shove E. , 2003) (Hargreaves, 2011) (Chetty, 2008) (Stern, 2000) (Hertwich, 2005)

According to Shove, ‘practices are defined as a coordinated entity of inter-related and mutually reinforcing ‘components’ (Shove E. M., 2008) In simpler words, a practice is a system of doing, existing out of 3 elements: conventions, materials and competences which are deeply embedded within society, rendering them to appear ‘normal’ and are therefore easily to be overlooked.

Practices are particularly interesting to designers as we configure the material infrastructures through our designs while proposing new ways of doings, often resulting in new needs and desires. It is important for sustainability to research this area as technological efficiency improvements may result in unintended outcomes that are often for the worse. (Scott, 2009)

SOFIA is a software platform that enables devices to become inter-connectable and exchange information from the ‘Web’ (Internet of Things), opening an up a whole new range of (multimedia) applications and control within the household. Revolutions in technological infrastructures like SOFIA are seen as an opportunity to transform our practices into more sustainable ones. (Wilson, 2007) Therefore a study was initiated into a practice that is rising to be one of the biggest electric consumers within the household, the television. (Department for Energy and Climate Change, 2010 (July)) (Ministerie van Economische zaken, 2008)

During this project a service was designed that aims to diminish energy consumption while supporting the practices that are embedded within the use of television. One of its features, dimming the backlight of a television when none is actively looking at the screen, was tested against users in a household setting to see whether subjects would notice the dimming effect and if so, how much of a negative impact it has on their viewing experience.

Photo Mirror

This report covers the work of the final bachelor project of Industrial Design student Matthijs Jansen. It shows the design process of an adaptive photo mirror. With this mirror, a host can show his hospitality and care for his visitor through common photos of him and his guest inside the mirror, creating a fun and surprising experience when receiving guests in the hallway.

ROILA

Omar Mubin, one of our PhD candidates, printed his book “ROILA: RObot Interaction LAnguage” last week. “… The mismatch between humans’ expectations and the abilities of interactive robots often results in frustration for the user. Palm Inc. faced a similar problem with handwriting recognition for their handheld computers. They invented Graffiti, an artificial alphabet, that was easy to learn and easy for the computer to recognize. Our Robot Interaction Language (ROILA) takes a similar approach by offering a speech recognition friendly artificial language that is easy to learn for humans and easy to understand for robots with an ultimate goal of outperforming natural language in terms of speech recognition accuracy…”.

To read more about his work, download the book [PDF, 3M].

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