Augmenting Smart Spaces with Intelligent Robots

Ubiquitous computing enables the construction of "smart spaces" where the computational infrastructure is integrated with the physical surroundings in order to allow users to interact with computers in seamless and unobtrusive ways. Computer outreach to the physical world is achieved through sensors and actuators, which could be limiting. In this work, we propose the use of intelligent robots that are able to roam the smart space, capture additional contextual information, interact with users and provide digital "butler services." To enable this vision, we utilize off-the-shelf products to create a smart robot that acts as a physical agent for the smart space and can serve users and capture context information by employing image and voice recognition techniques. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of "Anees" the robotic digital butler that serves within a smart space environment.