IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics - Part A: Systems and Humans

Ambient intelligence (AmI) is a new multidisciplinary paradigm rooted in the ideas of NormanAuthor of the Invisible Computer [32]. and Ubiquitous Computing. AmI fosters novel anthropomorphic human–machine models of interaction. In AmI, technologies are deployed to make computers disappear in the background, while the human user moves into the foreground in complete control of the augmented e... View full abstract»

The development of ambient intelligence (AmI) applications that effectively adapt to the needs of the users and environments requires, among other things, the presence of planning mechanisms for goal-oriented behavior. Planning is intended as the ability of an AmI system to build a course of actions that, when carried out by the devices in the environment, achieve a given goal. The problem of plan... View full abstract»

With the rapid growth of the elderly population, there is a need to support the ability of elders to maintain an independent and healthy lifestyle in their homes rather than through more expensive and isolated care facilities. One approach to accomplish these objectives employs the concepts of ambient intelligence to remotely monitor an elder's activities and condition. The SmartHouse project uses... View full abstract»

This work presents a novel method for image similarity measure, where a hand-drawn rough black and white sketch is compared with an existing data base of full color images (art works and photographs). The proposed system creates ambient intelligence in terms of the evaluation of nonprecise, easy to input sketched information. The system can then provide the user with options of either retrieving s... View full abstract»

Computer vision and ubiquitous multimedia access nowadays make feasible the development of a mostly automated system for human-behavior analysis. In this context, our proposal is to analyze human behaviors by classifying the posture of the monitored person and, consequently, detecting corresponding events and alarm situations, like a fall. To this aim, our approach can be divided in two phases: fo... View full abstract»

We describe a novel life-long learning approach for intelligent agents that are embedded in intelligent environments. The agents aim to realize the vision of ambient intelligence in intelligent inhabited environments (IIE) by providing ubiquitous computing intelligence in the environment supporting the activities of the user. An unsupervised, data-driven, fuzzy technique is proposed for extracting... View full abstract»

A key question in the design of intelligent environments is how a space can influence the actions of its users, and how such behavior can be learned. We present the results of experiments conducted as part of the Ada project, an interactive entertainment exhibit deployed at the Swiss national exhibition Expo.02. We used a learning model called distributed adaptive control (DAC) that is based on th... View full abstract»

Many visions of the future include people immersed in an environment surrounded by sensors and intelligent devices, which use smart infrastructures to improve the quality of life and safety in emergency situations. Ubiquitous communication enables these sensors or intelligent devices to communicate with each other and the user or a decision maker by means of ad hoc wireless networking. Organizatio... View full abstract»

With the rapid development of pervasive and ubiquitous computing applications, intelligent user-assistance systems face challenges of ambiguous, uncertain, and multimodal sensory observations, user's changing state, and various constraints on available resources and costs in making decisions. We introduce a new probabilistic framework based on the dynamic Bayesian networks (DBNs) to dynamically mo... View full abstract»

In this paper, techniques and related issues for the definition of a contextual knowledge in ambient-intelligence systems are explored. A logical structure for this kind of system, inspired by a neurobiological brain model, is proposed. Through these considerations, the role and the importance of context awareness in the definition of an artificial organism showing adaptability, pervasiveness, and... View full abstract»

Modern approaches to the architecture of living and working environments emphasize the dynamic reconfiguration of space and function to meet the needs, comfort, and preferences of its inhabitants. Although it is possible for a human operator to specify a configuration explicitly, the size, sophistication, and dynamic requirements of modern buildings demands that they have autonomous intelligence t... View full abstract»

Moving toward the implementation of the intelligent building idea in the framework of ambient intelligence, a video security application for people detection, tracking, and counting in indoor environments is presented in this paper. In addition to security purposes, the system may be employed to estimate the number of accesses in public buildings, as well as the preferred followed routes. Computer... View full abstract»

Intelligent environments can be viewed as systems where humans and machines (rooms) collaborate. Intelligent (or smart) environments need to extract and maintain an awareness of a wide range of events and human activities occurring in these spaces. This requirement is crucial for supporting efficient and effective interactions among humans as well as humans and intelligent spaces. Visual informati... View full abstract»

On-line surveillance to improve safety and security is a major requirement for the management of public transport networks and other public places. The surveillance task is a complex one involving people, management procedures, and technology. This work describes an architecture that takes into account the distributed nature of the detection processes and the need to allow for different types of d... View full abstract»