Single Value Devices

We live in a world of continuous information overflow, but the quality of information and communication is suffering. Single value devices contribute to the information and communication quality by fo- cussing on one explicit, relevant piece of information. The information is decoupled from a computer and represented in an object, integrates into daily life. However, most existing single value devices come from conceptual experiments or art and exist only as prototypes. In order to get to mature products and to design meaningful, effective and work- ing objects, an integral perspective on the design choices is necessary. Our contribution is a critical exploration of the design space of single value devices. In a survey we give an overview of existing examples. The characterizing design criteria for single value devices are elaborated in a taxonomy. Finally, we discuss several design choices that are specifically important for moving from prototypes to commercializable products

Energy-aware systems for improving the well-being of older people by reducing their energy consumption

Fuel poverty is becoming a problem amongst the older community in the UK. To help reduce the anxiety that fuel poverty places on older members of the community, this paper will first address why such systems are necessary before introducing a system and various interfaces for engaging and promoting better energy usage. Key areas of the proposed prototype will be discussed which focuses on a recommender and behavioural change system which enables older people to improve their energy footprint through energy-aware systems. Using systems to help reduce fuel poverty will invariably improve their general well-being. Results show how this technology can be accepted and act as an enabler in improving the overall well-being of older people as well as other system considerations. In addition, a number of subsequent phases of the project will be detailed which will discuss a longer test duration, an analysis of the data harvested and future directions

From Sensor to Observation Web with Environmental Enablers in the Future Internet

This paper outlines the grand challenges in global sustainability research and the objectives of the FP7 Future Internet PPP program within the Digital Agenda for Europe. Large user communities are generating significant amounts of valuable environmental observations at local and regional scales using the devices and services of the Future Internet. These communities’ environmental observations represent a wealth of information which is currently hardly used or used only in isolation and therefore in need of integration with other information sources. Indeed, this very integration will lead to a paradigm shift from a mere Sensor Web to an Observation Web with semantically enriched content emanating from sensors, environmental simulations and citizens. The paper also describes the research challenges to realize the Observation Web and the associated environmental enablers for the Future Internet. Such an environmental enabler could for instance be an electronic sensing device, a web-service application, or even a social networking group affording or facilitating the capability of the Future Internet applications to consume, produce, and use environmental observations in cross-domain applications. The term ?envirofied? Future Internet is coined to describe this overall target that forms a cornerstone of work in the Environmental Usage Area within the Future Internet PPP program. Relevant trends described in the paper are the usage of ubiquitous sensors (anywhere), the provision and generation of information by citizens, and the convergence of real and virtual realities to convey understanding of environmental observations. The paper addresses the technical challenges in the Environmental Usage Area and the need for designing multi-style service oriented architecture. Key topics are the mapping of requirements to capabilities, providing scalability and robustness with implementing context aware information retrieval. Another essential research topic is handling data fusion and model based computation, and the related propagation of information uncertainty. Approaches to security, standardization and harmonization, all essential for sustainable solutions, are summarized from the perspective of the Environmental Usage Area. The paper concludes with an overview of emerging, high impact applications in the environmental areas concerning land ecosystems (biodiversity), air quality (atmospheric conditions) and water ecosystems (marine asset management)

Smart Control for Home Water Heater Saving

Existing gas or electric water heaters can become inefficient through the overheating of water and through parasitic heat loss. These inefficiencies are able to be solved by monitoring when a home uses hot water. AquAdapt is a smart sensor which is capable of attaching to any existing residential gas or electric water heater. By constantly monitoring the temperature change of a home water heater, the first law of thermodynamics can be used to relate temperature change to the amount of hot water leaving the water heater. Utilizing this information, a schedule can be generated to optimize the heating of home hot water. Regulating the on-off state of a water heater based on the household’s learned usage pattern, allows AquAdapt to reduce residential water heating energy consumption by up to 33%. With a final product cost of $60, the return on investment of AquAdapt is estimated to be 8 months

Future bathroom: A study of user-centred design principles affecting usability, safety and satisfaction in bathrooms for people living with disabilities

Research and development work relating to assistive technology 2010-11 (Department of Health) Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 197

Design for the Right to the Smart City in More-than-Human Worlds

Environmental concerns have driven an interest in sustainable smart cities, through the monitoring and optimisation of networked infrastructure processes. At the same time, there are concerns about who these interventions and services are for, and who benefits. HCI researchers and designers interested in civic life have started to call for the democratisation of urban space through resistance and political action to challenge state and corporate claims. This paper aims to add to the growing body of critical and civic led smart city literature in HCI by leveraging concepts from the environmental humanities about more than human worlds, as a way to shift understandings within HCI of smart cities away from the exceptional and human centered, towards a more inclusive understanding that incorporates and designs for other others and other species. We illustrate through a case study that involved codesigning Internet of Things with urban agricultural communities, possibilities for creating more environmentally and socially just smart cities

An Architecture for Development of Ambient Assisted Living Applications: a Case Study in Diabetes

Advances in sensors, mobile and embedded devices have made possible patient monitoring and provided medical treatments and other assistance in health care. Aging populations will benefit from reduced costs and improved health care through assisted living based on these technologies. In this paper we present a monitoring and control architecture allow control of a patient’s disease trough mobile and biometric devices. Our architecture is based on an Ambient Assisted Living control that provides different modules organized in a final application embedded in the mobile devices. This application is compounded by aspects like control of measurement, data obtained and representation, generation of suggestions, prevention, and education control. We have explored the architecture by developing a final application and implementing them in a prototype system. Our system shows the feasibility and opportunity of an open approach to ambient assisted living architecture.Advances in sensors, mobile and embedded devices have made possible patient monitoring and provided medical treatments and other assistance in health care. Aging populations will benefit from reduced costs and improved health care through assisted living based on these technologies. In this paper we present a monitoring and control architecture allow control of a patient’s disease trough mobile and biometric devices. Our architecture is based on an Ambient Assisted Living control that provides different modules organized in a final application embedded in the mobile devices. This application is compounded by aspects like control of measurement, data obtained and representation, generation of suggestions, prevention, and education control. We have explored the architecture by developing a final application and implementing them in a prototype system. Our system shows the feasibility and opportunity of an open approach to ambient assisted living architecture