61,055 research outputs found
The Role of Web Services at Home
The increase in computational power and the networking abilities of home appliances are revolutionizing the way we interact with our homes. This trend is growing stronger and opening a number of technological challenges. From the point of view of distributed systems, there is a need to design architectures for enhancing the comfort and safety of the home, which deal with issues of heterogeneity, scalability and openness. By considering the evolution of domotic research and projects, we advocate a role for web services in the domestic network, and propose an infrastructure based on web services. As a case study, we present an implementation for monitoring the health of an elder adult using multiple sensors and clients
Micro systems technology
The emerging field of Micro Systems Technology is described. Micro Systems Technology can be seen as the meeting of disciplines, a product of convergence along different lines. Apart from the traditional and ever developing line of 'classical' precision engineering, there is a line along micro electronics, micro sensors and actuators. This is the line we focus on in this contribution. The third line worth mentioning is the one along the upcoming field of molecular engineering. The main purpose of this paper is to show the wealth of possibilities and consequently the need for 'integral design' management
Black Holes and Vacuum Cleaners: Using Metaphor, Relevance, and Inquiry in Labels for Space Images
This study extended research on the development of explanatory labels for
astronomical images for the non-expert lay public. The research questions
addressed how labels with leading questions/metaphors and relevance to everyday
life affect comprehension of the intended message for deep space images, the
desire to learn more, and the aesthetic appreciation of images. Participants
were a convenience sample of 1,921 respondents solicited from a variety of
websites and through social media who completed an online survey that used four
high-resolution images as stimuli: Sagittarius A*, Solar Flare, Cassiopeia A,
and the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101). Participants were randomly assigned initially
to 1 of 3 label conditions: the standard label originally written for the
image, a label with a leading question containing a metaphor related to the
information for the image, or a label that contained a fact about the image
relevant to everyday life. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 image and
compared all labels for that image. Open-ended items at various points asked
participants to pose questions to a hypothetical astronomer. Main findings were
that the relevance condition was significantly more likely to increase wanting
to learn more; the original label was most likely to increase overall
appreciation; and, smart phone users were more likely to want to learn more and
report increased levels of appreciation. Results are discussed in terms of the
need to examine individual viewer characteristics and goals in creating
different labels for different audiences.Comment: 50 pages, 7 tables, 2 figures, accepted by the journal "Psychology of
Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts
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The Right to the Sustainable Smart City
Environmental concerns have driven an interest in sustainable smart cities, through the monitoring and optimisation of networked infrastructures. 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 contributes to an emerging body of work that seeks to involve citizens in the design of sustainable smart cities, particularly in the context of marginalised and culturally diverse urban communities. We present a study involving co- designing Internet of Things with urban agricultural communities and discuss three ways in which design can participate in the right to the sustainable smart city through designing for the commons, care, and biocultural diversity
The smart home in the mind and in the practice of digital natives. The case of “Sapienza” University
Smart home e giovani: quale la percezione? La presente indagine pilota, effettuata da un gruppo di studiosi dell’Università Sapienza di Roma mira ad analizzarne i risultati, rappresentando una ricognizione essenziale di quello che è l’universo dei giovani in relazione al mondo smart e alla domotica. L’Ateneo Sapienza sposa appieno la sfida lanciata da Horizon 2020 con il progetto ReStart4Smart, un laboratorio pratico in cui poter conoscere e sperimentare, fare ricerca e innovare, condividere e divulgare, tanto problemi quanto, e più possibile, soluzioni ambientali ed abitative. Chi sono realmente i nativi digitali? E qual è il loro livello di conoscenza della smart home? Quali i valori e quali i comportamenti concreti in relazione all’utilizzo intelligente delle nuove tecnologie
Rights in a Cloud of Dust: The Value and Qualities of Farm Data and How Its Property Rights Should Be Viewed Moving Forward
Historically, technology growth has been slower in agriculture than other industries. However, a rising demand for food and an increase in efficient farm practices has changed this, leading to a rise in precision farming technologies. Now, entities that provide services or information to farmers need precision farming technologies to compete, and more farmers are adopting precision farming technologies. These technologies help farmers, but questions still remain about ownership rights in the data that farmers create
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