Applying Spatial Computing to Everyday Interactive Designs

In this position paper, we address the applicability of spatial computing in the field of interactive architecture. The process of designing large-scale interactive systems is cumbersome, due in fact to single design cycles (transforming ideas into prototypes) taking a period of time usually measured in months, most of it dedicated to writing the software controlling the system. As most interactive architecture projects pass through several design cycles interleaved with user studies, speeding up the generation of the needed software becomes of crucial importance. The global-to-local programming approach is in fact a perfect tool for this task. Describing complex behaviors with simple rules is rarely seen in the existing installations, the large majority employing a central computer for the control of the system. Building up on our previous experience in this area, we created HiveKit, a proof of concept allowing bridging between the two fields, giving non-specialists easy access to distributed algorithms. HiveKit is a software package which allows designers to specify the desired behavior and automatically generate and deploy the needed code on networks of embedded devices. We introduce several projects where HiveKit is employed and create an argument, based on user studies, favoring the need for large-scale adoption of such tools

Self-stabilized fast gossiping algorithms

In this article, we explore the topic of extending aggregate computation in distributed networks with selfstabilizing properties to withstand network dynamics. Existing research suggests that fast gossiping algorithms, based on the properties of order statistics applied to families of exponential random variables, are a viable solution for computing functions of the values stored in the network. We focus on the specific case in which network changes and failures occur in batches with a minimum frequency in the order of the diameter of the network. Our contribution consists in two self-stabilizing mechanisms, allowing fast gossiping algorithms to be applicable to dynamic networks with minor increase in resources usage. The resulting algorithms can be deployed in networks exhibiting churn, node stop-failures and resets, and random topological changes. The theoretical results are verified with simulations on synthetic data, showcasing desirable properties for large-scale network designers such as scalability, lack of single points of failure, and anonymity

Enabling Future Smart Energy Systems

The on-going transition to more sustainable energy production methods means that we are moving away from a monolithic, centrally controlled model to one in which both production and consumption are progressively decentralised and localised. This in turn gives rise to complex interacting networks. ICT and mathematics will be instrumental in making these networks more efficient and resilient. This article highlights two research areas that we expect will play an important role in these developments

Spatial computing in interactive architecture

Distributed computing is the theoretical foundation for applications and technologies like interactive architecture, wearable computing, and smart materials. It evolves continuously, following needs rising from scientific developments, novel uses of technology, or simply the curiosity to better understand the world around us. The pace of evolution is fast: in a short span of time distributed computing helped the Internet develop into how we know it today and overcame the dynamics of the large spread of mobile wireless communication. Soon, we will see the effects of distributed computing in the rise of the Internet of Things. Interactive architecture brings a specific set of requirements to distributed computing (sheer number of devices, specific dynamics, resources, control constraints, etc.). The mapping between the requirements of interactive installation and distributed systems theory is well understood. Architects are already acquainted with concepts such as emergent behavior and swarm behavior and use them in their concepts. Nevertheless, despite the availability of all the constituent ingredients, the number of large-scale installations employing distributed behavior in hardware and software is very small. The vast majority of systems are still controlled from a central computer that creates the desired behavior and that faces obvious issues of scale. This is the main research question that we would like to tackle in this essay. Before going into details, let us contemplate for a moment the larger picture, making abstraction of the technological barriers. The dream of large-scale interactive systems responding and adapting instantly to the user’s desires will come one step closer to actualization. For example, the myriad inputs triggered by the crowds inhabiting a city will be translated automatically through extensively equipped intelligent surroundings. Aspects of control, safety, and privacy will be automatically dealt with in real time. Humans will have a new understanding of the world around them, which will simply adapt to suit their needs. Smart cities and the Internet of Things will finally become a reality