Auto-Associative Recurrent Neural Networks and Long Term Dependencies in Novelty Detection for Audio Surveillance Applications

Machine Learning applied to Automatic Audio Surveillance has been attracting increasing attention in recent years. In spite of several investigations based on a large number of different approaches, little attention had been paid to the environmental temporal evolution of the input signal. In this work, we propose an exploration in this direction comparing the temporal correlations extracted at the feature level with the one learned by a representational structure. To this aim we analysed the prediction performances of a Recurrent Neural Network architecture varying the length of the processed input sequence and the size of the time window used in the feature extraction. Results corroborated the hypothesis that sequential models work better when dealing with data characterized by temporal order. However, so far the optimization of the temporal dimension remains an open issu

The Design of UDOO Boards: Contributing to the Appropriation of Digital Technology

The domain of Human-Computer Interaction does not concern just the design of technology that is easy to use, useful, and fancy – it has to do with our role in shaping our environment, our ecological niche that today involves the whole earth. A key concept in the interaction between humans and computing resources is that of appropriation originally proposed by Aleksei Nikolaevich Leontiev. In the present paper we will first review the concept of appropriation and will present bricolage as a key activity for fostering appropriation. Then we will present the Makers Movement as a socio-cultural movement relevant for the process of appropriation of digital technology. Finally, we will describe our approach and vision in the design of the UDOO, a single board computer, and of a specific developing environment, UAPPI, for enabling the appropriation through meaningful activities of digital technologies

The AXIOM platform for next-generation cyber physical systems

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) are widely used in many applications that require interactions between humans and their physical environment. These systems usually integrate a set of hardware-software components for optimal application execution in terms of performance and energy consumption. The AXIOM project (Agile, eXtensible, fast I/O Module), presented in this paper, proposes a hardware-software platform for CPS coupled with an easy parallel programming model and sufficient connectivity so that the performance can scale-up by adding multiple boards. AXIOM supports a task-based programming model based on OmpSs and leverages a high-speed, inexpensive communication interface called AXIOM-Link. The board also tightly couples the CPU with reconfigurable resources to accelerate portions of the applications. As case studies, AXIOM uses smart video surveillance, and smart home living applicationsThis work is partially supported by the European Union H2020 program through the AXIOM project (grant ICT-01-2014 GA 645496) and HiPEAC (GA 687698), by the Spanish Government through Programa Severo Ochoa (SEV-2015-0493), by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology through TIN2015-65316-P project, and by the Generalitat de Catalunya (contracts 2014-SGR-1051 and 2014-SGR-1272). We also thank the Xilinx University Program for its hardware and software donations.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

UDOO App Inventor: Introducing Novices to the Internet of Things

This paper describes the opportunities provided by the new graphical tool UDOO App Inventor (UAPPI) for enhancing the programming learning experience. With this tool, coding and programming are no longer limited to screen pixels but will incorporate real objects in the physical world. The aim of the authors' research is to develop new tools for coding alphabetization, by focusing on live programming, event programming, physical computing and overcoming syntax obstacles by using blocks programming. They describe two simple Research through Design case studies carried out with different categories of attendees in order to illustrate the potential of the UAPPI platform. In the first case, the authors render a door interactive, while in the second, they build a simple rover

ATM Protection Using Embedded Deep Learning Solutions

Last decade advances in Deep Learning methods lead to sensible improvements in state of the art results in many real world applications, thanks to the exploitation of particular Artificial Neural Networks architectures. In this paper we present an investigation of the application of such kind of structures to a Video Surveillance case of study, in which the special nature and the small amount of available data increases the difficulties during the training phase. The analyzed scenario involves the protection of Automatic Teller Machines (ATM), representing a sensitive problem in the world of both banking and public security. Because of the critical issues related to this environment, even apparently small improvements in either accuracy or responsiveness of surveillance systems can produce a fundamental contribution. Even if the experimentation has been reproduced in an artificial scenario, the results show that the implemented architecture is able to classify depth data in real-time on an embedded system, detecting all the test attacks in a few seconds

Making IoT with UDOO

The advent of massively interconnected objects, devices, and sensors raises equally substantial challenges regarding the resources that will allow makers to manage the complexity of such systems and to exploit the opportunities such technologies open up. Simplicity in management and a smooth, creative integration of everyday life objects empowered by digital technology in our own environment are two key factors for a successful penetration of Internet of Things (IoT). We present UDOO IoT, a combined set of open hardware (UDOO Quad, Blu and Bricks) and open software (UAPPI, an extension of MIT App Inventor) technologies that allow novices from their early steps in the maker’s world to create their own digital objects connected to the cloud, easily defining custom behavior logic for sensors and actuators. UDOO IoT is illustrated through one of the field studies carried out along its design process

The Design of UDOO Boards: Contributing to the Appropriation of Digital Technology

The domain of Human-Computer Interaction does not only concern the design of technology that is easy to use, useful, and fancy—it has to do with our role in shaping our environment, our ecological niche that today involves the whole earth. A key concept in the interaction between humans and computing resources is that of appropriation, originally proposed by Aleksei Nikolaevich Leontiev. In the present paper we will first review the concept of appropriation and will present bricolage as a key activity for fostering appropriation. Then we will present the Makers Movement as a socio-cultural movement relevant for the process of appropriation of digital technology. Finally, we will describe our approach and vision in the design of the UDOO, a single board computer, and of a specific developing environment, UAPPI, for enabling the appropriation through meaningful activities of digital technologies

Rapid Prototyping IoT Solutions Based on Machine Learning

Nowadays Machine Learning (ML) has reached an all-time high, and this is evident by considering the increasing number of successful start-ups, applications and services in this domain. ML techniques are being developed and applied to an ever-growing range of fields, from on-demand delivery to smart home. Nevertheless, these solutions are failing at getting mainstream adoption among interaction designers due to high complexity. In this paper we present the integration of two Machine Learning algorithms into UAPPI, our open source extension of the prototyping environment MIT App Inventor. In UAPPI much of the complexity related to ML has been abstracted away, providing easy-to-use graphical blocks for rapid prototyping Internet of Things solutions. We report on limits and opportunities emerged from the first two scenario-based explorations of our design process

AXIOM: a hardware-software platform for cyber physical systems

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) are widely necessary for many applications that require interactions with the humans and the physical environment. A CPS integrates a set of hardware-software components to distribute, execute and manage its operations. The AXIOM project (Agile, eXtensible, fast I/O Module) aims at developing a hardware-software platform for CPS such that i) it can use an easy parallel programming model and ii) it can easily scale-up the performance by adding multiple boards (e.g., 1 to 10 boards can run in parallel). AXIOM supports taskbased programming model based on OmpSs and leverage a high-speed, inexpensive communication interface called AXIOM-Link. Another key aspect is that the board provides programmable logic (FPGA) to accelerate portions of an application. We are using smart video surveillance, and smart home living applications to drive our design.Peer Reviewe

AXIOM: a hardware-software platform for cyber physical systems

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) are widely necessary for many applications that require interactions with the humans and the physical environment. A CPS integrates a set of hardware-software components to distribute, execute and manage its operations. The AXIOM project (Agile, eXtensible, fast I/O Module) aims at developing a hardware-software platform for CPS such that i) it can use an easy parallel programming model and ii) it can easily scale-up the performance by adding multiple boards (e.g., 1 to 10 boards can run in parallel). AXIOM supports taskbased programming model based on OmpSs and leverage a high-speed, inexpensive communication interface called AXIOM-Link. Another key aspect is that the board provides programmable logic (FPGA) to accelerate portions of an application. We are using smart video surveillance, and smart home living applications to drive our design.Peer Reviewe