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This keynote speech by Roel Pieper explores the concept of Ambient Intelligence and its impact on the future of computing devices. It discusses the lessons learned from historical examples and significant prototypes, highlighting the need for human-centric technology and the value of functionality in ambient environments.
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Palo Alto Ventures Roel Pieper Digital Living Room Keynote Speech Brainstorm
The Coming Revolution • This is not a convergence • This is an EXPLOSION of functionality into the environment Networks Cost Late Adopters
Ambient Intelligence • Distributed adaptive intelligent objects vs. one God-like PC. • Ambient Intelligence is: • Pervasive • Background • Adaptive and responsive to people • Life-enhancing • More than just PC vs. TV, it’s a total restructuring of the way we build, sell and use computing devices.
Lessons about the future from past and present • Use • historical and psychological lessons • significant prototypes and experiments • Thorough investigation of Philips should reveal other examples: these are placeholders
1985: Game Consoles vs. Home Computers • 1985 was watershed in how public bought electronic games • Pre-1985 general purpose home computers with tape drives (Commodore, Tandy etc.) • Post 1985 single purpose game consoles capture market • Dedicated box better fulfilled customers needs which were: • Price • Price / performance of dedicated box better than general purpose device which is inevitably a compromise • Simplicity • SIMPLE IN CONCEPT: Fulfilled a SINGLE, compelling customer need • SIMPLE IN OPERATION: On/off switch, joystick, cartridge • Reliability • Cartridges loaded instantly and reliably. • It was impossible for a user to mis-adjust the machine so it wouldn’t work. • Stability • New incompatible home computers launched every year • Console lifecycle deliberately slowed to 5 years, allowing customers to protect investment in software • Change is good, but too-rapid change is bad. • Lesson: Dedicated machine better served consumer needs.
Significant Prototypes (1): Tokens • SWATCH-funded research • Tokens are small physical iconic devices that embody: • A web-site • A CD • A Limousine service • We are used to handling tokens - adding intelligence is natural • Tokens can be given • Lesson: The virtual can become embedded in the environment
Significant Prototypes (2): Anchored Displays • PARC has tried general-purpose ‘pads’ • MIT student created ‘anchored displays’, multiple small displays scattered throughout house • weather near bedroom closet • traffic news near coat-rack (push update) • baby monitoring in parents bedroom • Lesson: Information available where most useful
Significant Prototypes (3): Control Wands • Consumer Electronics today like DOS before Windows • Lacks unifying control system • Philips Visions of the Future Project • Simple control wands are • Personalized • Adaptive to new devices • Lesson: Unifying control principle needs discovering
Significant Prototypes (4): Smart Materials and Wearables • Penny Tags for identifying cheap or disposable objects - chips too expensive • MIT research discovered that passive materials can encode information • Other materials can detect and communicate heat, humidity etc. • Lesson: Network nodes display range of intelligence
Significant Prototypes (5): HYPHOS • MIT: How to make low cost,high density network suitable for home. • Self-organizing, self-healing • Totally decentralized -each node is its own router • Low range radio better thanhigh-range • conserves power • conserves spectrum • Lesson: The future has no center
Everything Works with Everything • These prototypes are not amazing of themselves • But the aggregate possibilities of embedding this functionality everywhere imply right function for right user at right moment • Example: • The Creative Alarm Clock
The Creative Alarm Clock: A quintessential Example • Plays new tune each day chosen from my past preferences by collaborative filtering • Tune is further appropriate to my calendar today • Responds to voice commands • I can carry it to new places • Subscription to music service can be given as a token
Human-centric viewpoint of Ambient Intelligence • Single most important movement today in all areas of computing is human-centric • Make machines know us better so that they fade from view • NOT user-friendly IT’S user-subliminal • NOT feature-orientated IT’S need-orientated • NOT attention-demanding IT’S life-enhancing
What is value of technology? • Current view:value = functionality • Ambient Intelligence says:value = functionality -------------- attention required
Attention Span Zero: Riding a Bicycle • When a child begins to ride a bicycle they are learning to operate a machine. • When the skill has been fully assimilated, you just go places. • Technology truly empowers when used unconsciously • An unconscious tool becomes an extension of the user • The unmediated fulfillment of needs
Immersion in life, not technology • Ambient Intelligence is the way for us to re-immerse ourselves in life, and not in technology • Heroes