SMART-ITS
Interconnected Embedded Technology for Smart
Artefacts with Collective Awareness | IST-2000-25428
Website: www.smart-its.org

Ubiquitous Computing is fundamentally characterized by the connection of things in the world with computation" (M. Weiser) The Smart-Its project is interested in a far-reaching vision of computation embedded in the world. In this vision, mundane everyday artefacts become augmented as soft media, able to enter into dynamic digital relationships. In our project, we approach this vision with development of "Smart-Its" - small-scale embedded devices that can be attached to everyday objects to augment them with sensing, perception, computation, and communication. We think of these "Smart-Its" as enabling technology for building and testing ubiquitous computing scenarios, and we will use them to study emerging functionality and collective context-awareness of information artefacts.

The project envisions small-scale smart devices - "Smart-Its" - that can be attached to mundane everyday artefacts to augment these with a "digital self". These devices will be as cheap, as unobtrusive and as generic as state-of-the-art smart labels (i.e., RFID tags). In addition these devices will be enabled with perception of their environment, with peer-to-peer communication, and with customizable behaviour. Collections of such devices will be used to augment and interconnect entire families of artefacts, such as scattered personal belongings, toys in the playroom, and objects in collaborative interactive experiences.

Partners:

Lancaster University,
Computing Department,
Lancaster LA1 4YR, UK
Contact:Prof. Hans W. Gellersen,
Chris Needham (admin),
Cooperative Systems Engineering Group,
Tel: +44 1524 593823 (or CSEG office 593041),
fax: +44 1524 593608.

TecO,
University of Karlsruhe,
Germany

Distributed Systems Group,
ETH Zurich
Zurich,Switzerland

Perceptual Computing and Computer Vision Group,
ETH Zurich
Zurich,Switzerland

PLAY Research Studio,
Interactive Institute,
Gothenburg,Sweden

VTT Electronics,
Oulu, Finland

Additional Information: