Smart environment

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Smart environments is a technological concept that, according to Mark Weiser is "a physical world that is richly and invisibly interwoven with sensors, actuators, displays, and computational elements, embedded seamlessly in the everyday objects of our lives, and connected through a continuous network" [1]

Contents

[edit] Introduction

Smart environments are envisioned as the byproduct of pervasive computing and the availability of cheap computing power, making human interaction with the system a pleasant experience.

[edit] Definition

Cook and Das [1], define Smart environment as "a small world where all kinds of smart devices are continuously working to make inhabitants' lives more comfortable." Smart environments aim to satisfy the experience of individuals from every environment, by replacing the hazardous work, physical labor, and repetitive tasks with automated agents.

[edit] Features

Smart environments are broadly classified to have the following features

  1. Remote control of devices, like power line communication systems to control devices.
  2. Device Communication, using middleware, and Wireless communication to form a picture of connected environments.
  3. Information Acquisition/Dissemination from sensor networks
  4. Enhanced Services by Intelligent Devices
  5. Predictive and Decision-Making capabilities

[edit] Technologies

To build a smart environment, involves technologies of

  1. Wireless communication
  2. Algorithm design, Signal Prediction & Classification, Information theory,
  3. Multilayered Software Architecture, Corba, middleware
  4. Speech recognition
  5. Image processing, Image recognition
  6. Sensors design, calibration, Motion detection, temperature, pressure sensors, accelerometers
  7. Adaptive control, Kalman filters
  8. Computer Networking
  9. Parallel processing
  10. Operating Systems

[edit] Existing projects

The Aware Home Research Initative at Georgia Tech "is devoted to the multidisciplinary exploration of emerging technologies and services based in the home" and was launched in 1998 as one of the first "living laboratories." [2]. The MavHome (Managing an Adaptive Versatile Home) project, at UT Arlington, is a smart environment-lab with state-of-the-art algorithms and protocols used to provide a customized, personal environment to the users of this space. The MavHome project, in addition to providing a safe environment, wants to reduce the energy consumption of the inhabitants[3]. Other projects include House_n at the MIT Media Lab and many others.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Cook, Diane; Das, Sajal (2004). Smart Environments: Technology, Protocols and Applications. Wiley-Interscience. ISBN 0-471-54448-5. 
  2. ^ Aware Home About US (2007).
  3. ^ MavHome (2004).

[edit] See also