On July 29th at the international conference „Intelligent Environments 2011“ in Nottingham, members of DFKI research department Intelligent User Interfaces received two of three awards for the best publications in the area „Internet of things“. One of the distinguished articles describes a new demonstration system for an interactive senior apartment scaled 1:20 build in a flight case. The second award-winning paper treats the topic innovative assistance functions for seniors, which is visualized by a five-minute video about assistance systems for the „Smart Kitchen“.
Saarbruecken, Berlin, 04.08.2011
With six contributions thus ahead of the University of Essex, the DFKI was the worldwide most strongly represented institute on the internationally most important and very selective IEEE and AAAI conference on future topic „Intelligent Environments“. With the invited key note „Connected Cars Create Smart Spaces“ by professor Wolfgang Wahlster, CEO of the DFKI, and two award-winning contributions, the DFKI showed its level of performance in this important future area of the IT-research: the linkage of cyber physical systems and assistance systems in the Internet of things multimodalen with Smart Homes, Smart Cars, Smart Factories and Smart Cities. „These awards confirm the prominent position of German scientists in this innovative field, not least because of the focusing of the HighTech strategy of the Federal Government within the IKT area on the Internet of things and services. World-wide colleagues envy us for the lighthouse projects SemProM and SmartSenior promoted intensively by the BMBF“, explained professor Wahlster.
Interactive senior residential on a scale 1:20 impresses the participants
Intelligent user interfaces enable use of house technology adapted to the individual needs, and help effectively to lower the energy consumption. The Smartphone serves as a control panel, with which the intelligent infrastructure of the apartment can be supervised and controlled. Through the universally applicable standard URC (Universal Remote Console ), devices can be connected to domestic installation, interconnected and become remote controlled, whoever the manufacturer may be.
Coworkers of the DFKI have developed an appropriate scenario in the context of the project SmartSenior, promoted by the Federal Ministry for education and research (BMBF), and by the Saarland Ministry for Economics and Science: „SmartCase: A Smart Home Environment in a Suitcase“. The jury of the conference „Intelligent Environments“ in Nottingham was convinced by the completely controllable, true to scale model flat (1:20) in the roll suit-case, equipped with doors, windows, stove, lighting, medium devices and temperature indicator. The presentation is descriptive purposeful: Are the lights in the bath and living room still on? A gesture on the tablet computer or the Smartphone and they are off. Contact sensors measure whether doors and windows are opened. The house owner can keep track of everything on his mobile terminal.
„To us it is important to demonstrate in a generally intelligible way that the future interaction with the Smart Home will be shaped by personalized, tailor-made user interfaces“, says Dr. Jan Alexandersson, coordinator of the DFKI Competence Center for Ambient Assisted Living. „In order to show at a glance the complexity and variety of an operable apartment, a model apartment in a roll suit-case is the best solution.“ Dr. Norbert Reithinger, project manager SmartSenior in the DFKI Projektbüro Berlin, adds: “ The SmartSenior sample flat as model is not only a convincing demonstrator of our technology, but is also used for tests with real end-users. The model provides a basis for an evaluation and classification before the installation of the technologies into one’s own dwelling has taken place.“
Responsible for the project demonstration and winner of the „Best Demo Award“ are Jochen Frey, Ehsan Gholamsaghaee, Dr. Jan Alexandersson, Dr. Norbert Reithinger, Simon Bergweiler and Dr. Christoph Stahl.
Video clarifies aims of the project and its implementation
A video with the title „Supporting Persons with Special Needs in Their Daily Life in a Smart Home“ (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86GOV31pq4E), which was shot by colleagues at the Intelligent User Interfaces department, was honored with the “Best Video Award”. It illustrates the advantages of assistance systems for the support of older and cognitive handicapped humans in a demonstration environment at the DFKI (Smart Kitchen). Responsible for the implementation are Robert Neßelrath, Jens Haupert, Jochen Frey and Dr. Boris Brandherm, promoted by the projects SemProM (BMBF), i2home (European commission, FP6) and SensHome (Saarland Ministry for Economics and Science).