Tue Feb 22
Notes from Matt Lee’s lecture on Intro to Context-Aware Computing
Context-Aware Computing Applications
by Bill Schilit, Norman Adams, and Roy Want
What is context?
- Identity (Who)
- Activity (What)
- Time (When)
- Location (Where)
Discussion
- place
o identity of place depends on why you’re there
- role
o mom
o supreme court judge
o do roles extend passed people?
- activity
o schemes
- who’s around
- social situation
- mind states
- physiological state
- physical state
- conceptual time
- intention
- motivation
- abstract vs. concrete
Proximate Selection / Contextual Info
- manually retrieve information based on context
examples: Bluetooth, Geonotes (http://geonotes.sics.se)
- resources based on location
Discussion examples: warnings, tour guides
Automatic Contextual Reconfiguration
- add, remove, or alter components based on context
examples: SenSay, CyberGuide, truly universal remote control
Discussion
- seems like this could only happen on a large scale with standards which would take forever to shape and implement; but maybe standards are the way to go
- the system may be changing underneath the user; how does this affect the user’s mental model?
- some more examples are devices which filter/alter communications depending on time of day, place, etc.
- you don’t want something going around buying things for you; or maybe you do
Context-triggered Actions
- simple if-then condition-action rules, automatically invoked
- contextual reminders
examples: Active Badge, CybreMinder, Siren
challenges
- expressiveness of language for rules
- accuracy of context information
Discussion
- only sensors we have in our everyday lives are at the airport – automatic sinks – and at grocery stores – automatic doors
o if these things don’t work, it’s not that bad
o if these things do work, it’s kind of nice
- you only design things that have a low cost of recovery
- firefighter alarm: if a firefighter hasn’t moved/been active for a certain period of time, an alarm sounds to warn others of a possible collapse/injury
o happens all of the time, though; practice has become to hit yourself regularly to turn off the alarm or to keep it from sounding
- maybe we should be designing for consistency instead of accuracy, assuming low cost of recovery
Context-Aware Applications in Healthcare: The Pervasive Bed [VIDEO] (It’s Danish!)
- pill-reminder; sensor brings up patient’s information
- any interruptions pause patient’s TV show
- ‘patient-zone’ sensor (red circle on the ground)
o All tech that enters is configured for patient
- “Pretty much a ‘covering-your-ass’ system” – Jason Hong
Ask not for whom the cell phone tolls: Some problems with the notion of context-aware computing
by Tom Erickson
- context-awareness as a cushion
Errors
- auto-locking car doors
- screen saver during presentation
- microphone amplifying a whisper
Discussion – is the system or the user at fault?
- seems like the [screen saver] system could be designed better; but the user should be able to deal with that or be responsible for that with some experience
- violation of users expectations – design the software to the user’s expectations and/or express to the user, align their expectations with how the system works
- most auto-lock cars now lock when you shift out of park
- rumor of office 2007 fixing presentation/screen saver issue
All About Actions
- context-awareness is not useful itself but only useful for automatically triggering an action
Discussion
- essentially, if it’s sitting there doing nothing, then it’s sitting there not needing to do anything
- context-aware should keep the user in the loop, should give the user a limited number of suboptions
Anti-A.I.
- context data must be coupled with the ability to interpret it, computers are bad at common sense
Human in the Loop
Discussion – is this a reasonable strategy for all context-aware systems?
- you want to automate certain things because they’re a pain in the butt and/or they’re not worth you thinking about, the interruption
- system can go between ‘the loop’ and completely automatic
- then you get the problem of unexpected consequences, may not realize the implications of automating
- paper eludes to context for people vs. context for computers – who do you want the end-point to be, the person or the computer
- I think it’s about recognizing points where raw data turns into meaning, where the meaning takes place
- If you know the application is going to work 99% of the time; anti-lock brakes, spam blocker – what’s the cost/benefit?
\\Challenges in Implementing a Context-Aware System
\\by Satya
Ubicomp
- movile
- ambient
- tangible
How does context-aware computing fit in with ubicomp?
- context: a good-enough working definition, otherwise it goes in circles
- a constraint in customizing context – we don’t even have particularly good access to what goes into our conscious decision-making, it’s similar with our perception of context