GVU Technical Report Series

Series

GVU Technical Report Series

Permanent Link

https://hdl.handle.net/1853/71001

Series Type

Publication Series

Associated Organization(s)

Organizational Unit

GVU Center

Full item page

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 49

Using In-Home Power Lines to Extend the Range of Low-Power Wireless Devices

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009) Stuntebeck, Erich P. ; Robertson, Thomas ; Abowd, Gregory D. ; Patel, Shwetak N.

This work demonstrates the feasibility of using existing in-home electrical wiring to extend the operational range of certain wireless devices. Specifically, a wireless keyboard operating at 27 MHz, which has an operational range of 1.5 – 2 meters on its own, was extended to work throughout a 3-story 4,000 square foot / 371 square meter home by coupling the antenna port on its receiver to the power lines. Coupling between the keyboard and the power lines occurred over the air, and coupling at the receiver was accomplished capacitively by simply wrapping a wire connected to the receiver’s antenna port several times around a standard electrical device cord plugged into a wall socket. This phenomenon of the power line as a communications infrastructure for inexpensive and lowpower wireless devices has a variety of interesting potential avenues of research in the home.
Exploring Continuous Pressure Input for Mobile Phones

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006) Clarkson, Edward C. ; Patel, Shwetak Naran ; Pierce, Jeffrey S. ; Abowd, Gregory D.

The input capabilities of mobile phones are limited by their physical form factor. Approaches to augmenting those capabilities that expand the input space without negatively impacting size or weight are particularly desirable. We propose adding simple pressure sensors under the keypad buttons to provide multiple channels of continuous pressure input. Pressure input supports a larger and more interesting interaction space without some of the unusual or unwanted qualities of some other approaches. We describe an implementation of our pressure-augmented system and show a number of interaction techniques, some old and some new, facilitated by continual pressure. We contrast these techniques with previous sensor-augmentation devices and highlight notable differences and advantages.
Navigating Recorded Meetings with Content-Based Indices

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006) Richter, Heather Anne ; Abowd, Gregory D.

Researchers have created a number of meeting capture applications in the past decade, yet relatively little research has focused on the review and use of captured meeting information. In this paper, we describe a controlled study of a mature meeting capture and access application, in which we observed subjects finding information within their own group meetings. The results demonstrate the importance of indices into the meeting record, especially those related to meeting content, and reveal a number of navigational behaviors with implications on the design of meeting capture and access applications and interfaces.
A Token-based Access Control Mechanism for Automated Capture and Access Systems in Ubiquitous Computing

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005) Iachello, Giovanni ; Abowd, Gregory D.

We discuss the problems related to access control in automated capture and access systems, which capture, store and retrieve information gathered through sensors in physical environments. We discuss several unique requirements that set capture and access apart from traditional information processing systems, and that make existing access control approaches such as role-based access control (RBAC) and digital rights management (DRM) unsuitable for this domain. Drawing from access control theory research, we devise an access control system that satisfies these requirements. Further, we describe its implementation within an existing capture and access system, and discuss emergent issues relating to retention time, rights management and information sharing. We argue that some traditional security requirements might not in fact be appropriate when applied to environmental captured information, due to the perceptual and social characteristics of such data. Finally, we provide an example of how this access control architecture might fit in a capture and access system composed of mobile devices.
Between Dinner and Children's Bedtime: Predicting and Justifying Routines in the Home

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005) Nagel, Kristine Susanne ; Hudson, James M. ; Abowd, Gregory D.

Much previous research in availability, whether in the office or in the home, has developed linear regression models to help predict appropriate times for interruption. Although these models work well, they tend to be accurate only about 75% of the time. In this paper, we reconceptualize this problem as one of determining routines, rather than availability. We show that the same sensor measures, which predict availability accurately 75% of the time, can predict individual routines accurately 90% - 97% of the time. We argue that better identification of routines can help us to better identify individual availability, as we can develop more tailored models of individual availability in given household routines. In this paper, we also present findings from a day reconstruction method (DayRM) study, which provides more detailed descriptions of three routines in the home: mealtime, bedtime, and leisure.
An Evaluation Of The Comprehensibility and Usability Of a Design Method For Ubiquitous Computing Applications

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005) Iachello, Giovanni ; Abowd, Gregory D.

We have recently proposed a design process framework that assists the practitioner in tackling the privacy and security issues of ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) applications during their development. In this report, we discuss a design study to evaluate the comprehensibility and usability of the design method. The study was conducted with six graduate students at our institution. Students were given the option of using the design method for completing a semester-long design exercise of a ubiquitous computing application of their choice. Researchers analyzed their written deliverables using quantitative metrics and conducted follow-up interviews. Results suggest that the design method is comprehensible and usable by inexperienced designers. Participants commented that the method might help especially in the design of exploratory applications with diverging stakeholders, broadening the coverage of the design process and generating stronger rationales for design decisions.
Sound Source Localization in Domestic Environment

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004) Bian, Xuehai ; Rehg, James M. ; Abowd, Gregory D.

Sound source localization strategies can be traced back to radar and sonar localization systems. In the report, we will review the main challenges of sound source, especially talker, localization problem and current major strategies. We proposed a practical peak-weighted PHAT TDOA method to find reliable source location in the Awarehome, which is a residential lab in Georgia Tech. Finally, we suggest the application scenarios in domestic environment and provide future direction of our work.
Using Sound Source Localization to Monitor and Infer Activities in the Home

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004) Bian, Xuehai ; Abowd, Gregory D. ; Rehg, James M.

Recent research in ubiquitous computing has focused both on how to infer human activity from a variety of signals sensed in the environment as well as how to use that information to support interactions. In this paper, we examine the feasibility and usefulness of sound source localization (SSL) in a home environment, which is an implicit location system to support monitoring of a remote space as well as to infer key activities, such as face-to-face conversations. We present a microphone array system that covers a significant portion of the public space in a realistic home setting and discuss monitoring and automated inferring applications that are made possible with this technology in a domestic setting.
Finding Lost Objects: Informing the Design of Ubiquitous Computing Services for the Home

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004) Peters, Rodney E. ; Pak, Richard ; Abowd, Gregory D. ; Fisk, Arthur D. ; Rogers, Wendy A.

Factors that influence the finding of objects can be numerous and complex. Ubiquitous computing solutions for this problem begin with underlying technologies (location-sensing and capture) as building blocks for real applications. This paper investigates the real-world nature of what losing an object means and the strategies used to find those objects. A comprehensive survey on the nature of finding lost objects provides insights for the design of human-centered, object-finding services. A systematic analysis of the responses showed the importance of identifying object types, timescale of use, supporting situational factors (reasons for loss and strategies of recovery), and targeting an age-defined user population (user desire and degree of support) when building these services. These criteria motivate a checklist for systematically evaluating both existing and proposed lost object finding services.
Virtual Rear Projection: A Comparison Study of Projection Technologies for Large Interactive Displays

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2003) Summet, Jay W. ; Abowd, Gregory D. ; Corso, Gregory M. ; Rehg, James M.

Rear projection of large-scale upright displays is often preferred over front projection because of the elimination of shadows that occlude the projected image. However, rear projection is not always a feasible option for space and cost reasons. Recent research suggests that many of the desirable features of rear projection, in particular shadow elimination, can be reproduced using new front projection techniques. We report on an empirical study to determine how two of these new projection techniques compare with traditional rear projection and front projection, with the hope of motivating the continued advance of improved virtual rear projection techniques.