Sentient computing is a form of

ubiquitous computing Ubiquitous computing (or "ubicomp") is a concept in software engineering, hardware engineering and computer science where computing is made to appear anytime and everywhere. In contrast to desktop computing, ubiquitous computing can occur using a ...

which uses

sensor A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...

s to perceive its environment and react accordingly. A common use of the sensors is to construct a

world model Physical cosmology is a branch of cosmology concerned with the study of cosmological models. A cosmological model, or simply cosmology, provides a description of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and allows study of f ...

which allows location-aware or context-aware applications to be constructed. One famous

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

prototype of a sentient computing system was the work at

AT&T Laboratories AT&T Laboratories, Inc. was the research & development division of AT&T Corporation. It was founded in 1925 as Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc., following the merger of the research & development divisions of American Telephone & Telegraph an ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

(now defunct). It consisted of an

ultrasonic Ultrasound is sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is not different from "normal" (audible) sound in its physical properties, except that humans cannot hear it. This limit varies fr ...

indoor location system called the " Active Bats" which provided a location accuracy of about 3 cm. The world model was managed via th
SPIRIT
database, using

CORBA The Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) is a standard defined by the Object Management Group (OMG) designed to facilitate the communication of systems that are deployed on diverse platforms. CORBA enables collaboration between sys ...

to access information and spatial indexing to deliver high-level events such as "Alice has entered the kitchen" to listening context-aware applications. The research continues at th
Digital Technology Group
at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. Some example applications of the system include: * A "follow-me phone" which would cause the

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

nearest the recipient to ring. * Teleporting desktops via

VNC Virtual Network Computing (VNC) is a graphical desktop-sharing system that uses the Remote Frame Buffer protocol (RFB) to remotely control another computer. It transmits the keyboard and mouse input from one computer to another, relaying the g ...

just by clicking their Active Bat near the computer. * Spatial buttons which were activated by clicking the Active Bat at a particular spot (such as a poster). * Measuring and surveying buildings. *

Location-based game A location-based game (or location-enabled game, or geolocation-based game) is a type of game in which the gameplay evolves and progresses via a player's location. Location-based games must provide some mechanism to allow the player to report thei ...

Context adaptation

A context adaptive system typically enables the user to maintain a certain application (in different forms) while roaming between different wireless access technologies, locations, devices and even simultaneously executing everyday tasks like meetings, driving a car etc. For example a context adaptive and hence ubiquitous navigation system would offer navigation support in the situations ''at home'', ''indoor'', ''outdoor'', and ''in car''. This involves making the navigation functionality available for different availability of output devices, input devices and location sensors as well as adapting the user interaction operability to the current speed, noise or operator handicaps while keeping in mind the overall applicability depending on the user preferences, his knowledge, current task etc.

References

Andy Hopper Sir Andrew Hopper (born 1953) is a British-Polish Computer Technologist and entrepreneur. He is treasurer and vice-president of the Royal Society, Professor of Computer Technology, former Head of the University of Cambridge Department of Compu ...

, The Royal Society Clifford Paterson Lecture, 1999 - Sentient Computing. Philosophical Transactions, Royal Society London. 2000, Volume 358, Pages 2349-2358,

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

, August 2000 .pd

"The sentient office is coming"

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

.
Sentient Computing Project Home Page
AT&T Laboratories archive, Cambridge University Computer Laboratory {{DEFAULTSORT:Sentient Computing Multimodal interaction

Context adaptation

See also

References