The Telecooperation Office (TECO) is a research group at the
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; german: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) is a public research university in Karlsruhe, Germany. The institute is a national research center of the Helmholtz Association.
KIT was created in 2009 w ...
in
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
, Germany. The research group is in the Institute of
Telematics
Telematics is an interdisciplinary field encompassing telecommunications, vehicular technologies ( road transport, road safety, etc.), electrical engineering (sensors, instrumentation, wireless communications, etc.), and computer science (multimedi ...
, and is attached to the Chair for Pervasive Computing Systems, currently held by Michael Beigl.
History
The TECO, originally titled "The Telecooperation Office (TecO)", was founded in 1993 at the
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; german: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) is a public research university in Karlsruhe, Germany. The institute is a national research center of the Helmholtz Association.
KIT was created in 2009 w ...
(then University of Karlsruhe (TH)) for research and development in applied
telematics
Telematics is an interdisciplinary field encompassing telecommunications, vehicular technologies ( road transport, road safety, etc.), electrical engineering (sensors, instrumentation, wireless communications, etc.), and computer science (multimedi ...
by Prof. Gerhard Krüger and the
Campus-based Engineering Center (CEC) of the
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). The main focus of research conducted at TECO has been on
Pervasive
Pervasive may refer to:
*Pervasive Computing, human computer interaction paradigm
* Pervasive Informatics, study of how information affects human interactions
*Pervasive Software, software company in the United States
**Pervasive PSQL, software d ...
and
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 ...
, with emphasis on
wireless communication
Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...
,
Embedded Systems
An embedded system is a computer system—a combination of a computer processor, computer memory, and input/output peripheral devices—that has a dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electronic system. It is ''embedded'' as ...
,
Situational Awareness
Situational awareness or situation awareness (SA) is the perception of environmental elements and events with respect to time or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their future status. An alternative definition is tha ...
and
Human Computer Interaction
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...
.
When DEC was taken over by Compaq, the CEC in Karlsruhe was taken over by
SAP AG
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a sepa ...
and was attached to SAP Research Germany. The close research ties and cooperation between the DEC and the TECO were also transferred to SAP. The TECO continues to work in close cooperation with
SAP Research, and was later attached to Prof. Wilfried Juling.
In April 2010, the
Chair for Pervasive Computing Systems was founded as a "New Shared Field Group" in cooperation with
SAP AG
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a sepa ...
. This Chair was awarded to Michael Beigl, and the TECO was brought under the new Chair as a research lab with the title "TECO: Technology for Pervasive Computing". Currently the TECO contains 2 post-doctorate researchers and 11 research assistants / PhD students.
Research Focus
The focus of research is currently on various topics with the field of
Pervasive
Pervasive may refer to:
*Pervasive Computing, human computer interaction paradigm
* Pervasive Informatics, study of how information affects human interactions
*Pervasive Software, software company in the United States
**Pervasive PSQL, software d ...
and
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 ...
. These include the fields of
Activity Recognition
Activity recognition aims to recognize the actions and goals of one or more agents from a series of observations on the agents' actions and the environmental conditions. Since the 1980s, this research field has captured the attention of several c ...
,
Context
Context may refer to:
* Context (language use), the relevant constraints of the communicative situation that influence language use, language variation, and discourse summary
Computing
* Context (computing), the virtual environment required to su ...
and
Situation Awareness
Situational awareness or situation awareness (SA) is the perception of environmental elements and events with respect to time or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their future status. An alternative definition is tha ...
in embedded, mobile and distributed systems. Other past research foci in
Pervasive
Pervasive may refer to:
*Pervasive Computing, human computer interaction paradigm
* Pervasive Informatics, study of how information affects human interactions
*Pervasive Software, software company in the United States
**Pervasive PSQL, software d ...
and
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 ...
include
Wireless sensor network
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) refer to networks of spatially dispersed and dedicated sensors that monitor and record the physical conditions of the environment and forward the collected data to a central location. WSNs can measure environmental c ...
s and
RFID
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromag ...
technology and
Human-Computer Interaction. The current fields of research include the following:
* Sensor and
RFID
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromag ...
technology
* Communication, Collaboration, Networks and Middleware
*
Human-Computer Interaction
* System Design and Engineering
* Security, Privacy and Trust
Notable Contributions
The first
mobile browser
A mobile browser is a web browser designed for use on a mobile device such as a mobile phone or PDA. Mobile browsers are optimized to display Web content most effectively on small screens on portable devices. Mobile browser software must be sma ...
for a hand-held device, calle
PocketWeb was developed at the TECO on the Apple Newton. The MediaCup was an early example 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 ...
appliance, demonstrating awareness in embedded systems. The TECO also organized and played a major role in initiating the HUC/Ubicomp conference series in 1999, which is now the major conference in the field of Ubiquitous Computing. The "Point & Click" human-computer interaction paradigm developed at the TECO presented at this conference is now widely used to control devices in pervasive computing environments. Th
Smart-Itsdeveloped at the TECO, was the first European wireless sensor network in the private sector.
References
External links
www.teco.eduChair for Pervasive Computing Systems at KITSmart-Its WebsiteMediaCup Website
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Telecooperation Office
The Telecooperation Office (TECO) is a research group at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Karlsruhe, Germany. The research group is in the Institute of Telematics, and is attached to the Chair for Pervasive Computing Systems, currently hel ...
Ubiquitous computing