IMPRUVE Project Brings Promise of Ubiquitous Computing a Step Closer

The emerging domain of Ambient Intelligence is possibly the most exciting development in Information Technology (IT) since the creation of the PC. Ambient Intelligence promotes the concept of self-configuring and self-organising computer systems, which are aware of the capabilities of computer systems and the requirements of their users within a given environment. Ambient intelligence incorporated into smart-devices and software should radically improve the usability and usefulness of IT to people at work, play or rest. It’s helpful to think of Ambient Intelligence as a form of technological integration where everyday items such as light switches, ovens, video recorders, TVs, projectors, sound systems, PCs etc. understand each other and can communicate freely.

Imagine that you’ve just finished work on a cold winter’s day. You set your Instant Messaging service to away and a sensor in your chair confirms that you’re not there. An ambient intelligence computer system will turn on the heating in your house, track your location via your mobile phone and turn the oven to heat up your dinner when you’re near home. If this all sounds like science fiction it’s worth considering that the technology to do it exists today. It’s not cost-effective for the consumer yet as the systems are relatively expensive to develop and standards for their interaction are just emerging.

Firmly positioned within the gamut of Ambient Intelligence research the IMPRUVE project at the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) addresses the blending of computing technology into our everyday lives such that tasks, both computer and non-computer orientated, are made simpler by intelligent computer systems that have awareness of the user and their environment.

IMPRUVE (Instant Messaging as a Platform for the Realisation of a true Ubiquitous computing Environment) is a new project within the TSSG with the brief to develop leading-edge technology in the ambient intelligence arena. Its budget of 350 thousand euro over 30 months is entirely funded by the Enterprise Ireland Applied Targeted Research Programme (ATRP). This is a breakthrough project for the TSSG in many ways as there are no external partners and commercialisation is an important element.

The IMPRUVE concept arose from TSSG researchers’ fascination with Instant Messaging (IM). IM enables users to communicate with each other across the Internet using text messages. A contact list or ‘roster’ is integrated into an IM application to enable users to see whether their friends are online, busy or away. There are currently over 300 million users of IM technology in the world. Add around a billion users with short messaging service (SMS) or equivalent capabilities and it becomes clear that there are quite a lot of people out there using some form of text-messaging technology to communicate. Accepting that text messaging in general and IM in particular is a powerful tool, IMPRUVE views the world of devices and services as communities that a user can interact with using text messaging. IM bots (a bot is a software tool for digging through data, short for robot) enable IMPRUVE users to interact with computer systems as if they were friends they’re chatting to. The technology isn’t 100% convincing yet but it’s improving all the time.

“A human-centric approach is vital to making computer systems more usable. The classic trap within systems engineering involves developing complex systems with overly complex, arcane interfaces. These are supposedly designed to give the user maximum power and control.� According to the project technical manager, Shane Dempsey, “However, usability is power and IMPRUVE will validate this idea.�

Shane is one of the originators of the IMPRUVE concept and the leader of the ‘Services & Frameworks’ group within the TSSG. This group has a proven track record, having already designed and developed innovative software for mobile devices such as cell-phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). These were successfully trialled as part of the EU-funded OPIUM project (http://www.ist-opium.org)