Special Issue on Ambient Intelligence

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-465
Author(s):  
Mihoko Niitsuma ◽  
Tamio Tanikawa

With research on human-assist robot systems increasingly using distributed sensors and actuators, robots are expected to provide appropriate real-time real-life support to users. Ambient intelligence, an approach important in realizing human-robot coexistence, helps robot devices adapt and act in real environments, since ambient intelligence is a technology basic to providing such abilities. Flexible, reliable system integration based on environment size and purpose is important in realizing ambient intelligence. The 8 papers in this special issue, all of which explore cutting-edge research, present the latest in ambient intelligence and its applications. The first three papers propose real-world observation in ambient intelligence. One example of major research topics in observation functions is the localization of human beings and objects, including mobile robots. Object recognition also is an important issue in supporting human beings. Papers 4 and 5 cover observation system design issues, including optimizing sensor arrangements to classify activities and for flexibly and efficiently integrating multiple distributed sensors. The last three papers discuss ways to automatically build ontology to help robots understand user intent, frameworks for flexibly and scalably integrating distributed robot technology elements, and strategy and mechanism design methodology for robot systems transferring and storing objects in home environments. We thank the authors for their invaluable contributions in submitting their latest research results to this issue. We are grateful to the reviewers for their precious time and effort. We also thank the Editorial Board members of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics for helping make this issue possible.

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (02) ◽  
pp. 1702001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Jae Ryoo ◽  
Takahiro Yamanoi

The special issue topics focus on the computational intelligence and its application for robotics. Its areas reach out comprehensive ranges; context-awareness software, omnidirectional walking and fuzzy controller of dynamic walking for humanoid robots, pet robots for treatment of ASD children, fuzzy logic control, enhanced simultaneous localization and mapping, fuzzy line tracking for mobile robots, and so on. Computational intelligence (CI) is a method of performing like humans. Generally computational intelligence means the ability of a computer to learn a specific task from data or experimental results. Meanwhile robotic system has many limits to behave like human beings. The robotic system might be too complex for mathematical reasoning, it might contain some uncertainties during the process, or the process might simply be stochastic in real life. Real-life problems cannot be translated into binary code for computers to process it. Computational intelligence might solve such problems.


Author(s):  
Yoichiro Maeda ◽  
Daisuke Katagami

With opportunities for human beings to coexist with artificial agents and autonomous robots are increasing, high-level interactive communication between them is increasingly needed. These human symbiotic systems are used for research on basic intelligent interaction design principles and methods and bidirectional communication based on effective collaboration and symbiosis between human beings and robots, agents, and computers, also known as artifacts. The research society on gHuman Symbiotic System (HSS)h was implemented by the Japan Society for Fuzzy Theory and Intelligent Informatics (SOFT) in 2007. The HSS encourages academic and industrial discussion of research on Human-Agent Interaction (HAI), Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The objective of this special issue is to activate and expand top-quality research of HSS theory and applications. Reflecting the fact that this research covers a wide range of topics, we invited researchers from fields including intelligent robotics, human-machine interfaces, and Kansei engineering to contribute. This issue thus provides much of the latest practical research on HSS, introduced by core members of the research society. Of the 22 papers received, 14 were accepted after input from two reviewers each. The first paper, by Y. Tamura et al., presents an attentive deskwork support system that delivers required items objects to deskworkers. The second, by H. Masuta et al., discusses an integrated perceptual system for intelligent service robots. The third, by S. Akiguchi, develops an automatic pattern generation system based on user impression. The fourth, by Y. Jiang et al., deals with a novel interface recognizing directional user intent based on forearm pressure exerted by the user of an omnidirectional walker. The fifth paper, by K. Terabayashi et al., investigates effects of preoperation on the experience of hands of different sizes by classifying preoperations based on the hand/object relationship. The sixth, by Y. Tamura et al., proposes segmenting a performerfs body imitating behavior observed based on a system from which values are obtained by reinforcement learning. The seventh, by D. Katagami et al., discusses group-adaptive behavior based on utterance contents and social standing of a robot. The eighth, by H. Yamaguchi et al., presents a system for using discounted utterances in spontaneous conversations applying text-mining technology. The ninth paper, by A. Otaki et al., focuses on the development of human negotiation skill through interaction between human players and computer agents in bargaining games. The tenth, by D. Katagami et al., is also related to human negotiation skill implementing human gestures in negotiation scenarios for three negotiation agents. The eleventh, by R. Taki et al., realizes interactive emotion communication - bidirectional communication based on emotional behavior between human beings and robots. The twelfth, by J. Ichino et al., investigates the psychological effects of color on online documents through a proposed online document interface. The thirteenth paper, by T. Ando et al., studies the robot facial effectiveness in human interpretation. The fourteenth, by T. Ando et al., models robot self-sufficiency applying an urge system focusing on autonomous emotion. This issue has addressed the importance of HSS and highlighted innovative approaches to the development of artificial system more friendly to users. We thank the authors and referees for their ongoing efforts, without which this issue would not have been possible.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-121
Author(s):  
Toyomi Fujita ◽  
Takayuki Tanaka ◽  
Satoru Takahashi ◽  
Hidenori Takauji ◽  
Shun’ichi Kaneko

Robot vision is an important robotics and mechatronics technology for realizing intelligent robot systems that work in the real world. Recent improvements in computer processing are enabling environment to be recognized and robot to be controlled based on dynamic high-speed, highly accurate image information. In industrial application, target objects are detected much more robustly and reliably through high-speed processing. In intelligent systems applications, security systems that detect human beings have recently been applied positively in computer vision. Another attractive application is recognizing actions and gestures by detecting human – an application that would enable human beings and robots to interact and cooperate more smoothly when robots observe and assist human partners. This key technology could be used for aiding the elderly and handicapped in practical environments such as hospital, home, and so on. This special issue covers topics on robot vision and motion control including dynamic image processing. These articles are certain to be both informative and interesting to robotics and mechatronics researchers. We thank the authors for submitting their work and for assisting during the review process. We also thank the reviewers for their dedicated time and effort.


This survey of research on psychology in five volumes is a part of a series undertaken by the ICSSR since 1969, which covers various disciplines under social science. Volume One of this survey, Cognitive and Affective Processes, discusses the developments in the study of cognitive and affective processes within the Indian context. It offers an up-to-date assessment of theoretical developments and empirical studies in the rapidly evolving fields of cognitive science, applied cognition, and positive psychology. It also analyses how pedagogy responds to a shift in the practices of knowing and learning. Additionally, drawing upon insights from related fields it proposes epithymetics–desire studies – as an upcoming field of research and the volume investigates the impact of evolving cognitive and affective processes in Indian research and real life contexts. The development of cognitive capability distinguishes human beings from other species and allows creation and use of complex verbal symbols, facilitates imagination and empowers to function at an abstract level. However, much of the vitality characterizing human life is owed to the diverse emotions and desires. This has made the study of cognition and affect as frontier areas of psychology. With this in view, this volume focuses on delineating cognitive scientific contributions, cognition in educational context, context, diverse applications of cognition, psychology of desire, and positive psychology. The five chapters comprising this volume have approached the scholarly developments in the fields of cognition and affect in innovative ways, and have addressed basic as well applied issues.


2018 ◽  
Vol 210 ◽  
pp. 03016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Punjal Agarwal ◽  
Hwang-Cheng Wang ◽  
Kathiravan Srinivasan

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, which is characterized by unpredictable brain seizure. About 30% of the patients are not even aware that they have epilepsy and many have to undergo surgeries to relieve the pain. Therefore, developing a robust brain-computer interface for seizure prediction can help epileptic patients significantly. In this paper, we propose a hybrid CNN-SVM model for better epileptic seizure prediction. A convolutional neural network (CNN) consists of a multilayer structure, which can be adapted and modified according to the requirement of different applications. A support vector machine is a discriminative classifier which can be described by a separating optimal hyperplane used for categorizing new samples. The combination of CNN and SVM is found to provide an effective way for epileptic prediction. Furthermore, the resulting model is made autonomous using edge computing services and is shown to be a viable seizure prediction method. The results can be beneficial in real-life support of epilepsy patients.


2014 ◽  
Vol 522-524 ◽  
pp. 361-364
Author(s):  
Ji Guang Li ◽  
Hui Sun ◽  
Min Tao ◽  
Qi Shuo Wang ◽  
Wei Ming Tan ◽  
...  

The global environment change is human beings are facing with the important and urgent environmental problems: in natural and human action double drive, the surface of the earth element biogeochemical process and its environmental effect is the current global change research in the area of the important content. In order to estimate and forecast geochemical cycle of change and to the global life support system influence, since the 1970s on the ecological system of the nitrogen cycle extensive and in-depth research, and in the process of this a series of ecological environment effect.Wetland biogeochemical process is refers to the carbon, hydrogen (water), oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur and various essential elements in the wetland soil and plant all kinds of migration between transformation and energy exchange process. Chemical process including nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients in the wetland system of flow and transformation, Wetland in heavy metals and other organic inorganic pollutants absorption, so close, transformation and enrichment, etc.


Organization ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Wright ◽  
Daniel Nyberg ◽  
Lauren Rickards ◽  
James Freund

The functioning of the biosphere and the Earth as a whole is being radically disrupted due to human activities, evident in climate change, toxic pollution and mass species extinction. Financialization and exponential growth in production, consumption and population now threaten our planet’s life-support systems. These profound changes have led Earth System scientists to argue we have now entered a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene. In this introductory article to the Special Issue, we first set out the origins of the Anthropocene and some of the key debates around this concept within the physical and social sciences. We then explore five key organizing narratives that inform current economic, technological, political and cultural understandings of the Anthropocene and link these to the contributions in this Special Issue. We argue that the Anthropocene is the crucial issue for organizational scholars to engage with in order to not only understand on-going anthropogenic problems but also help create alternative forms of organizing based on realistic Earth–human relations.


Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 830
Author(s):  
Kristin Henrard

This article begins with some reflections on the definition of religious minorities, their needs and rights and how this relates to the discussion about the need for minority specific rights in addition to general fundamental rights as rights for all human beings irrespective of particular identity features. Secondly, an overall account of the ambiguous relationship between religious minorities and fundamental rights is presented. The third and most extensive section zooms in on the EU and religious minorities, starting with an account of the EU’s general approach towards minorities and then turning to the protection of fundamental rights of religious minorities in/through the EU legal order. First, the EU’s engagement with minority specific rights and the extent to which these norms have been attentive to religious themes will be discussed. Second, the CJEU’s case law concerning freedom of religion and the prohibition of dis-crimination as general human rights is analysed. The conclusion then turns to the overall perspective and discusses whether the EU’s protection of religious minorities’ fundamental rights can be considered ‘half-hearted’ and, if so, to what extent. This in turn allows us to return to the overall focus of the Special Issue, namely the relationship between the freedom of religion for all and special rights for religious minorities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (02) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Jokhanan Kristiyono ◽  
Hernani Sirikit

<p>ABSTRACT</p><p>This study aims to find out how factual and digital reality are depicted in film.Castells’ theory on new media is taken for the base theory, subjectivity-identity and power and knowledge by Foucault. Narrative analysis by Lacey is applied to seek answer for the research problem. The advancement of Communication Technology has enabled human beings to have freedom in imagination and make it real. Digital technology and virtual realm are enriched with emerging faked realities and identities. Film, becomes a platform for practising this kind of freedom, making fantasy feels like reality. Film Ready Player One? directed by Steven Spielberg depicts real and virtual world. This study aims to elaborate how real life and digital life are narrated and described in this film. A new identity created in The OASIS,the digital world that a place where mankind escape from reality. Units to be analysed in eight structures of analysis are story, plot, and character. Concludesis factual reality and digital reality are described well in this film, it even tends to hyper-reality. Moreover, conflict in digital world and in the future (2045) are still the same with problems in the history of mankind.</p><p>Keywords; Film; Digital reality; Identities; Narrative.</p><p>ABSTRAK</p><p>Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui bagaimana realitas faktual dan realitas digital digambarkan dalam film. Menggunakan teori new media Castells, subjektivitas dan identitas serta power dan knowledge Foucault. Penelitian film ini menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif, dengan metode Analisa Naratif Film (Lacey, 2017). Kemajuan teknologi informasi dan komunikasi membuat manusia memiliki keleluasaan dalam berimajinasi dan merealisasikannya. Teknologi digital dan alam virtual semakin diperkaya dengan munculnya realitas dan identitas semu. Film, sebagai salah satu medium komunikasi massa, merupakan wadah kebebasan berimajinasi. Film Ready Player One?.Film besutan sutradara Steven Spielberg menggambarkan pergesekan antara dunia nyata dan dunia digital. Film ini menunjukkan kehidupan masyarakat moderen pada tahun 2045, dengan adanya perkembangan teknologi yang luar biasa. Suatu piranti yang mengubah manusia menjadi sangat tergantung dengan teknologi. Teknologi informasi dan komunikasi yang menciptakan dunia baru yaitu dunia digital. OASIS, dunia tempat pelarian manusia modern dan menciptakan identitas baru yaitu identitas virtual. Masyarakat informasi yang menciptakan realitas digital. Unit analisis story, plot, dan karakter dianalisis secara naratif dengan delapan struktur. Hasil analisis memberikan jawaban bahwa realitas nyata dan realitas digital digambarkan secara baik dalam film ini, bahkan cenderung berlebihan (hyper-reality). Selain itu, konflik di dunia digital di tahun 2045 tetap sama dengan konflik dalam sejarah manusia.</p><p>Kata Kunci; Film; Digital Reality; Identitas; Naratif.</p>


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