Sensing the Subtleties of Everyday Life
Jane M. Sanders, Georgia Institute of Technology
Abstract
The Aware Home Research Initiative (AHRI) is an interdisciplinary research endeavor at Georgia Tech funded by the National Science Foundation. This project is aimed at addressing the fundamental technical, design, and social challenges to such questions as: Is it possible to create a home environment that is aware of its occupants whereabouts and activities? If we build such a home, how can it provide services to its residents that enhance their quality of life or help them to maintain independence as they age?
http://www.gtri.gatech.edu/rh-win00/main.html

Draft: SmartProbes Concept Paper
Robert Tinker, Stephen Bannasch, Concord Consortium
Abstract
Good science and effective science learning are built on measuring the world around you, thinking hard about what the data mean, and describing what you discover to someone else. By integrating the measurement process with computing technology all three aspects of this process are greatly facilitated. Accurate measurements can be made very quickly or over a long time. Graphs constructed from the data can be placed into reports which are electronically copied and distributed. While there has a great deal of development of computing tools for analysis and communication we believe the development of probes and interfaces designed for education has lagged. Measurement inherently involves translation and interaction between physical and abstract worlds. The time, costs and complexities involved can make accurate measurement difficult. These difficulties contribute to an unfortunate trend where science education is removed not just from the everyday world around us but even from the science lab. By combining advances in low-cost sensors with inexpensive micro-controllers we can not only make probes cheaper but also make them more portable, easier to use and more accurate.

We call this new measurement technology SmartProbes. By connecting these new SmartProbes to powerful software embedded in the new computing paradigm of computing and communication anywhere, anytime we can help science learners use computing technology to extend their perceptual awareness and analysis. We start with a description of a SmartProbe and the range of educational environments in which they can be effectively used. We will address what kinds of probes can be developed, what the educational impact could be, and what kinds of standards would be helpful.
[download paper: 6 pp. PDF]

Pico Radio Group
Josie Ammer, et. al., Berkeley Wireless Research Center
Overview
The ultimate purpose of the PicoRadio group is to design and build a prototype PicoNode. The initial task is to explore the application space for PicoNode and select an appropriate candidate for implementation. Using the example, we will follow a three step process: 1) examine communication vs. processing cost tradeoffs and task partitioning related to issues such as resource assignment and power consumption, 2) develop interconnect mechanisms between macro circuit blocks at the electrical level (timing and meaning of signals between blocks), and 3) Build a single-chip implementation and perform testing.
http://bwrc.eecs.berkeley.edu/Research/Pico_Radio?Default.htm