Distraction-free Ubiquitous Computing
Project Description
Aura is a CMU-wide project to support distraction-free ubiquitous computing. Aura is specifically intended for pervasive computing environments involving wireless communication, wearable or handheld computers, and smart spaces. Human attention is an especially scarce resource in such environments, because the user is often preoccupied with walking, driving, or other real-world interactions. In addition, mobile computing poses difficult challenges such as intermittent and variable-bandwidth connectivity, concern for battery life, and the client resource constraints that weight and size considerations impose.
For Aura to achieve these goals, it is crucial that the system maintain some representation of user intent. Without this capability, determining which system actions will help rather than hinder the user is almost impossible. For example, suppose a user is viewing video over a network connection whose bandwidth suddenly drops. Should the system reduce the video's fidelity, pause briefly to find another higher-bandwidth connection, or advise the user that the task can no longer be accomplished? The correct choice depends on the task. The ABLE group is investigating this part of Aura.
Project Home Page: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~aura
Selected Resources
- Watch a video demonstration of task mobility for Aura@Home.
Research focus of ABLE Group
Our Position: The system needs knowledge of user intent, and can use this knowledge to configure and reconfigure the environment to allow users to do tasks.
Sample Issues:
- Task representation: How should one represent user-level tasks, priorities, policies, and preferences?
- Task instantiation: How can one optimally instantiate a task in real-time given that there are a variety of ways in which that task might be configured with available services and resources.
- Context-aware computing: How can one make task execution sensitive to context, so that knowledge of a user's environment can be used as a factor in configuring tasks?
- Task conflict resolution: How can resolve conflicts between tasks of multiple users when they access shared resources (the same physical space, networks, screen space, etc.)?
- Multiple Environments: How can the concepts of Aura translate over to automation in a smart home?
Contacts
David Garlan, Bradley Schmerl, Vahe Poladian,
Past participants
Joao Pedro Sousa, Zhenyu Wang