This book is a truly comprehensive, timely, and very much needed treatise on the conceptualization of analysis, and design of contactless & multimodal sensor-based human activities, behavior understanding & intervention. From an interaction design perspective, the book provides views and methods that allow for more safe, trustworthy, efficient, and more natural interaction with technology that will be embedded in our daily living environments. The chapters in this book cover sufficient grounds and depth in related challenges and advances in sensing, signal processing, computer vision, and mathematical modeling. It covers multi-domain applications, including surveillance and elderly care that will be an asset to entry-level and practicing engineers and scientists.(See inside for the reviews from top experts)

Emerging technologies, such as social networks and interactive web applications, have played a vital role in the way we communicate. These technologies are fundamental in reducing the digital gaps among users. Advanced Research and Trends in New Technologies, Software, Human-Computer Interaction, and Communicability presents scientific, theoretical, and practical insight on the software and technology of social networks and the factors that boost communicability. By highlighting different disciplines in the computer and social sciences, this reference is essential for practitioners, researchers, and scholars invested in the current studies, as well as for future generations in the field of ICT.

This book aims to explore and discuss theories and technologies for the development of socially competent and culture-aware embodied conversational agents for elderly care. To tackle the challenges in ageing societies, this book was written by experts who have a background in assistive technologies for elderly care, culture-aware computing, multimodal dialogue, social robotics and synthetic agents. Chapter 1 presents a vision of an intelligent agent to illustrate the current challenges for the design and development of adaptive systems. Chapter 2 examines how notions of trust and empathy may be applied to human-robot interaction and how it can be used to create the next generation of emphatic agents, which address some of the pressing issues in multicultural ageing societies. Chapter 3 discusses multimodal machine learning as an approach to enable more effective and robust modelling technologies and to develop socially competent and culture-aware embodied conversational agents for elderly care. Chapter 4 explores the challenges associated with real-world field tests and deployments. Chapter 5 gives a short introduction to socio-cognitive language processing that describes the idea of coping with everyday language, irony, sarcasm, humor, paralinguistic information such as the physical and mental state and traits of the dialogue partner, and social aspects. This book grew out of the Shonan Meeting seminar entitled "Multimodal Agents for Ageing and Multicultural Societies" held in 2018 in Japan. Researchers and practitioners will be helped to understand the emerging field and the identification of promising approaches from a variety of disciplines such as human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, modelling, and learning.

Data analysis forms the basis of many forms of research ranging from the scientific to the governmental. With the advent of machine intelligence and neural networks, extracting, modeling, and approaching data has been unimpeachably altered. These changes, seemingly small, affect the way societies organize themselves, deliver services, or interact with each other. Intelligent Techniques for Data Analysis in Diverse Settings addresses the specialized requirements of data analysis in a comprehensive way. This title contains a comprehensive overview of the most innovative recent approaches borne from intelligent techniques such as neural networks, rough sets, fuzzy sets, and metaheuristics. Combining new data analysis technologies, applications, emerging trends, and case studies, this publication reviews the intelligent, technological, and organizational aspects of the field. This book is ideally designed for IT professionals and students, data analysis specialists, healthcare providers, and policy makers.

The discipline of engineering presumes certain foundational truths that are not reducible to mathematical formulas. It presupposes certain things about creativity, beauty, and abstraction in order to operate effectively. In short, engineering relies on philosophy. Conversely, philosophy can draw profound truths from principles derived from engineering experience. Engineering and the Ultimate crosses boundaries between a wide variety of disciplines to find truths both new and old that can be transformative to modern thought and practice.

As information systems used for research and educational purposes have become more complex, there has been an increase in the need for new computing architecture. High performance and cloud computing provide reliable and cost-effective information technology infrastructure that enhances research and educational processes. Handbook of Research on High Performance and Cloud Computing in Scientific Research and Education presents the applications of cloud computing in various settings, such as scientific research, education, e-learning, ubiquitous learning, and social computing. Providing various examples, practical solutions, and applications of high performance and cloud computing; this book is a useful reference for professionals and researchers discovering the applications of information and communication technologies in science and education, as well as scholars seeking insight on how modern technologies support scientific research.

With the advancement of technology in the modern world, the constant influx of data, information, and computing can become droning and one-dimensional. Re-examining these methods through a different approach helps highlight broader perspectives and further understanding. Applying abstract and holistic methods, such as nature and visualization, to computing technologies is a developing area of study but has yet to be empirically researched. Graphical Thinking for Science and Technology Through Knowledge Visualization provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of implementing visuals and images within data and information. The text contains projects, examples of students' solutions, and invites the reader to apply graphical thinking. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as nanoscale structures, computer graphics, and data visualization, this book is ideally designed for software engineers, instructional designers, researchers, scientists, artists, marketers, media professionals, and students seeking current research on applying artistic solutions within information and computing.

The Handbook of Multimodal-Multisensor Interfaces provides the first authoritative resource on what has become the dominant paradigm for new computer interfaces- user input involving new media (speech, multi-touch, gestures, writing) embedded in multimodal-multisensor interfaces. These interfaces support smart phones, wearables, in-vehicle and robotic applications, and many other areas that are now highly competitive commercially. This edited collection is written by international experts and pioneers in the field. It provides a textbook, reference, and technology roadmap for professionals working in this and related areas. This first volume of the handbook presents relevant theory and neuroscience foundations for guiding the development of high-performance systems. Additional chapters discuss approaches to user modeling and interface designs that support user choice, that synergistically combine modalities with sensors, and that blend multimodal input and output. This volume also highlights an in-depth look at the most common multimodal-multisensor combinations-for example, touch and pen input, haptic and non-speech audio output, and speech-centric systems that co-process either gestures, pen input, gaze, or visible lip movements. A common theme throughout these chapters is supporting mobility and individual differences among users. These handbook chapters provide walk-through examples of system design and processing, information on tools and practical resources for developing and evaluating new systems, and terminology and tutorial support for mastering this emerging field. In the final section of this volume, experts exchange views on a timely and controversial challenge topic, and how they believe multimodal-multisensor interfaces should be designed in the future to most effectively advance human performance.

Technology s role in facilitating and furthering human development is of equal significance to its role in promoting inequality and tension between groups and individuals. Human Development and Global Advancements through Information Communication Technologies: New Initiatives investigates the role of ICT in advancing economic, social, and political development as well as the potential setbacks experienced as a result of introducing new initiatives. This publication offers strategies for continued societal growth through technology and provides historical perspectives on the processes, procedures, and behaviors that have been impacted as a result of ICT programs.

This book presents state-of-the-art research, challenges and solutions in the area of human-robot collaboration (HRC) in manufacturing. It enables readers to better understand the dynamic behaviour of manufacturing processes, and gives more insight into on-demand adaptive control techniques for industrial robots. With increasing complexity and dynamism in today's manufacturing practice, more precise, robust and practical approaches are needed to support real-time shop-floor operations. This book presents a collection of recent developments and innovations in this area, relying on a wide range of research efforts. The book is divided into five parts. The first part presents a broad-based review of the key areas of HRC, establishing a common ground of understanding in key aspects. Subsequent chapters focus on selected areas of HRC subject to intense recent interest. The second part discusses human safety within HRC. The third, fourth and fifth parts provide in-depth views of relevant methodologies and algorithms. Discussing dynamic planning and monitoring, adaptive control and multi-modal decision making, the latter parts facilitate a better understanding of HRC in real situations. The balance between scope and depth, and theory and applications, means this book appeals to a wide readership, including academic researchers, graduate students, practicing engineers, and those within a variety of roles in manufacturing sectors.

The integration of technology in modern society has created a deeper connectivity between people around the globe, as well as provided ample opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and ideas. These interactions allow greater opportunities for developments in research and innovation. Research Paradigms and Contemporary Perspectives on Human-Technology Interaction presents comprehensive coverage on the application of information technology and systems on daily activities and examines its impacts at an interdisciplinary level. Highlighting numerous insights into relevant areas such as e-government, web accessibility, and social media, this book is an ideal reference source for academics, professionals, practitioners, graduate students, and researchers seeking material on the relationship between humans and emerging technologies in modern society.

This book focuses on software sustainability, regarded in terms of how software is or can be developed while taking into consideration environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The sixteen chapters cover various related issues ranging from technical aspects like energy-efficient programming techniques, formal proposals related to energy efficiency measurement, patterns to build energy-efficient software, the role of developers on energy efficient software systems and tools for detecting and refactoring code smells/energy bugs; to human aspects like its impact on software sustainability or the adaptation of ACM/IEEE guidelines for student and professional education and; and an economics-driven architectural evaluation for sustainability. Also aspects as the elements of governance and management that organizations should consider when implementing, assessing and improving Green IT or the relationship between software sustainability and the Corporate Social Responsibility of software companies are included. The chapters are complemented by usage scenarios and experience reports on several domains as cloud applications, agile development or e-Health, among others. As a whole, the chapters provide a complete overview of the various issues related to sustainable software development. The target readership for this book includes CxOs, (e.g. Chief Information Officers, Chief Executive Officers, Chief Technology Officers, etc.) software developers, software managers, auditors, business owners, and quality professionals. It is also intended for students of software engineering and information systems, and software researchers who want to know the state of the art regarding software sustainability.

The field of high technology focuses on new, rapidly developing technologies, which include electronic technology, new material technology, new energy technology, bioengineering technology, and communication technology. Social Development and High Technology Industries: Strategies and Applications highlights the relationships between contemporary high technology and social development, the development and application of high technology, high technology competition, and economic development as it pertains to high technology. This book addresses society s growing need to adopt emerging technologies for all aspects of business and economic activity and develop innovative solutions to research problems, which will result in the creation of high performance systems.

Digital innovations, such as mobile technologies, have had a significant impact on the way people relate to one another, as well as the way they obtain and distribute information. As mobile devices continue to evolve, it has become easier to socialize; however, these mobile advancements have also made certain aspects of interaction more complex. The Handbook of Research on Human Social Interaction in the Age of Mobile Devices features an interdisciplinary perspective on mobile innovations and the use of this technology in daily life. Investigating the successes, issues, and challenges of the utilization of mobile technology, this handbook of research is a comprehensive reference source for professionals, educators, policymakers, and students interested in the impact these devices have on digital interaction, media, and communication.

Advances in network connectivity, power consumption, and physical size create new possibilities for using interactive computing outdoors. However, moving computing outdoors can drastically change the human outdoor experience. This impact is felt in many kinds of outdoor activities such as citizen science, personal recreation, search and rescue, informal education, and others. It is also felt across outdoor settings that range from remote wilderness to crowded cities. Understanding these effects can lead to ideas, designs and systems that improve, rather than diminish, outdoor experiences. This book represents the current results emerging from recent workshops focused on HCI outdoors and held in conjunction with CHI, GROUP, UbiComp, and MobileHCI conferences. Based on feedback at those workshops, and outreach to other leaders in the field, the chapters collected were crafted to highlight methods and approaches for understanding how technologies such as handhelds, wearables, and installed standalone devices impact individuals, groups, and even communities. These findings frame new ways of thinking about HCI outdoors, explore logistical issues associated with moving computing outdoors, and probe new experiences created by involving computing in outdoor pursuits. Also important are the ways that social media has influenced preparation, experience, and reflection related to outdoor experiences. HCI Outdoors: Theory, Design, Methods and Applications is of interest to HCI researchers, HCI practitioners, and outdoor enthusiasts who want to shape future understanding and current practice related to technology in every kind of outdoor experience.

As methods that enable or facilitate the development of usable systems for the Web can provide complementary results in enhancing the Web experience, it is important to examine the ways that these methods can be combined and integrated in the development process. Integrating Usability Engineering for Designing the Web Experience: Methodologies and Principles provides a link between theoretical research and Web engineering, presenting a more holistic approach to Internet serviceability. Containing analysis from leading international experts, this publication offers new insights on applications that enable or facilitate the development of usable Web systems.

These proceedings presents the state-of-the-art in spoken dialog systems with applications in robotics, knowledge access and communication. It addresses specifically: 1. Dialog for interacting with smartphones; 2. Dialog for Open Domain knowledge access; 3. Dialog for robot interaction; 4. Mediated dialog (including crosslingual dialog involving Speech Translation); and,5. Dialog quality evaluation. These articles were presented at the IWSDS 2012 workshop.

Recently, the ICT field has seen a shift from machine centered focuses to human and user knowledge-based approaches. However, as the priorities shift, questions arise on how to detect and monitor users' behaviour. Human Behavior Recognition Technologies: Intelligent Applications for Monitoring and Security addresses these questions and more as it takes an insightful glance into the applications and dependability of behaviour detection. In addition, this comprehensive publication looks into the social, ethical, and legal implications of these areas. Researchers and practitioners interested in the computational aspects of behaviour monitoring as well as the ethical and legal implications will find this reference source beneficial.

'The Singularity' is what Silicon Valley calls the idea that, eventually, we will be overrun by machines that are able to take decisions and act for themselves. What no one says is that it happened before.

A few hundred years ago, humans started building the robots that now rule our world. They are called states and corporations: immensely powerful artificial entities, with capacities that go far beyond what any individual can do, and which, unlike us, need never die.

They have made us richer, safer and healthier than would have seemed possible even a few generations ago - and they may yet destroy us. The Handover distils over three hundred years of thinking about how to live with artificial agency.