User care at home is a matter of great concern since unforeseen circumstances might occur that affect people's well-being. Technologies that assist people in independent living are essential for enhancing care in a cost-effective and reliable manner. Assisted care applications often demand real-time observation of the environment and the resident's activities using an event-driven system. As an emerging area of research and development, it is necessary to explore the approaches of the user care system in the literature to identify current practices for future research directions. Therefore, this book is aimed at a comprehensive review of data sources (e.g., sensors) with machine learning for various smart user care systems. To encourage the readers in the field, insights of practical essence of different machine learning algorithms with sensor data (e.g., publicly available datasets) are also discussed. Some code segments are also included to motivate the researchers of the related fields to practically implement the features and machine learning techniques. It is an effort to obtain knowledge of different types of sensor-based user monitoring technologies in-home environments. With the aim of adopting these technologies, research works, and their outcomes are reported. Besides, up to date references are included for the user monitoring technologies with the aim of facilitating independent living. Research that is related to the use of user monitoring technologies in assisted living is very widespread, but it is still consists mostly of limited-scale studies. Hence, user monitoring technology is a very promising field, especially for long-term care. However, monitoring of the users for smart assisted technologies should be taken to the next level with more detailed studies that evaluate and demonstrate their potential to contribute to prolonging the independent living of people. The target of this book is to contribute towards that direction.

The book reports on advanced topics in the areas of wearable robotics research and practice. It focuses on new technologies, including neural interfaces, soft wearable robots, sensors and actuators technologies, and discusses important regulatory challenges, as well as clinical and ethical issues. Based on the 4th International Symposium on Wearable Robotics, WeRob2018, held October 16-20, 2018, in Pisa, Italy, the book addresses a large audience of academics and professionals working in government, industry, and medical centers, and end-users alike. It provides them with specialized information and with a source of inspiration for new ideas and collaborations. It discusses exemplary case studies highlighting practical challenges related to the implementation of wearable robots in a number of fields. One of the focus is on clinical applications, which was encouraged by the colocation of WeRob2018 with the International Conference on Neurorehabilitation, INCR2018. Additional topics include space applications and assistive technologies in the industry. The book merges together the engineering, medical, ethical and political perspectives, thus offering a multidisciplinary, timely snapshot of the field of wearable technologies.

The robots are coming! So too is the 'age of automation', the march of 'invasive' species, more intense natural disasters, and a potential cataclysm of other unprecedented events and phenomena of which we do not yet know, and cannot predict. This book is concerned with how to account for these non-humans and their effects within theories of social practice. In particular, this provocative collection tackles contemporary debates about the roles, relations and agencies of constantly changing, disruptive, intelligent or otherwise 'dynamic' non-humans, such as weather, animals and automated devices. In doing so contributors challenge and take forward existing understandings of dynamic non-humans in theories of social practice by reconsidering their potential roles in everyday life. The book will benefit sociology, geography, science and technology studies, and human- (and animal-) computer interaction design scholars seeking to make sense of the complex entanglement of non-human phenomena and things in the performance of social practices.

This book explores how gamification techniques are used to leverage users' natural desires for achievement, competition, collaboration, learning and more. Compared to other books on this topic, it gives more than just an introduction and develops the readers understanding through frameworks and models, based on research to make it easier to develop gamified systems. The concept of gamification achieved increased popularity in 2010 when a number of softwares and services started explaining their products as a 'gamification' design. Gamification Mindset explains how game elements and mechanics are important, how video games are learning systems and examines how video game aesthetics are vital in the development of gamification. The book will challenge some common beliefs when it comes to gamifications' abilities to immerse and change the user's intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Gamification Mindset aims to develop new models in gamification to enable easier gamification scenarios. It is a comprehensive analysis and discussion about gamification and serves as a useful tool, since it acquaints readers with gamification and how to use it, through illustrated practical theoretical models. Academic researchers, students, educators and professional game and gamification designers will find this book invaluable.

This book provides the reader with the knowledge necessary for comprehension of the field of Intelligent Audio Analysis. It firstly introduces standard methods and discusses the typical Intelligent Audio Analysis chain going from audio data to audio features to audio recognition. Further, an introduction to audio source separation, and enhancement and robustness are given. After the introductory parts, the book shows several applications for the three types of audio: speech, music, and general sound. Each task is shortly introduced, followed by a description of the specific data and methods applied, experiments and results, and a conclusion for this specific task. The books provides benchmark results and standardized test-beds for a broader range of audio analysis tasks. The main focus thereby lies on the parallel advancement of realism in audio analysis, as too often today's results are overly optimistic owing to idealized testing conditions, and it serves to stimulate synergies arising from transfer of methods and leads to a holistic audio analysis.

This book introduces a computationally feasible, cognitively inspired formal model of concept invention, drawing on Fauconnier and Turner's theory of conceptual blending, a fundamental cognitive operation. The chapters present the mathematical and computational foundations of concept invention, discuss cognitive and social aspects, and further describe concrete implementations and applications in the fields of musical and mathematical creativity. Featuring contributions from leading researchers in formal systems, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, computational creativity, mathematical reasoning and cognitive musicology, the book will appeal to readers interested in how conceptual blending can be precisely characterized and implemented for the development of creative computational systems.

The book shows how researchers, practitioners, and designers can improve user experiences with technology by understanding various user learning styles and characteristics when they interact with new and challenging applications and interfaces. Quality of experience in this new technological environment is affected by the learning curve involved in being able to use the new interfaces in a satisfactory way. The author explores the variations in quality of experience when considering learning and ethics when interacting with new, emerging technologies. The author shows how results can be applied to technologies such as big data, AI, 5G, and Internet of Things (IoT). Taken into account are also safety and security requirements, context, environment, etc. The book explores the idea of learning, ethics, and the idea that there exists a "recipe" for a satisfactory interaction with technology if such relevant parameters are taken into consideration. Analyzes user habits to improve quality of experience when interacting with technology; Shows how to apply quality of service techniques to 5G, IoT, big data and AI; Uses behavior models to analyze interactions to improve the user quality of experience.

Not long ago, projections of how office technologies would revolutionize the production of documents in a high-tech future carriedmany promises. The paper less office and the seamless and problem-free sharing of texts and other work materials among co-workers werejust around the corner, we were told. To anyone who has been involved in putting together a volume of the present kind, such forecasts will be met with considerable skepticism, if not outright distrust. The diskette, the email, the fax, the net, and all the other forms of communication that are now around are powerful assets, but they do not in any way reduce the flow of paper or the complexity of coordinating activities involved in producing an artifact such as a book. Instead, the reverse seems to be true. Obviously, the use of such tools requires considerable skill at the center of coordination, to borrow an expression from a chapter in this volume. As editors, we have been fortunate to have Ms. Lotta Strand, Linkoping University, at the center of the distributed activity that producing this volume has required over the last few years. With her considerable skill and patience, Ms. Strand and her work provide a powerful illustration of the main thrust of most of the chapters in this volume: Practice is a coordination of thinking and action, and many things had to be kept in mind during the production of this volume."

This book describes the teleoperated android Geminoid, which has a very humanlike appearance, movements, and perceptions, requiring unique developmental techniques. The book facilitates understanding of the framework of android science and how to use it in real human societies. Creating body parts of soft material by molding an existing person using a shape-memory form provides not only the humanlike texture of the body surface but also safe physical interaction, that is, humanlike interpersonal interaction between people and the android. The teleoperation also highlights novel effects in telecommunication. Operators of the Geminoid feel the robot's body as their own, and people encountering the teleoperated Geminoid perceive the robot's body as being possessed by the operator as well.Where does the feeling of human presence come from? Can we transfer or reproduce human presence by technology? Geminoid may help to answer these questions.

Extensive research conducted by the Hasso Plattner Design Thinking Research Program at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, USA, and the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany, has yielded valuable insights on why and how design thinking works. Researchers have identified metrics, developed models, and conducted studies, which are featured in this book, and in the previous volumes of this series. Offering readers a closer look at design thinking, and its innovation processes and methods, this volume covers topics ranging from understanding success factors of design thinking to exploring the potential that lies in the use of digital technologies. Furthermore, readers learn how special-purpose design thinking can be used to solve thorny problems in complex fields, such as the health sector or software development. Thinking and devising innovations are inherently human activities - so is design thinking. Accordingly, design thinking is not merely the result of special courses or of being gifted or trained: it is a way of dealing with our environment and improving techniques, technologies and life. As such, the research outcomes compiled in this book should increase knowledge and provide inspiration to all seeking to drive innovation - be they experienced design thinkers or newcomers.

This book reports on advanced topics in the areas of wearable robotics research and practice. It focuses on new technologies, including neural interfaces, soft wearable robots, sensors and actuators technologies, discussing industrially and medically-relevant issues, as well as legal and ethical aspects. It covers exemplary case studies highlighting challenges related to the implementation of wearable robots for different purposes, and describing advanced solutions. Based on the 5th International Symposium on Wearable Robotics, WeRob2020, and on WearRacon Europe 2020, which were both held online on October 13-16, 2020, the book addresses a large audience of academics and professionals working in for the government, in the industry, and in medical centers, as well as end-users alike. By merging together engineering, medical, ethical and industrial perspectives, it offers a multidisciplinary, timely snapshot of the field of wearable technologies.

A longstanding goal of haptic engineering is to develop haptic interfaces that can provide realistic sensations of touch. A fundamental step towards this goal is to understand what mechanical tactile signals the hand feels during daily touch interactions. This book reveals the complex patterns of mechanical waves propagating throughout the hand that can be elicited even by simple touch interactions, which helps in expanding existing knowledge of tactile function beyond the region of near skin-object contact and inspires new designs for haptic sensing and feedback technologies. The first part of this book describes new methods for capturing dynamic, spatially distributed tactile signals in the whole hand during natural hand interactions. The second part characterizes these signals and evaluates how well and how efficiently they encode the information of touch, relating to the transmission of mechanical waves in hand tissues. The final part demonstrates how these findings can be utilized to create novel haptic effects and tactile displays. Tactile Sensing, Information, and Feedback via Wave Propagation provides a unique view of tactile sensing and feedback and will appeal to researchers, engineers, and students who are interested in learning cutting-edge haptic science and technology.

Personal data is increasingly important in our lives. We use personal data to quantify our behaviour, through health apps or for 'personal branding' and we are also increasingly forced to part with our data to access services. With the proliferation of embedded sensors, the built environment is playing a key role in this developing use of data, even though this remains relatively hidden. Buildings are sites for the capture of personal data. This data is used to adapt buildings to people's behaviour, and increasingly, organisations use this data to understand how buildings are occupied and how communities develop within them. A whole host of technical, practical, social and ethical challenges emerge from this still developing area across interior, architectural and urban design, and many open questions remain. This book makes a contribution to this on-going discourse by bringing together a community of researchers interested in personal informatics and the design of interactive buildings and environments. The book's aim is to foster critical discussion about the future role of personal data in interactions with the built environment. People, Personal Data and the Built Environment is ideal for researchers and practitioners interested in Architecture, Computer Science and Human Building Interaction.

Presents a strategic perspective and design methodology that guide the process of developing digital products and services that provide 'real experience' to users. Only when the material experienced runs its course to fulfilment is it then regarded as 'real experience' that is distinctively senseful, evaluated as valuable, and harmoniously related to others. Based on the theoretical background of human experience, the book focuses on these three questions: How can we understand the current dominant designs of digital products and services? What are the user experience factors that are critical to provide the real experience? What are the important HCI design elements that can effectively support the various UX factors that are critical to real experience? Design for Experience is intended for people who are interested in the experiences behind the way we use our products and services, for example designers and students interested in interaction, visual graphics and information design or practitioners and entrepreneurs in pursuit of new products or service-based start-ups.

Organisational Semiotics occupies an important niche in the research community of human communication and information systems. It opens up new ways of understanding the functioning of information and information resources in organised behavior.

Coordination And Communication Using Signs: Studies in Organisational Semiotics is a cutting-edge volume that bridges the gap between the technical and social aspects of information systems and information technology. The chapters in the book are divided into two major sections. The first section deals with Communication and Pragmatics, and Organisational Systems. In this section the following topics are examined:

• the semiotic framework and natural language;
• coordination and communication using natural language and other artifacts in a real-life setting;
• substantive-level issues of information systems and business processes from several theoretical perspectives;
• language as action;
• communication quality in the context of systems and business processes;
• organisational action and Greimas' semiotics.

Section Two concentrates on organisational systems, which may or may not include a computer system as a component and examines the following topics:

• semiotic strategies and semiotic models of organisational structures;
• the impact of information technology with instructive case studies;
• the impact of information technology with a particular focus on sense-making in the work floor context;
• the design of computer information systems;
• improving the design quality of agent-based information systems;
• the design ofinformation systems, in terms of capacity, and data scheme.

All the chapters in the volume have been submitted to a review process of discussants and peer reviews.

This book develops an original theoretical framework for understanding human-technology relations. The author's approach, which he calls technoanalysis, analyzes artificial intelligence based on Freudian psychoanalysis, biosemiotics, and Latour's actor-network theory. How can we communicate with AI to determine shared values and objectives? And what, ultimately, do we want from machines? These are crucial questions in our world, where the influence of AI-based technologies is rapidly growing. Unconscious dynamics influence AI and digital technology and understanding them is essential to better controlling AI systems. This book's unique methodology- which combines psychoanalysis, biosemiotics, and actor-network theory-reveals a radical reformulation of the problem of the human mind. Technoanalysis views the mind as a hybrid network of humans and nonhuman actants in constant interaction with one another. The author argues that human unconscious dynamics influence and shape technology, just as technology influences and shapes human unconscious dynamics. He proceeds to show how this conception of the relationship between the unconscious and technology can be applied to social robotics and AI. Unconscious Networks will appeal to scholars and advanced students interested in philosophy of technology, philosophy of artificial intelligence, psychoanalysis, and science and technology studies.

Advances in hardware and networking have made possible a wide use of augmented reality (AR) technologies. However, simply putting those hardware and technologies together does not make a "good" system for end users to use. New design principles and evaluation methods specific to this emerging area are urgently needed to keep up with the advance in technologies.

"Human Factors in Augmented Reality Environments" is the first book on human factors in AR, addressing issues related to design, development, evaluation and application of AR systems. Topics include surveys, case studies, evaluation methods and metrics, HCI theories and design principles, human factors and lessons learned and experience obtained from developing, deploying or evaluating AR systems. The contributors for this cutting-edge volume are well-established researchers from diverse disciplines including psychologists, artists, engineers and scientists.

"Human Factors in Augmented Reality Environments" is designed for a professional audience composed of practitioners and researchers working in the field of AR and human-computer interaction. Advanced-level students in computer science and engineering will also find this book useful as a secondary text or reference.

This book looks back at the starting point of engineering to show the importance of motivation in dealing with the passive-to-active consumer change, and explains how engineering can be holistic. It presents a variety of research on emotion, discussing topics such as neuroscience, philosophy and physiology. In addition to providing similar research being carried out from different perspectives in other fields, it demonstrates to readers how they can work with researchers in other fields to explore the new frontiers and their applications together. With engineering quickly moving from product development to experience development, and the role of emotion in engineering becoming increasingly important, Emotional Engineering, Vol. 6 is a valuable resource for engineers and researchers.

Analyzes the influence of technology and social media on human development with parents and families in mind. This is a story about a family coming of age at the same time as smartphones and social media; a multiracial family coming into its own as windows into social injustice opened up before our very screens; and a multi-parent multi-professional family with children living differently depending on which house and which combination of family members happen to be home. While it is a story about a family, it is really the story of technological and global changes unfolding on our doorsteps. While many revile the ascendance of smartphones and social media and the way they suck us into the vortex of cyberspace, there are cultural touchpoints that reflect deeper human and technology development patterns, patterns which we would all do well to understand, no matter whether or how we choose to engage in the ever-innovating digital frontiers. Informed by research and interviews with leaders in policy, human development, ethics, and technology Loretta Brady helps readers understand the complex systemic challenges and findings related to technology and human development. We do not have to hate or fear technology. It is neither friend nor foe. But understanding its impact on our daily lives is paramount to cultivating a healthier relationship both with our digital lives and our real, lived ones.

Proceedings of the International Conference on Human-centric Computing and Embedded and Multimedia Computing (HumanCom & EMC 2011) will cover topics of HumanCom and EMC, the current hot topics satisfying the world-wide ever-changing needs. Human-centric computing is to create novel solutions so that the humans are always connected, portable, and available. As with pervasive-computing, human-centric computing requires a variety of devices; however, such devices exist simply to obtain inputs from the human and are embedded in objects that humans interact with on a daily basis. Moreover, during the past couple of decades, Information Science technologies influenced and changed every aspect of our lives and our cultures. Without various Information Science technology-based applications, it would be difficult to keep information stored securely, to process information efficiently, and to communicate conveniently. Embedded computing ranges from portable devices such as digital watches and MP3 players, to large stationary installations like traffic lights, factory controllers, or the systems controlling nuclear power plants. Complexity varies from low, with a single microcontroller chip, to very high with multiple units, peripherals and networks mounted inside a large chassis or enclosure. Multimedia computing covers multimedia I/O devices, OS, storage systems, streaming media middleware, continuous media representations, media coding, media processing, etc., and also includes multimedia communications; real-time protocols, end-to-end streaming media, resource allocation, multicast protocols, and multimedia applications; databases, distributed collaboration, video conferencing, 3D virtual environments.

This book focuses on the global quality of the design of systems that people interact with during their work activities and daily lives; a quality that involves the globality of people's experience - physical, sensory, cognitive and emotional. It presents a concise and structured overview of the ergonomic approach to planning, and of methodological and operational tools from ergonomic research that can more directly and concretely contribute to the design process. The book also explores physical ergonomics and cognitive ergonomics, which are essential components of design culture. The final section addresses the main design problems and intervention criteria regarding the design of environments, products and equipment, as well as the design of communication, training and learning interface systems based on digital technologies. The book is chiefly intended for designers and anyone interested in the methods, tools and opportunities for in-depth analysis and development that ergonomics can offer regarding the conception, production and testing of products, environments and services, whether physical or virtual. It also offers a learning resource for professionals and students in Industrial Design and Planning.

The information infrastructure - comprising computers, embedded devices, networks and software systems - is vital to operations in every sector: inf- mation technology, telecommunications, energy, banking and ?nance, tra- portation systems, chemicals, agriculture and food, defense industrial base, public health and health care, national monuments and icons, drinking water and water treatment systems, commercial facilities, dams, emergency services, commercial nuclear reactors, materials and waste, postal and shipping, and government facilities. Global business and industry, governments, indeed - ciety itself, cannot function if major components of the critical information infrastructure are degraded, disabled or destroyed. This book, Critical Infrastructure Protection IV, is the fourth volume in the annual series produced by IFIP Working Group 11.10 on Critical Infr- tructure Protection, an active international community of scientists, engineers, practitioners and policy makers dedicated to advancing research, development and implementation e?orts related to critical infrastructure protection. The book presents original research results and innovative applications in the area of infrastructure protection. Also, it highlights the importance of weaving s- ence, technology and policy in crafting sophisticated, yet practical, solutions that will help secure information, computer and network assets in the various critical infrastructure sectors. This volume contains seventeen edited papers from the Fourth Annual IFIP Working Group 11.10 International Conference on Critical Infrastructure P- tection, held at the National Defense University, Washington, DC, March 15- 17, 2010. The papers were refereed by members of IFIP Working Group 11.10 and other internationally-recognized experts in critical infrastructure prot- tion.

This book provides an introduction and overview of the rapidly evolving topic of game narratives, presenting the new perspectives employed by researchers and the industry, highlighting the recent empirical findings that illustrate the nature of it. The first section deals with narrative design and theory, the second section includes social and cultural studies on game narrative, the third section focuses on new technologies and approaches for the topic, the fourth section presents practices and case studies, and the final section provides industry cases from professionals.

Collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) are multi-user virtual realities which actively support communication and co-operation. This book offers a comprehensive reference volume to the state-of-the-art in the area of design studies in CVEs. It is an excellent mix of contributions from over 25 leading researcher/experts in multiple disciplines from academia and industry, providing up-to-date insight into the current research topics in this field as well as the latest technological advancements and the best working examples. Many of these results and ideas are also applicable to other areas such as CVE for design education.

Overall, this bookserves asan excellent reference for postgraduate students, researchers and practitioners who need a comprehensive approach to study the design behaviours in CVEs. It is also a useful and informative source of materials for those interested in learning more on using/developing CVEs to support design and design collaboration. "