Alessandro Genco

An agent-based service network for personal mobile devices

We propose the Agent Network for Bluetooth Devices, a system that uses personal mobile devices as adaptive human-environment interfaces to supply people with ad hoc information and high-level services. The ANBD system operates with a hierarchical framework of service-providing nodes, dynamically composed and managed by mobile agents.

Three step bluetooth positioning

This paper discusses a three step procedure to perform high definition positioning by the use of low cost Bluetooth devices. The three steps are: Sampling, Deployment, and Real Time Positioning. A genetic algorithm is discussed for deployment optimization and a neural network for real time positioning. A case study, along with experiments and results, are finally discussed dealing with a castle in Sicily where many trials were carried out to the end of arranging a positioning system for context aware service provision to visitors.

An augmented campus design for context-aware service provision

This paper deals with the design of a multi-modal system for pervasive context-aware service provision and human-environment interaction in augmented environments by the use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) or SmartPhones. The system enables mobile devices and remote displays to perform as interaction devices with pervasive applications which run on a dynamically composed server network. Visual interaction for service setup and provision are driven by appropriate graphical interfaces and XML-based protocols, which are dynamically composed according to the type of service and to the user current position by means of a mobile agent-based framework. The paper discusses both protocols, hardware and software system components. The first part of the document gives a general description of the system, which is managed by an entity-driven organization in augmented reality.The mobile and reference devices of the system framework are then discussed, along with the mobile agent software which is used to manage connections among them and with system entities. The paper also gives some details about the ad-hoc protocols for entity interaction. Next, a case study is discussed dealing with service provision in a campus augmented environment which has been arranged according to service requirements. Finally the paper discusses some user experiences while using trial services.

Interacting with Augmented Environments

Pervasive systems augment environments by integrating information processing into everyday objects and activities. They consist of two parts: a visible part populated by animate (visitors, operators) or inanimate (AI) entities interacting with the environment through digital devices, and an invisible part composed of software objects performing specific tasks in an underlying framework. This paper shows an ongoing work from the University of Palermos Department of Computer Science and Engineering that addresses two issues related to simplifying and broadening augmented environment access.

A virtual shopper customer assistant in pervasive environments

In this work we propose a smart, human-like PDA-based personal shopper assistant. The system is able to understand the user needs through a spoken natural language interaction and then stores the preferences of the potential customer. Subsequently the personal shopper suggests the most suitable items and shops that match the user profile. The interaction is given by automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech technologies; localization is allowed by the use of Wireless technologies, while the interaction is performed by an Alice-based chat-bot endowed with reasoning capabilities. Besides, being implemented on a PDA, the personal shopper satisfies the user needs of mobility and it is also usable on different mobile devices.

Combined people position and compass detection for context-aware service provision

A novel technique is discussed for people identification and position sensing in augmented reality by the use of two cooperating technologies. People are provided with RFID tags for localization and context definition, and then visually investigated for identity checking and compass detection. The two technologies are discussed within an implementation of a case study dealing with context aware service provision for students in a campus

Bluetooth base station minimal deployment for high definition positioning

This paper discusses our approach to the problem of arranging a Bluetooth based positioning system capable of providing people coordinates in a given area with an accuracy as high as possible. Our strategy focuses on optimizing the disposition of a minimal number of available Bluetooth base stations in a subset of locations which are the only ones permitted by site characteristics and constraints. We used a genetic algorithm to this purpose and a layout chromosome whose best evolution suggested us how to deploy a minimal set of Bluetooth base stations. As a case study, we discuss our experiments and results which deal with a late middle age castle in Sicily where we carried out many trials.

Pervasive Access to MRI Bias Artifact Suppression Service on a Grid

Bias artifact corrupts MRIs in such a way that the image is afflicted by illumination variations. Some of the authors proposed the exponential entropy-driven homomorphic unsharp masking (E2D-HUM) algorithm that corrects this artifact without any a priori hypothesis about the tissues or the MRI modality. Moreover, E2D-HUM does not care about the body part under examination and does not require any particular training task. People who want to use this algorithm, which is Matlab-based, have to set their own computers in order to execute it. Furthermore, they have to be Matlab-skilled to exploit all the features of the algorithm. In this paper, we propose to make such algorithm available as a service on a grid infrastructure, so that people can use it almost from everywhere, in a pervasive fashion, by means of a suitable user interface running on smartphones. The proposed solution allows physicians to use the E2D-HUM algorithm (or any other kind of algorithm, given that it is available as a service on the grid), being it remotely executed somewhere in the grid, and the results are sent back to the users device. This way, physicians do not need to be aware of how to use Matlab to process their images. The pervasive service provision for medical image enhancement is presented, along with some experimental results obtained using smartphones connected to an existing Globus-based grid infrastructure.

A Collaborative Environment for Service Providing in Cultural Heritage Sites

We present a model which can be used to describe hybrid entities in an augmented reality environment. An architectural description of the model is firstly given. Next, a FIPA-compliant agent description of the model is proposed. Finally the paper discusses an overview and some implementation details of a project dealing with Augmented Reality context aware services in a cultural heritage site. These services are provided based on visitors customized profiles and current position in the site, as revealed by a positioning site implemented with low cost Bluetooth devices (cellular phones, PDAs, USB terminals).

A Java-based Wrapper for Wireless Communications

The increasing number of new applications for mobile devices in pervasive environments, do not cope with changes in the wireless communications. Developers of such applications have to deal with problems arising from the available wireless connections in the given environment. A middleware is a solution that allows to overcome some of these problems. It provides to the applications a set of functions that facilitate their development. In this paper we present a Java-based communication wrapper, called SmartTraffic, which allows programmers to seamlessly use TCP or UDP protocols over Bluetooth or any IP-based wireless network. Developers can use SmartTraffic within their Java applications, thus focusing on the application goals, and leaving out details about how it should interact with the available wireless connection.