Esko Strömmer

Bridging the physical and virtual worlds by local connectivity-based physical selection

The prevalent visions of ambient intelligence emphasise natural interaction between user and functions and services embedded in the environment or available through mobile devices. In these scenarios the physical and virtual worlds seamlessly gear into each other, making crossing the border between these worlds natural or even invisible to the user. The bottleneck in reaching these scenarios appear in the natural mapping between the physical objects and their virtual counterparts. The emergence of local connectivity in mobile devices opens possibilities for implementing novel user interface paradigms to enhance this mapping. We present physical selection paradigm for implementing an intuitive human technology interaction for mobile devices. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the paradigm we implemented two experimental set-ups using commercially available smart phones with IrDA connectivity. The experiments involved selecting a website by physically pointing at its symbol and making a phone call by pointing at an icon representing the person to be called. In tentative user experiments the physical selection method was more time-efficient and it was perceived more positively by the users than a conventional method.

Application of near field communication for health monitoring in daily life.

We study the possibility of applying an emerging RFID-based communication technology, NFC (Near Field Communication), to health monitoring. We suggest that NFC is, compared to other competing technologies, a high-potential technology for short-range connectivity between health monitoring devices and mobile terminals. We propose practices to apply NFC to some health monitoring applications and study the benefits that are attainable with NFC. We compare NFC to other short-range communication technologies such as Bluetooth and IrDA, and study the possibility of improving the usability of health monitoring devices with NFC. We also introduce a research platform for technical evaluation, applicability study and application demonstrations of NFC

Ultra-low Power Sensors with Near Field Communication for Mobile Applications

In this paper, we study the applicability of an emerging RFID-based communication technology, NFC (Near Field Communication), to ultra-low power wireless sensors. We present potential application examples of passive and semi-passive NFC-enabled sensors. We compare their NFC-based implementations to corresponding implementations based on short-range radios such as Bluetooth and Wibree. The comparison addresses both technical properties and usability. We also introduce Smart NFC Interface, which is our general-purpose prototype platform for rapid prototyping of NFC and Bluetooth implementations. Two pilot sensor implementations and an NFC-Bluetooth gateway implementation based on our platform are presented and evaluated. Finally, needs and possibilities for technical improvements of available NFC technology are discussed.

NFC-Enabled Wireless Charging

This paper summarizes the results of our concept development for NFC-enabled wireless charging - i.e., an add-on to the existing NFC operating modes that implements charging power transmission and charging power reception with associated control functionality. When compared to dedicated wireless charging solutions, integration of NFC and wireless charging into the same implementation will entail more compact and cost-efficient charging interfaces for portable devices, a more pervasive charger infrastructure in future with reduced costs, and the possibility of integrating NFC-based services into charging applications. We propose to the NFC community a closer investigation of use cases, the business potential, and technical implementation of NFC-enabled charging. This should lead to a road map for its wider adoption, pave the way to its standardization, technology development, and commercial application, and also support enhancement of power transfer capability in other NFC applications alongside wireless charging.

A Physical Selection Paradigm for Ubiquitous Computing

More natural communication with ubiquitous digital devices requires new ways of interaction between humans and computers. Although the desktop metaphor and the windows, icons, menu, and pointing device (WIMP) paradigm work well in the office computer, different means of interaction might be more suitable for mobile terminals and their communication with ambient devices, objects and services. We present three cases where physical selection may prove advantageous over more traditional ways of interaction. Also, we suggest different ways of realising physical selection and compare their characteristics. Finally, we give an example of physical selection in the case of activating and reading a temperature sensor wirelessly. In the future, we shall investigate the possibility of implementing the physical selection paradigm with mobile phones and Personal Digital Assistants.

Application Scenario for NFC: Mobile Tool for Industrial Worker

RFID-based near field communication (NFC) technology enables several applications for short range communication. It is suitable for professional applications due to principle of operation, flexibility of use and it is standardized. Compared to other short range communication technologies such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth ULP (ultra low power) or Zigbee, it provides advantages in industrial environment and requirements that we will introduce and discuss in this paper. We present a novel scenario for use of NFC in industrial application where operator can collect information simply by touching and organizing data afterwards.

Safety services for children: a wearable sensor vest with wireless charging

Wearable sensors constitute an increasing market in providing various promising opportunities for improving and controlling safety issues for children in day care and schools. This paper presents the technological enablers and requirements for building a complete end-to-end energy-efficient safety system. Our work introduces a proof-of-concept for a wearable sensor vest with integrated wireless charging, designed to enhance the security of children. The wireless charging takes place in the ordinary repository for the vests, such as in a wardrobe or a coat rack, without requiring any specific actions from the user. The developed sensor vest provides information about the location and well-being of children, based on received signal strength indication, global positioning system, accelerometer, and temperature sensors. This paper also discusses the experiences of the “safety service for children” school pilot, which utilized various sensors with end-to-end applications. Piloting and technological implementations are based on a participatory study conducted among children, teachers, and parents, to gain important knowledge and understanding about the real user needs and service system usability requirements.

Sensing sofa and its ubiquitous use

In this paper we present the early development phases of an occupancy monitoring sensor system for an intelligent sofa and related user and service scenarios in the context of living environment for older persons. The paper presents details of the technical solution of the intelligent sofa and the test results of its laboratory use. Information integration concept with other elements in the case environment and selected use scenarios of the system will pave the way for final target: commercially manageable open access services development utilizing integrated measurements in the living environment for older persons.

Implementation of NFC technology for industrial applications: case flexible production

Near Field communication (NFC) technology enables a flexible short range communication. It has large amount of envisaged applications in consumer, welfare and industrial sector. Compared with other short range communication technologies such as Bluetooth or Wibree it provides advantages that we will introduce in this paper. In this paper, we present an example of applying NFC technology to industrial application where simple tasks can be automatized and industrial assembly process can be improved radically by replacing manual paperwork and increasing trace of the products during the production.