Naohiko Kohtake

InfoPoint: A Device that Provides a Uniform User Interface to Allow Appliances to Work Together over a Network

Abstract: This paper proposes a new hand-held device called “InfoPoint” that allows appliances to work together over a network. We have applied the idea of “drag-and-drop” operation as provided in the GUIs of PC and workstation desktop environment. InfoPoint provides a unified interface that gives different types of appliances “drag-and-drop”-like behaviour for the transfer of data. Moreover, it can transfer data from/to non-appliances such as pieces of paper. As a result, InfoPoint allows appliances to work together, in the real-world environment, in terms of data transfer. A prototype of InfoPoint has been implemented and several experimental applications have been investigated. InfoPoint has shown its applicability in a variety of circumstances. We believe that the idea proposed in this paper will be a significant technology in the network of the future.

InfoStick: An Interaction Device for Inter-Appliance Computing

Many electric appliances have recently become network reachable, and we would receive better services from them if we could use them in combination. We have therefore developed a new hand-held interaction device called InfoStick that serves as an information carrier for these appliances. For example, a user can pick up TV program information from a web browser and drop it into a VCR deck, just like moving a physical object from one place to another. Using attached visual markers, the InfoStick identifies information appliances or other physical objects and gives an appropriate choice of action to the user. This paper explains the design and implementation of the InfoStick as well as several potential applications using this device.

u-Photo: interacting with pervasive services using digital still images

This paper presents u-Photo which is an interactive digital still image including information of pervasive services associated with networked appliances and sensors in pervasive computing environment. U-Photo Tools can generate a u-Photo and provide methods for discovering contextual information about these pervasive services. Users can easily find out this information through the metaphor of ‘taking a photograph; the users use u-Photo by clicking on a physical entity in a digital still image. In addition, u-Photo makes managing information more efficient because the still image has embedded visual information. Using u-Photo and u-Photo Tools, we conducted various demonstrations and performed usability tests. The results of these tests show that u-Photo Tools are easy to learn. We also present that the time that expert u-Photo users take to find the object in piles of u-Photos is shorter than the time it take to find the object in piles of text-based descriptions.

u-Texture: self-organizable universal panels for creating smart surroundings

This paper introduces a novel way to allow non-expert users to create smart surroundings. Non-smart everyday objects such as furniture and appliances found in homes and offices can be converted to smart ones by attaching computers, sensors, and devices. In this way, non-smart components that form non-smart objects are made smart in advance. For our first prototype, we have developed u-Texture, a self-organizable universal panel that works as a building block. The u-Texture can change its own behavior autonomously through recognition of its location, its inclination, and surrounding environment by assembling these factors physically. We have demonstrated several applications to confirm that u-Textures can create smart surroundings easily without expert users.

Report on an assessment experience based on ISO/IEC 29110

In January 2011, a new standard ISO/IEC 29110 was published. To evaluate effectiveness of the assessment using ISO/IEC 29110, we have performed a series of lightweight assessment. The lightweight assessment method taken in this trial was using the task checklist based on ISO/IEC 29110‐5 with the customized procedures based on ISO/IEC 15504‐2. Through the trial, we found that the lightweight assessment required little effort to the project. Moreover, we found that the lightweight assessment was an acceptable way for the project to extract issues and risks in the project and urge awareness. Regarding the one aforementioned, the lightweight assessment using ISO/IEC 29110 has two benefits. Firstly, it is useful for the readiness checking of forthcoming tasks and workproducts. Secondly, the lightweight assessment are performed iteratively and repeatedly performed several times with little effort. As mentioned earlier, lightweight assessment should be performed not for the evaluation but as a daily routine tool to obtain the actual status and performance of management and to identify the problems. In this way, the ISO/IEC 29110 lightweight assessment is useful. Copyright

Toward seamless indoor-outdoor applications: Developing stakeholder-oriented location-based services

Location-Based Services (LBS), an emerging new business based on smartphone and mobile networks, are becoming more and more popular. Most of these LBSs, however, only offer non-seamless indoor/outdoor applications and simple applications without giving stakeholders the chance to play an active role. Our specific aim is to solve these issues. This paper presents concepts to solve these issues by expanding the Open Location Services Interface Standard (OpenLS) to allow seamless indoor/outdoor positioning and to extend the content of the services to include information recommended by stakeholders.

GNSS-based emergency message service: Lessons learned and future prospects

Integrating navigation and communication for emergency message services through Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals is under consideration in Europe and Japan. A GNSS satellite continuously transmits ranging signals and messages. These messages include information about the satellites orbit, ionospheric conditions, satellite health, etc. In a next generation of these systems or utilizing spare bits available in the current systems, data bandwidth could be utilized to transmit additional information, for example during large scale emergency situations.

Software Independent Verification and Validation for Spacecraft at JAXA

In order to achieve mission success with more demanding mission requirements and more complex onboard software, our software independent verification and validation (IV&V) has been applied to various spacecraft software programs, such as software on satellites, ground stations, and the Japanese Experimental Module (JEM) of the International Space Station (ISS). The malfunction procedure in the operations data file for JEM is also the target for applying software IV&V. Suitable software IV&V can be performed for each spacecraft throughout the entire development life cycle. The objectives for software IV&V activity are the following: applying suitable software IV&V to each spacecraft, creating new software IV&V technologies for spacecraft, and spreading new software engineering technologies based on our software IV&V to development teams and contractors. This paper introduces our software IV&V activities and several examples to confirm that our activities are effective and efficient for spacecraft.

Investigating the Surrogate Worth Trade-off Method to Facilitate Technology Selection for New Systems

When designing a new system, engineers must often select from a set of discrete technologies available for use. Once the engineers select these technologies, they subsequently determine the value of continuous variables (e.g., lengths, thicknesses, other dimensions) that describe the new system. This mix of discrete and continuous choices can make it difficult to identify the best design. Additional difficulties arise when—as for most new systems—a trade-off exists between multiple, competing objectives. From a design optimization perspective, the resulting problem is a Multi-Objective, Mixed-Discrete Non-Linear Programming (MO-MDNLP) problem. The solution to an MO-MDNLP problem is not a single design; it is a set of non-dominated designs. In this set, the performance of one objective cannot improve without degrading performance in the other objective(s). However, the design process requires that a single design emerge as the best candidate; this best design needs to reflect the decision-maker’s preferences. The Surrogate Worth Trade-off (SWT) method is one approach that provides an interface between the decision-maker’s preferences and the mathematical models. This paper applied the SWT method to a simple example MO-MDNLP problem to determine how this might support a decision-maker in selecting new technologies during the early phases of design.

A self configurable topology-aware network for smart materials

In this paper, we present an architecture to create extemporaneous networking on u-Texture. u-Texture is a tile shaped smart material which can be used to construct smart furnitures. Each u-Texture reacts according to what the entire smart furniture is shaped like. This reaction greatly affects the networking within a u-Texture. We therefore must allow dynamic arrangements within the network when a u-Texture is detached from or attached to another smart furniture. We present our tactics to implement such an self configurable topology-aware network to support applications executed on the entire smart furniture.