Shin'ichi Konomi

Askus: Amplifying Mobile Actions

Information sharing has undeniably become ubiquitous in the Internet age. The global village created on the Internet provides people with instant access to information and news on events occurring in a remote area, including access to video content on websites such as YouTube . Thus, the Internet has helped us overcome barriers to information. However, we cannot conceive an event happening in a remote area and respond to it with relevant actions in a real-time fashion. To overcome this problem, we propose a system called Askus , a mobile platform for supporting networked actions. Askus facilitates an extension of the conceivable space and action by including humans in the loop. In Askus , a persons request is transmitted to a suitable person who will then act in accordance with the request at a remote site. Based on a diary study that led to detailed understanding about mobile assistance needs in everyday life, we developed the Askus platform and implemented the PC-based and mobile phone-based prototypes. We also present the results from our preliminary field trial.

Opportunistic collaboration in participatory sensing environments

The proliferation of networked mobile devices that can capture and communicate various kinds of data provides an opportunity to design novel man-machine sensing environments of which this paper considers participatory sensing. To achieve energy efficiency and reduce data redundancy, we propose Aquiba protocol that exploits opportunistic collaboration of pedestrians. Sensing activity is reduced according to the number of available pedestrians in nearby area. The paper investigates the benefit of opportunistic collaboration in large-scale scenarios through simulation studies. To take microscopic interaction of social crowds into consideration, we adapt the social force model and include it as one of three mobility models applied in our studies. Though the simulation results depend on mobility models, they validate the benefit of opportunistic collaboration employed by Aquiba protocol.

A human probe for measuring walkability

Recent mobile devices are integrated with various kinds of sensors, thereby allowing people to capture what stationary sensing devices cannot easily acquire. We term the systems that exploit the ubiquity of the users of such devices Human Probes. To realize a Human-Probe environment, our research group has examined the usefulness of pressure sensors embedded in shoes [2]. In this demonstration, we present our recent work that extends our previous research on embedded pressure sensors by considering complimentary uses of accelerometers so as to measure walkability in our everyday spaces. Pressure sensors and accelerometers are similarly useful for capturing the motion of pedestrians; however, the close examination of the signals from both sensors reveals the strengths and the weaknesses of each, and suggests the possibility of their complimentary use to support Human Probes.

BISCAY: extracting riding context from bike ride data

Recently, global warming is a serious problem all over the world. Japan endeavors to promote using bicycles in order to protect environment. We developed a system for supporting cyclists by using the data from a bike sensor network. Cyclists lose comfort of riding when they need to go through crowded streets. We collect riding information obtained with a gyro sensor attached to handlebars of a bicycle. Based on such information, we then extract riding condition of cyclists. This paper presents the design and implementation of a Human Probe system that can collect and store sensor data to show comfortable cycling routes on a map.

Exploring energy-efficient Human Probes for high-fidelity sensing in urban environments

Portable sensory devices carried by humans-which are referred to as Human Probes-facilitate easy-to-use sensing and monitoring of urban areas. However, when each Human Probe individually senses and transmits information, the sensing activity is inefficient in terms of energy consumption. In this paper, we propose an Architecture of Quality-enhanced Urban Information Blending and Aggregation (Aquiba), in which the sensing activities carried out by the Human Probes are adjusted autonomously under different conditions. Aquiba involves cooperative sensing that helps in achieving high-fidelity sensing while minimizing overall energy consumption. To demonstrate the validity of cooperative sensing, we implemented a prototype device by using a commercial off-the-shelf mobile phone and conducted a field experiment. The experimental results show that Aquiba is capable of providing high-fidelity sensing and reducing energy consumption efficiently.

Aquiba: an energy-efficient mobile sensing system for collaborative human probes

Portable sensory devices carried by humans—which are referred to as Human Probes—facilitate easy-to-use sensing and monitoring of urban areas. In this demonstration, we developed a prototype of Aquiba sensing system from off-the-shelf mobile phone. Aquiba involves collaborative sensing that helps in achieving high-fidelity sensing while minimizing overall energy consumption. We validated the benefit of collaborative sensing through field experiments.

A shoes-integrated sensing system for context-aware human probes

Human Probes, which are human integrated or embedded with sensors, allow the acquisition of a variety of contextual information, facilitate collaborative information sharing and community action as well as the provision of personalized services such as personal health management and context-aware advertisements. Recently, we have examined the usefulness of pressure sensors embedded in shoes [2]. In this demonstration, we extend our previous research on embedded pressure sensors by considering complimentary uses of accelerometers so as to capture precise and meaningful context in our daily lives. Pressure sensors and accelerometers are similarly useful for capturing the motion of pedestrians; however, the close examination of the signals from both sensors reveals the strengths and the weaknesses of each, and suggests the possibility of their complimentary use to support Human Probes.

A preliminary exploration of augmented social landscapes

The ubiquity of sensing devices, including location-aware, sensor-enabled mobile phones, creates an opportunity to design a novel digital layer of a city, which senses and shapes the experiences of urban inhabitants. This paper explores a possibility of ubiquitous sensing devices to generate alternative social landscapes of a city, and facilitate universal communication. Sensors have critical dual roles in this process: (1) analyzing existing social relations, and (2) providing resources for establishing new relations. Several examples are discussed in relation to the latter role of sensors in shaping social landscapes, suggesting the possibility to create various representations that could support novel communication and collaboration practices.