Soko Aoki

Spinning Sensors: A Middleware for Robotic Sensor Nodes with Spatiotemporal Models

This paper proposes Spinning Sensors middleware that realizes a robotic sensor node mechanism comprised of a sensor node and a robotic actuator node such as a motor or a mobile robot. We can increase sensing space, time, and accuracy of a sensor node by attaching them onto robotic actuators. To realize a robotic sensor node, we need to achieve collaborative utilization of arbitrary sensors and actuators, and automated calculation of sensing area and time. We stated these problems as spontaneous coordination problem and sensing area calculation problem. The Spinning Sensors middleware provides the mechanism of device coordination, data processing, and management of spatiotemporal model of robotic sensor nodes. In this paper, we discuss a robotic sensor node model, and design and implementation of the middleware. We introduce three kinds of applications using the middleware such as environment monitoring, sensor controlled robot, and context-aware service. The experiments using the robotic sensor node and the middleware are conducted to evaluate and measure the possibility, performance, and practicality of a robotic sensor node mechanism.

A sensor actuator network architecture with control rules

This paper presents a Spinning Sensors NW middleware which realizes a distributed sensor actuator network and a Sensor Actuator Network Markup Language (SANML) to write the controlling rules of networked sensors and actuators. In the realization of sensor actuator network architecture, the application developer needs to coordinate sensors and actuators in the network and set the control rules of them. We have stated these problems as collaboration of distributed sensors and actuators problem and collaboration description problem. The Spinning Sensors NW middleware provides the mechanism to coordinate multiple networked sensors and actuators. The SANML provides a format to express the control rules of sensors and actuators. We implemented an air-conditioning application and networked robot application to test the performance of the middleware and the expressive power of the markup language. This paper overcomes above-mentioned two problems and increase the flexibility and combinations of sensors and actuators.

Zero-Stop Authentication: Sensor-Based Real-Time Authentication System

This paper proposes “Zero-stop Authentication” system, which requires no intentional interactions between users and authentication applications. Our Zero-stop Authentication model simplifies the current complicated authentication process by automating detection of users and objects. Our challenge is to eliminate the necessity for users to wait for a moment to be authenticated without reducing security level of authentication. To accomplish such real time user authentication in a physical environment, user mobility needs to be modelled. This paper models and formulates the user mobility and time constraints as “1/N × 1/M model”, considering user speed, sensor coverage areas, communication time between the sensors and the server, and processing time consumed by an authentication process. We also prototyped a library application based on 1/N × 1/M model, and installed it into Smart Furniture [1] which is an experimental platform to examine feasibility of our model.

Autonomous and asynchronous operation of networked appliances with mobile agent

This paper describes the Smart Operation of Networked Appliances (SONA) system which realizes the autonomous and asynchronous operation of networked appliances by using mobile agents. In SONA system, the mobile agents operate networked appliances in place of users direct manipulation. Existing appliances operation systems such as remote controllers require users to input their demands synchronously with the appliances, while SONA system only requires users to input their demands in a lump once for all. To realize autonomous and asynchronous operation system, the SONA system is equipped with appliances lookup service, operation plan composer, and mobile agent system. In this paper, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of SONA system.

A Description Language for Universal Understandings of Heterogeneous Services in Pervasive Computing

A pervasive computing environment consists of a variety of devices, such as tiny sensor nodes, handheld devices, consumer electronics, and PCs, which are capable of communicating with others via a communication platform like Bluetooth, ZigBee, UPnP, and DLNA. Those devices should be able to communicate one another to provide users with richer pervasive computing environment, however, different communication platforms postulate different abstractions on services. This abstraction difference disables universal understandings of heterogeneous services about their compatibility and interoperability across different platforms, thereby disabling crossplatform device interaction. To address this problem, this paper proposes an XML-based technique, called Universal Service Description Language (USDL), to describe the heterogeneous services in a platform-independent way. It provides applications with self-contained documents to mechanically determine the best strategy to share the resources among multiple users in a pervasive computing environment. In this paper, we organize the requirements to deriving common abstraction scheme, and show how USDL is advantageous in pervasive computing environment by describing our experience in developing a range of applications using them.

Real-time information distribution at a shopping mall using android phones

A demonstration experiment called “Timely & Timely” was a evaluation of a system in which ubiquitous sensors data and reporters reports are displayed on digital signage and smart phones. This experiment was taken place at a shopping mall called “Lalaport Kashiwanoha” in Chiba, Japan. We have designed and implemented an information distribution system in which we can specify which information should reach which customers. Specifying the certain information is called “Channel” and the information receiving software running on Android smart phones is called “Ubiroid.” Each channel is defined by a USDL (Universal Service Description Language) based on XML. The developers and users can easily search and use channels thanks to this markup language. We rent 20 Android smart phones to the guests and received questionnaire results from those who participated in this experiment. This paper presents design, implementation, and evaluation of “Timely & Timely” and also shows the results from the experiment questionnaires.

Spinning sensors: middleware for robotic sensor network

This paper proposes Spinning Sensors, a middleware system for creating robotic sensor network applications. This middleware enables application programmers to easily write application software which utilizes both sensors and actuators in their network. In the Spinning Sensors model, a sensor node is attached to a robotic actuator to change its position and/or direction. The continuous position change enables the single robotic sensor node to cover greater sensing area and sensing time. This paper describes robotic sensor node model that the sensor and the actuator are attached together as one node, then present our design and implementation of the software which achieved both versatility and functionality simultaneously. We constructed three applications using the middleware: an environment monitoring, a radio control robot, and context-aware services. We show the result of experiment in which we utilized multiple robotic sensor nodes to monitor the environment.