Takuro Yonezawa

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.

A citizen-centric approach towards global-scale smart city platform

In order to help smart cities to provide responsive services to improve the quality of life of their citizens, a global-scale platform relying on Cloud computing as an enabler to bridge the Internet of Things with Internet of People via Internet of Services, is presented in this paper. This platform will focus on a citizen-centric approach, offering to end-users the possibility of creating their own Cloud services and share them with other citizens, as well as involving other city stakeholders ranging from municipalities to service developers and application integrators. The definition, design and development of the aforementioned platform has been carried out within ClouT project (still ongoing), framed into a joint European-Japanese initiative, where different field trials developed on top of the developed platform, have been deployed in the four cities that take part of the project: Mitaka and Fujisawa in Japan, and Santander and Genova in Europe.

pARnorama: 360 degree interactive video for augmented reality prototyping

Designing novel and meaningful interactions in the domain of Augmented Reality (AR) requires an efficient and appropriate methodology. A user centered design process requires the construction and evaluation of several prototypes with increasing technical fidelity. Although the main content of the application can already be conveyed with prerendered video, one of the main interactions in AR - the user-selected viewpoint - is only available in a very late stage. We propose the use of panoramic 360° video for scenario based user evaluation, where the user can select his point of view during playback. Initial users report a high degree of immersion in the constructed scenario, even for handheld AR.

ClouT: Leveraging Cloud Computing Techniques for Improving Management of Massive IoT Data

The Smart City concept relates to improve efficiency of city services and facilitate a more sustainable development of cities, as well as standing as the key concept for the future technological developments in Future Internet, IoT and, for the great quantity of information stored, big data and cloud computing. In this sense, this paper presents the ClouT project, a joint European-Japanese project, whose main aim is making citizens aware of city resources and helping them to use and care these resources by mean of smart IoT services in the Cloud. This objective is addressed through the definition of a three layer architecture composed of: CIaaS, CPaaS and CSaaS layers. On top of this architecture, different use cases associated to different application domains will be developed, mainly within the four cities that take part of the consortium: Mitaka and Fujisawa in Japan, and Santander and Genova in Europe.

Enhancing communication and dramatic impact of online live performance with cooperative audience control

Recent progress in information technology enables people to easily broadcast events live on the Internet. Although the advantage of the Internet is live communication between a performer and listeners, the current mode of communication is writing comments using Twitter or Facebook, or some similar messaging network. In one type of live broadcast, musical performances, it is difficult for a musician, when playing an instrument, to communicate with listeners by writing comments. We propose a new communication mode between performers who play musical instruments, and their listeners by enabling listeners to control the performers camera or illumination remotely. The results of four weeks of experiment confirm the emergence of nonverbal communication between a performer and listeners, and among listeners, which increases camaraderie amongst listeners and performers. Additionally, the dramatic impact of a performance is increased by enabling listeners to control various camera actions such as zoom-in or pan in real time. The results also provide implications for design of future interactive live broadcasting services.

Vinteraction: Vibration-based information transfer for smart devices

According to the spread of smart devices such as smartphones and smart tablets, opportunities to communicate between them will be more increased. Though we usually use WiFi and Bluetooth, it is still burden task for end-users. Many previous techniques to collaborate devices easily has been also proposed, they are not always best solution in some situations. This paper proposes a new interaction method called Vinteracion, which leverages combination of vibrator and accelerometer to send information from smart device to the other smart device. Vinteraction enables users to use touch interaction like Near Field Communication, which provides easy and intuitive way. We present an algorithm and implementation of vibration-based communication that can be adapted to any combination of smart devices. We also present several applications which leverages Vinteraction effectively. Through an evaluation by using popular six products, we confirmed that Vinteraction is easy to use transfer method with current products with reasonable performance.

The Advantages of IoT and Cloud Applied to Smart Cities

The European Commission and the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (NICT) have made a big effort to promote collaboration between the IoT and Cloud communities and define a common baseline for future research. ClouT (Cloud+IoT) project is co-funded as part of the first FP7 EU-Japan cooperation call and gives life to a fruitful collaboration between six European and seven Japanese organizations. The overarching objective is to provide enhanced solutions for smarter cities by using cloud computing to overcome some of the current challenges and limitations in the IoT domain. Through the combination of IoT and cloud computing, smart cities will be able to build new and enhanced services by using the large amounts of data stored in the cloud and by processing it in quasi-real time. This paper describes ClouT Reference Architecture which was outlined by leveraging on existing works performed by established IoT and cloud Research Communities both in Europe and Japan. ClouT Reference Architecture establishes a common ground of objects, definitions and rules mapping the IoT and cloud advantages into a unique context.

SENSeTREAM: enhancing online live experience with sensor-federated video stream using animated two-dimensional code

We propose a novel technique that aggregates multiple sensor streams generated by totally different types of sensors into a visually enhanced video stream. This paper shows major features of SENSeTREAM and demonstrates enhancement of user experience in an online live music event. Since SENSeTREAM is a video stream with sensor values encoded in a two-dimensional graphical code, it can transmit multiple sensor data streams while maintaining their synchronization. A SENSeTREAM can be transmitted via existing live streaming services, and can be saved into existing video archive services. We have implemented a prototype SENSeTREAM generator and deployed it to an online live music event. Through the pilot study, we confirmed that SENSeTREAM works with popular streaming services, and provide a new media experience for live performances. We also indicate future direction for establishing visual stream aggregation and its applications.

EverCopter: continuous and adaptive over-the-air sensing with detachable wired flying objects

The paper proposes EverCopter, which provides continuous and adaptive over-the-air sensing with detachable wired flying objects. While a major advantage of sensing systems with battery-operated MAVs is a wide sensing coverage, sensing time is limited due to its limited amount of energy. We propose dynamically rechargeable flying objects, called EverCopter. EverCopter achieves both long sensing time and wide sensing coverage by the following two characteristics. First, multiple EverCopters can be tied in a row by power supply cables. Since the root EverCopter in a row is connected to DC power supply on the ground, each EverCopter can fly without battery. This makes their sensing time forever, unless the power supply on the ground fails. Second, the leaf EverCopter can detach itself from the row in order to enjoy wider sensing coverage. An EverCopter, while it is detached, runs with its own battery-supplied energy. When the remaining energy becomes low, it flies back to the row to recharge the battery.

uPackage: a package to enable do-it-yourself style ubiquitous services with daily objects

This paper explores a suitable service model for realizing domestic smart object applications and proposes a software and hardware package called uPackage to support this model. By attaching a tiny wireless sensor node to users belongings, users can augment the object digitally and take the object into various services such as status monitoring or preventing lost property. The system provided by uPackage supports users to install and manage such smart object services; it enables users to digitally associate sensor nodes with daily objects, manage the associated information and sensor data, and create various smart object applications without professional skills. Initial demonstration to children indicate that the service model provided by uPackage is easy understandable and increases users acceptance of the wireless sensor node technology.