Computers with human-like perception will emerge as society breaks away from the traditional desktop computer and moves into the era of ubiquitous computing. Also known as ubicomp, it refers to an environment where computers are constantly present, seamlessly integrated and applied for everyday uses.
Scary or exciting as this type of decision-making computer network may sound to you, it's probably going to be a reality within the decade. The Aware Home Research Initiative (AHRI) is a focused research program, whose goal is to develop the requisite technologies to create a home environment that can both perceive and assist its occupants. "One of our goals is to discover technology combinations that can unobtrusively enhance lifestyle in the home of the future - both for special classes of inhabitants such as older citizens and infants, and for families in general," said Dr. Nikil Jayant, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and IEEE Fellow.
Beyond "Smart Homes" where people tell computers what to do, Aware Homes will have computers understanding what people are doing and what they want. Some of things might we look forward to:
For more information on the Aware Home, visit: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/fce/ahri/
Contact: Barrie Atwood , exechunt@aol.com, 877-975-9611, 410-729-4344 (fax)
TVA Chairman and CEO Craven Crowell noted that the world would need to install the equivalent of a 1,000 MW power plant every two-and-a-half days for the next fifty years in order to meet projected future demand for electricity.."a staggering challenge which can only be accomplished through new technology and an intensive program of R&D." During a luncheon speech, EPRI President Kurt Yeager challenged symposium participants that "if we are to electrify the world, we must first transform our own electricity infrastructure into the arsenal of innovation for the Digital Society."
See http://www.ieeeusa.org/releases/000524pr.html, http://www.ieeeusa.org/features/crowell.htm (Crowell's remarks) and http://www.ieeeusa.org/features/yeager.htm (Yeager's remarks)
HOUSE SIGNALS WILLINGNESS TO MOVE ON PENSION REFORM/IRA EXPANSION - House Republicans leaders have announced plans to mark-up a pension reform proposal, including pension portability improvement and IRA expansion provisions, and to move the bill to House floor for a vote as early as July. The legislation will consist of key provisions from the Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act (H.R. 1102), sponsored by Representatives Bob Portman (R-OH) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), and expanded IRA provisions from the Retirement Savings Opportunity Act (H.R. 1546) introduced by Representative Bill Thomas (R-CA). Both bills enjoy bi-partisan support.
IEEE-USA has supported passage of Portman-Cardin and similar measures for the past several years. Although popular on the Hill, these pension/IRA reforms have gotten bogged down in the 106th Congress when attached to other legislation containing controversial measures such as minimum wage increases. By agreeing to move forward a "clean" bill, the leadership has cleared the way for passage of these reforms, if time permits and if Congress can address White House concerns that pension and savings measures benefit the lower income, as well as the upper income brackets.
NSF WORKSHOPS EXPLORE UNDERREPRESENTATION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN IT - The National Science Foundation recently released a pair of reports summarizing recent "virtual workshops" that examined the under-representation of women and minorities in information technology (IT). The reports identify areas where additional research is needed to understand the causes of under-representation and potential solutions.
See related press release at http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/00/pr0040.htm or for full text of the reports and archived discussions from the workshops, see: http://www.cise.nsf.gov/itminorities.html and http://www.cise.nsf.gov/itwomen.html
FREE NEWSWIRE SERVICE FROM IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY - http://www.comsoc.org. ComSoc Information NewsCache service has 15-25 global news items culled from current worldwide communication technology information sources. Visit the site every week for new listings or to subscribe to the e-mail news alert service.
NEW TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOFTWARE ENGINEERS - The IEEE Computer Society, through partnerships with five universities, is offering training for professionals looking to advance their software engineering skills. The program -- made available on a pilot basis this year -- will include a range of single-day workshops to three-day seminars and cover topics such as software requirements, metrics and measurements, verification and validation, quality assurance, software process improvement, system engineering for software-intensive systems, and concepts of operations as well as management-related courses. See http://www.computer.org/computer/connection/CSProjects.htm.
IEEE 802.15 STANDARD USES BLUETOOTH(TM) SPECIFICATION - The first project standard of the IEEE 802.15 Working Group for Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) is derived from the Bluetooth(TM) Special Interest Group (SIG) v1.0 specifications. The Bluetooth wireless technology is an industry-based specification for a small form-factor, low-cost radio solution that provides links between mobile computers, mobile phones and other portable hand-held devices, and connectivity to the Internet. The standards created by the IEEE 802.15 Working Group will provide the foundation for a broad range of interoperable consumer devices by establishing universally adopted standards for wireless digital communications. For more information, visit http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/bluespec.html. To see a listing of other wireless communication standards, visit http://standards.ieee.org/catalog/IEEE802.11.html.
SEEKING COLLEGE TEAMS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE IEEE POWER ELECTRONICS SOCIETY FUTURE ENERGY CHALLENGE COMPETITION - The IEEE Power Electronics Society, in collaboration with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), US Departments of Energy and Defense are offering over $75,000 (USD) for qualified college engineering teams to build a prototype, low-cost inverter in the 2001 Future Energy Challenge competition. Participating schools will be judged on the basis of design quality, a formal engineering report, cost analysis, prototype quality, and operational results. Contact Robert Myers, bob.myers@ieee.org or visit http://www.pels.org.
Jean Eason, Editor