Ambient intelligence: visualising the future

Abstract

Ambient Intelligence systems are aimed at making user-system interaction and content consumption a truly positive experience. The endless search for nifty information visualisation mechanism to squeeze yet one more piece of information onto a visual display is surpassed by the challenge to embed interactive displays into our environments that bring true user experience. Examples of experiences supported by immersiveness, social intelligence and freedom have been investigated in the Philips HomeLab. HomeLab offers an unique scientific environment for evaluating the feasibility and usability of technologies that are used in the realisation of Ambient Intelligent scenarios. Equipped with an extensive observation infrastructure of 34 cameras and microphones, the HomeLab has enabled behavioural researchers to study the effect of innovative technologies on the user's acceptance for Ambient Intelligence. In the presentation we discuss recent developments resulting from our work in HomeLab with an emphasis on the relation between (information) visualization and experiences.