Smart technical systems that adapt to their users’ individual needs are not just a distant reality. Scientists at Ulm and Magdeburg are working within the joint Collaborative Research Centre to equip smartphones, ticket machines and washing machines with properties like adaptability und trustworthiness.
They will present their research and the resulting prototypical “companion systems” at the IT trade fair CeBIT from 16 March. It’s all a bit hectic at Ulm station hall: the train the scientists want to take to get to the IT trade fair CeBIT in Hannover is about to leave in a few minutes. Luckily, the ticket machine is perfectly adapted to their needs; it is busily synchronising info about travel time and the destination station with user-related information – such as the researchers’ appointment calendar or their preferred seat. In the process, tomorrow’s ticket machine accesses smartphone data that users have released. Alternatively, users can interact with the “companion system” via touchscreen, using gestures, facial expressions and speech. The Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio 62 “Companion-Technology for Cognitive Technical Systems” was established in 2009. Within the CRC, researchers from Ulm and Magdeburg universities team up with the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology to conduct research into partnership service providers such as “thinking” ticket machines. The computer scientists, engineers, psychologists and neuroscientists will showcase their work at CeBIT (Baden-Württemberg International exhibition stand, Hall 7 Stand C14) between 16 and 20 March.The future belongs to “companions” In future, all technical systems – from digital cameras to cars and fridges – are likely to be companions that adapt to the highly individual needs of their users around the clock. To achieve this, these smart systems must be capable of recognising the current situation and the user’s emotional state – indications are given by way of language characteristics, gestures and possibly psychobiological aspects. These features will be captured by devices such as cameras, microphones, laser scanners or bio-sensors. If additional data about the user is available, the companion will also be able to integrate typical behaviour and objectives in its analysis. All of a sudden, the machine that is capable of planning, reasoning and acting independently takes on a human dimension.
“Over 70 scientists are working within the Collaborative Research Centre to equip technical systems with companion characteristics such as individuality, adaptability and trustworthiness, making their interaction with users truly smart. In the process, we also draw on knowledge from neurobiology and on psychological behaviour models,” explains CFC spokesperson Professor Susanne Biundo-Stephan, Head of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence at Ulm.
At CeBIT, the researchers will demonstrate that “companion systems” are not just a distant reality. In Hannover, they will present a scenario that could send chills down technophobes’ spines: a home cinema system comprising a TV set, Blu-ray player, satellite receiver and amplifier is to be installed – which is bound to cause “cable tangle”. But help is on the way in the form of a digital assistant that takes users through the cabling procedure. These smart instructions can be given via a tablet PC or smartphone, for instance, providing technical explanations on request, too. “If, for example, a cable is faulty, the owner of the home cinema system can let the companion know via touchscreen or voice command – and it will then set about finding a solution,” explains Ulm computer scientist Felix Richter, who will present the system at the IT trade fair.
His Magdeburg colleagues, on the other hand, will send kids and adolescents on a “knowledge trip” at the interactive information terminal. The young discoverers are asked to enter their age and a search term on the start page – and already individually edited results are generated. Younger users are initially offered shorter texts based on relevant websites. However, they can also opt to switch to a higher degree of difficulty – assessment is made easier by a colour system.
As part of the “Science Station” project, this search engine has already been exhibited at numerous train stations in Germany. The next stop on the companion system’s journey is, then, Hannover.
The second four-year funding period of the CFC was approved by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG) at the beginning of 2013, with a volume of € 10 million. New innovative cross-cutting issues – such as the trustworthiness of companions – were added in the second funding period. After all, as knowledge-based systems, these companions collect comprehensive data on their users.
Fruitful collaboration between Ulm and Magedeburg
The researchers from Ulm and Magdeburg exchange information on progress at six-monthly project meetings and during thematic workshops, as well as holding regular video conferences. In addition to these activities, the CFC will host an international expert meeting in September. Both sites have also ensured that sufficient young scholars will be available to continue research in this field: besides the structured PhD programme offered at the Collaborative Research Centre, Magdeburg Uni runs a Bachelor programme in “Information Technology – Smart Systems ”; and Ulm’s English-language Master’s course in “Cognitive Systems” is firmly established at the computer science and psychology departments.
CeBIT is one of the most important IT trade fairs in the world. This year’s keynote theme is “d!conomy – The Digital Transformation”. This title reflects the significance of the digitisation of business and society. China is the partner country in 2015.
Demo Ticket machine and cable assistangDemo "Your knowledge trip"