365 DAYS AMBIENT INTELLIGENCE IN HOMELAB - Philips Research

Ambient 05-05-2003 12:39 Pagina 34
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information and/or technology “overload”
on the other. People are caught between the
enthusiasm of the new opportunities and
the desire to effectively juggle their work,
their family and their leisure.
In this context, Ambient Intelligence needs
to help simplify our lives as we look for ways
to cope with complex situations and juggle
our multiple options and commitments?
How can it help us be empowered and not
overpowered –by the vast array of choices
and possibilities we have available. How can
it allow us to access information, communication
and entertainment in a non-intrusive
and natural way, through intuitive interfaces
that are customized to our lives, tastes and
preferences. How can it ensure through
seamless integration and connectivity that we
can get this where and when we want? And
how can we stay in control?
Emotional Feeling
Now that many of our physical needs have
been satisfied, we are turning our attention to
satisfying emotional, aesthetic, sensory and
even spiritual needs, with moments of entertainment
and experience no longer seen as
extraordinary events but very much a part of
everyday life. Entertainment itself is changing.
From theatre and concerts to cinema and
TV, it has tended in the past to involve oneway
communication only, requiring a relatively
passive attitude on the part of the audience.
Now, however, the interactivity made
possible by the Internet and by the digitalisation
of broadcasting is encouraging us to take
a more active part, engaging in “experiences”
rather than simply consuming “products” or
services. As we move beyond consuming to
experiencing we are also looking to co-create
or “customize” the experience according to
our own mood and moment.
How can our vision of Ambient Intelligence
provide us with an environment that helps us
experience more through our senses and
allows us to “create” our own experiences that
we could change over time? Perhaps even
introduce moments of magic and surprise,
helping us to enhance mundane events with
“experiential” moments, stimulating our
imagination and feeding our soul.