Ubiquitous Computing - Echolog

Ubiquitous Computing

Designing for energy consumption aware - Echolog

Dan Tudor Morar

Master program Cross Media Interaction Design

dantudormorar@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Echolog (Figure 1) is a terminal where the apartment owners can see their consumption of electricity, hot and cold water. The aim is to try to raise awareness and thereby reduce their consumption voluntarily. One can also take out measurements and send them to a third party, such as billing via e-mail, via server software that manages a portfolio of Echolog devices.

Echolog can be expanded with individual functions for each costumer. There are a number o possibilities, such as more detailed consumption statistics, more weather data, display of bus schedules, laundry room reservation, door system, and so on.

Figure 1. Echolog interface

Author Keywords

Guides, instructions, additional details, innovatory designs, definitions, prototypes, ideas, efficiency, energy saving

ACM Classification Keywords

H5.m. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI): Miscellaneous.

General Terms

Design, Instructions, Experimentation

INTRODUCTION

Ubiquitous computing postulates a world where computing devices surrounds people and computing infrastructure, that supports us in everything we do. Basically, the ideas and UbiComp systems, gravitate around some exhaustive computing layers: ambient intelligence, context-aware pervasive systems, human-centered computing, human-computer interaction, sentient computing, smart devices, virtual reality, wearable computers, task computing. At their core, all models of ubiquitous computing share a vision of small, inexpensive, robust networked processing devices, distributed at all scales throughout everyday life and generally turned to distinctly commonplace ends (it is essential to provide a natural form to connect the different elements distributed in a ubiquitous environment).

This paper presents an example of direct interaction between humans and machines, with a predominant accent on the possibility to ease the workflow of the user and to succeed in a more efficient communication/connect ability between them; the development of a system that facilitates and demonstrates the fast evolution of the relation between humans and the environment; in this case - Echolog.

[6] Power and energy consumption has become an important issue, and consequently, power-aware techniques are being devised at all levels of system design; from the circuit and device level, to the architectural, compiler, operating system, and networking layers.

Echolog is one of the modern day innovations, which helps us in reducing our energy consumption and managing it efficiently - optimizing the performance of the generation and transmission systems.

DESCRIPTION

Echolog - a device complying with the definition: [4] a new opportunity to augment people's lives with ubiquitous computing technology that provides increased communications, awareness, and functionality, and in this case, reduced energy consumption. It connects with thermostats (component of a control system which regulates the temperature of a system so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint temperature) and appliances throughout the home.

Its making effective use of smart spaces - by embedding computing infrastructure in building infrastructure, a smart space brings together two worlds that have been disjoint until now [A. Bakre and B.R. Badrinath 1995]. The fusion of these worlds enables sensing and control of one world by other - automatic adjustment of heating, cooling, and lightning levels based on occupant's electronic profile.

The standalone version of the Echolog, used in some of the apartments of Umeå's Bostaden housing company, has the following capabilities (limited functions only in terms of not using applicability of expanding its purposes):

[4] Smart energy utility meters allowing real-time tracking of the consumption enabling customers to be better informed. It is easy to use and increases awareness of important issues related to electricity, energy and the environment.

Echolog GUI (Graphical user interface - a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands)

* On the homepage, or the home screen - touch enabled (a touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area; the term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand; touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus.) the Echolog shows information on the current and last day's consumption of electricity, water, etc. and contains information on weather and temperature; the display uses colors to pinpoint over consumption usage or issues that need attention of the user;

* It stores information on the consumption with detailed historical data with tabular and bar graphs and diagrams (over days, weeks or years;

* It can show billing details, payment information and has multiple language packs for easy understanding;

[4] A mobile phone or other hand-held device can use wireless link to issue simple control instructions to start or stop household network-enabled devices embedded in Echolog's working points.

RESOURCES AND CONNECTIVITY

Renewable energy uses natural resources such as sun, wind, rain, waves, biomass and geothermal heat. These are energy resources that would not be exhausted in the near future, and do not emit greenhouse gases. As this version of Echolog fulfills requirements in terms of information for a common everyday user, a few extras could be added while maintaining production costs and easy-to-use functions, yet sustaining a green environment and low costs (Figure 2), for which, the whole system is redesigned to be solar powered (conversion of sunlight into electricity, either using photovoltaics (PV - organic cells for low-cost solar energy generation) or indirectly using concentrated solar power, and solar heating system (SWH) - the storage tank is mounted horizontally