SG3 - Dynamic Ambient Intelligent Systems

Research Unit 3 was created in 1995 aiming in the wider field of Applied Information Systems and DAISy Group (Design of Ambient Intelligent Systems Group), which was part of the RU3, was created in 2001, as result of research in the new field of ambient intelligence. In 2009 DAISy Group was amalgamated with the RU3 and as a result was the reformed Research Unit 3 - Dynamic Ambient Intelligent Systems.


Areas of Interest

The research and development interests of Research Unit 3 focus mostly on the following areas:

* Ambient Intelligence and ubiquitous systems
* Artificial Intelligence
* Distributed Systems and Middleware
* Applied information systems for decision making


Activities

Current R&D activities of RU3 include the following:
(a) Design ubiquitous systems, including the elaboration of ubiquitous computing concepts, design service-oriented architectures, implement the middleware, designs ubiquitous services with physical / virtual manifestation, study the emerging system behaviours and its adaptation to changing context, incorporate into system design of trust and privacy requirements, as well as standardize/ benchmarking / formal specification.
(b) Knowledge engineering, which includes the design of architectures for distributed ecologies of smart artefacts, intelligent autonomous agents and robots, ontology engineering, ontology matching, data mining and decision support systems.
(c) Design bio-inspired architectures, including the design of autonomous and self-evolving systems and swarms, the study of form/function co-evolution, the design and implementation of stigmergic communication protocols and systems based on swarm intelligence principles.
(d) evelop and design end-user tools, such as end-user editors, applies the ubiquitous computing technology to specific areas of human activity (i.e. Health, Education, Agriculture) and designs social computing and pervasive awareness systems.


Over the last 3 years, RU3 has implemented or is implementing more than 17 research and development projects, in areas pertaining to the aforementioned research areas of interest, in particular: innovative uses of computer and Internet technologies in education, courseware development and tools, architectures of distributed systems by cooperating micro-devices, decision-making systems using technology GIS, information systems using multimedia technologies and design innovative authoring systems.
As a result of taking part in R&D projects RU3 developed the following tools of software:

GAS-OS is a distributed operating system of middleware, which runs on autonomous resource-constrained artefacts and allows the local management of resources and the collaboration with other artefacts.
eGadgetWorld Editor is a graphical tool that facilitates end users in composing their own ambient intelligence applications and combines services from artefacts.
GAS ontology is ontology of report and it is used in order to strengthen the interoperability of heterogeneous artefacts.
CAA Maker allows the VHDL code production from high level specifications that are based in components.
ePlants system can be adjusted in different types of plants and it determines the usage of resources based on the special needs of each plant.
Hearts system allows the collaboration of artefacts and medical appliances aiming at the supervision of patients that are home.

RU3 DAISy has created the laboratory Ambient Inteligence Office (AmInOffice ) in which ambient intelligence systems are tested. It was initially created as a proof of concept application of the project HEARTS in order to realize the main objective of the project which was the usage of applications of ambient intelligence to observe and help the patients who suffer from cardiovascular problems. Henceforth, it is used as the basic laboratory for projects’ applications. It is equipped with a central computer, a large number of sensors, an ecology of intelligent artefacts and with robots.

It is mentioned that RU3 has active involvement in several European forums (scientific, administrative), in conference programme committees and in the organization of workshops.
The Unit’s has participate in a numerous of national and international collaborations (research and industry related), as well as it has a significant number of published articles in international scientific journals and papers presented at national and international conferences by its research staff.
The Unit is directed by the Scientific Coordinator, Prof. Achilles Kameas and the Managing Director, Prof. Ioannis Zaharakis. For more information concerning the people, the publications, the projects, and the products of RU3, visit the web site of Research Unit 3.