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Distributed interface bits: dynamic dialogue composition from ambient computing resources

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Abstract

This paper discusses a particular issue in the context of disappearing computing, namely, user mobility. Mobile users may carry with them a variety of wireless gadgets while being immersed in a physical environment encompassing numerous computing devices. In such a situation, it is most likely that the number and type of devices may dynamically vary during interactions. The Voyager development framework supports the implementation of ambient dialogues, i.e., dynamically distributed user Interfaces, which exploit, on-the-fly, the wireless devices available at a given point in time. This paper describes the Voyager implementation, focusing on: device discovery and registry architecture, device-embedded software implementation, ambient dialogue style and corresponding software toolkit development, and a method for dynamic interface adaptation, ensuring dialogue state persistence. Additionally, this paper presents two ambient dialogue applications developed using Voyager, namely, a game and a navigator.

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Acknowledgments

Part of this work has been funded by the Commission of the European Union under the project: “A Runtime for Adaptive and Extensible Wireless Wearables” (2WEAR IST-2000-25286) of the Disappearing Computing Initiative (DCI). The partners of the 2WEAR consortium are: Foundation for Research and Technology—Hellas, Institute of Computer Science (ICS-FORTH), Greece (Prime Contractor and Project Coordinator); Nokia Research Centre (NRC), Finland; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology—Zurich Institute for Computer Systems (ETHZ), Switzerland; MA Systems and Control Limited, UK. The 2WEAR web site can be found at http://2wear.ics.forth.gr.

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  1. Human–Computer Interaction Laboratory, Institute of Computer Science, Foundation for Research and Technology—Hellas, Heraklion, Crete, 71110, Greece

    Anthony Savidis & Constantine Stephanidis

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  1. Anthony Savidis
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  2. Constantine Stephanidis
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Correspondence to Anthony Savidis.

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Savidis, A., Stephanidis, C. Distributed interface bits: dynamic dialogue composition from ambient computing resources. Pers Ubiquit Comput 9, 142–168 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-004-0327-2

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