(CNN) -- Serious
couch potatoes may soon have sofas that order take-out, turn lights off
automatically and tune the TV to their favorite programs, without them ever
having to lift a finger.
The "smart sofa" being developed by scientists at Trinity College in Dublin,
Ireland, contains programmable microchip sensors on each leg that determine
who's sitting down based on the person's weight.
So far, the sofa can only deliver a personalized greeting to the person who
plops down on it, but researcher Mads Haahr says students in his
distributed-systems group envision a day when it will do a lot more: switch on
household appliances, set the temperature in a room based on an individual's
comfort level or even prompt the stereo to play the style of music that whomever
is sitting prefers.
"The greater context is that you can build functionality into computers that
allow them to be part of everyday objects and help us in ways that we won't even
notice," Haahr said.
Computers everywhere?
The concept is known as ubiquitous computing. The new wave of technology --
after the eras of the mainframe and the desktop -- envisions embedding tiny
microprocessors into hundreds of objects and seamlessly linking them into
networks. In theory, the wired gadgets could interact to meet and even predict a
user's needs, constantly and invisibly tuning in to one's desires.
Researchers are having a hard time coming up with the killer application that
can link devices and improve users' lives without creating huge disruptions or
violating their privacy. But with appliance companies already introducing
refrigerators and microwaves that serve up the Internet, and microchips getting
smaller and cheaper, scientists are increasingly asking themselves, "What does
it make sense to network?"
Their research continues to move technology away from the personal computer
and into mobile gadgets. Take, for example, the smart watches introduced this
year by Fossil Inc. Via a tiny, built-in FM receiver chip, they can display
weather, headlines, instant messages and, oh yeah, the time.
The watch was conceived of by Microsoft's Smart Personal Objects Technology,
or SPOT, initiative. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates believes SPOT could
eventually power a whole slew of gadgets, but for now the software giant has
developed only the smart watch, and prototypes of souped-up alarm clocks and
refrigerator magnets.
"The potential for all these exciting devices, smart objects and services to
enrich and enhance the way we live is truly amazing," Gates told participants in
the International Consumer Electronics Show in January.
A Colorado professor who has wired his house to automatically adjust heating
and lighting as needed says the key to the success of ubiquitous computing will
be getting consumers to see the value in it.
At first some people questioned the sense of having the lights in his
"adaptive house" adjust automatically, said University of Colorado at Boulder
computer science professor Mike Mozer. But in time, Mozer said, his home, which
is wired with dozens of sensors that monitor temperature, sound, motion, and
door and window openings, conserves more energy and offers more convenience than
regular houses.
"You do get used to it very quickly, and you really feel weird to have to
turn on a light yourself," he said. "I kind of like this feeling of somebody
watching me."
Beyond whims
"Smart sofa" researcher Haahr admits that at first glance it doesn't appear
to have much use beyond fulfilling the whims of the extremely lazy. But he said
the team working on the sofa hopes to one day use the technology to help elderly
and disabled people.
Mike Mozer's "adaptive
house" has sensors that control the temperature and lighting based on
residents' habits. |
 |
The same technology also could, for example, let staff in assisted-living
facilities know when an Alzheimer's patient wanders away from his or her bed.
"We'll see more of these objects coming into our lives," Haahr said. "It's
not going to happen overnight."
And for those who are worried that all this convenience will cause humans to
become even more sedentary and get fatter, Haahr said his team is prepared to
consider the problem.
"We're hoping that people's weight won't vary so quickly," he said. "But it
is something we'll have to deal with."
