As a socially disruptive technology, Ambient Intelligence is ultimately
directed towards humans and targeted at the mundane life made of an
infinite richness of circumstances that cannot fully be considered and
easily be anticipated. Most books, however, focus their analysis on, or
deal largely with, the advancement of the technology and its potential
only. This book offers a fresh, up-to-date, and holistic approach to
Ambient Intelligence. As such, it addresses the interdisciplinary and
transdisciplinary aspects of the rapidly evolving field of Ambient
Intelligence by seamlessly integrating and fusing it with artificial
intelligence, cognitive science and psychology, social sciences, and
humanities. It is divided into two main parts: Part 1 is about different
permutations of enabling technologies as well as core computational
capabilities, namely context awareness, implicit and natural
interaction, and intelligent behavior. It details the existing and
upcoming prerequisite technologies, and elucidates the application and
convergence of major current and future computing trends. Part 2 is an
accessible review and synthesis of the latest research in the
human-directed sciences and computing and how these are intricately
interrelated in the realm of Ambient
Intelligence. It deals with the state-of-the-art human-inspired
applications which show human-like understanding and exhibit intelligent
behavior in relation to a variety of aspects of human functioning -
states and processes. It describes and elaborates on the rich potential
of Ambient Intelligence from a variety of interrelated perspectives and
the plethora of challenges and bottlenecks involved in making Ambient
Intelligence a reality, and also discusses the established knowledge and
recent discoveries
in the human-directed sciences and their application and convergence in
the ambit of Ambient Intelligence computing. This seminal reference work
is the most comprehensive of its kind, and will prove invaluable to
students, researchers, and professionals across both computing and the
human-directed sciences.
