The Internet of Things glimmers on the horizon

Ambient intelligence, which enables people to smartly interact with objects, devices and computers of the physical world, promises to facilitate our lives through the IoT. Such technology must, however, be able to discern the needs of people, forecast their behaviour and customise their requirements. The EU-funded EKRUCAMI (Europe-Korea research on ubiquitous computing and ambient intelligence) project has brought together European and Korean stakeholders to advance ambient intelligence in exciting new ways.

Currently in progress, the project is building a sustainable network for research and development that will eventually invite other global players to participate in refining this technology. It is training researchers in ubiquitous computing and adaptation modelling language to further its aims, supporting knowledge exchange and technology transfer. The final objective is to develop novel solutions to challenges in health care and smart rooms, as well as in group decision support and in the agri-food industry.

Already, the project team has articulated viable solutions and models for ubiquitous computing and ambient intelligence. It conducted two workshops in South Korea and Spain to further its aims, establishing collaboration with major universities in both these countries and in Portugal. EKRUCAMI has produced over 60 publications on the topic, reaching 40 scientific journals.

The project expects to develop models and architectures that will further ambient intelligence and ubiquitous computing considerably, bringing civilisation much closer to a more efficient IoT. Testing is ongoing in different environments, attracting the attention of many small and medium-sized enterprises both in Europe and in Korea. The results will not only help usher in a brave new age of technology, but will have beneficial effects on the economy through innovation and competitiveness.