Global Positioning System Reference
In-Depth Information
Another barcode-like approach to sensing position involves the detection of
patters by cameras. Animals recognize objects by shape and form and a simplified
approach is to use optical barcode-like shapes that are very cheap to place around
an environment. Harle and Hopper [3] describe an experimental in-building
positioning system based on this novel idea that uses clusters of visible markers
attached to walls and objects.
Olfactory tagents are not a current technology but nature uses this method for
many purposes to help many animal species to find the position of food, mates,
and rivals, and to follow trails to food supplies. Once effective artificial chemical
sensors (i.e., artificial noses and taste buds) are available, these systems may
become useful. A promising approach might be to adapt the technology used to
detect explosives in security scanning.
Nature also appears to have very effective processing systems. The eyes of
flying insects have neural networks that appear to be able to detect and process the
real-time geometry of a scene to facilitate expert feats of 3D navigation. Sensor
fusion must be taking place since some of these insects also have gyros and
olfactory sensors. This area of artificial intelligence, when understood, may have
huge potential for Whereness. At present, multisensor fusion is a heavyweight
processing job but clearly nature can do better.
In addition to the mimicking of nature, another approach would be to extend
it. Humans have five normal senses, and these could be extended artificially by
the use of additional sensors carried about or within the person. A sense of
direction is a somewhat vague term, but it would seem useful to integrate a full
personal guidance system with the body. For example, the interface could be
mostly hidden using touch technology and commands issued by natural voice. A
sense of a co-located group could be made explicit in much the same way. Some
animals flock together or run or swim in groups, and as social networking
technology advances the sense of a local group (based on the position and context
of all its members) may be desirable. Although nature does not use radio, there is
no reason not to use it to extend our own sensing by communicating and reacting
peer-to-peer with colleagues, friends, and sentient objects. In the future,
ubiquitous or pervasive computing research suggests myriads of internetworked
objects in many spaces.
One application that may emerge for security reasons would be the personal
black box sensing recorder that would be rather like a human version of the flight
recorder found in aircraft. It seems likely that vehicles would also benefit from
such a device to resolve disputes when accidents or regulation infringements take
place. The personal (or vehicular) universal sensor would collect position and
orientation information, acceleration and rotation, images, sounds, light levels, the
presence of noxious substances, radiation, and anything that is harmful and useful
as evidence to a court of law.
This sensing platform would be ideal to deliver everything of an autonomous
nature concerning Whereness. In particular, it would offer the potential to greatly
enhance the mapping of all environments.
