Ambient Agoras

Despite it is over Ambient Agoras it was a European Project Developed between 2001 – 2003.

" This Project amazing project, aims at providing situated services, place-relevant information, and feeling of the place (‘genius loci’) to users, so that they feel at home in the office.
In our approach, we are combining two perspectives that can be taken towards the issue of how the computer will disappear. We propose that disappearance can happen in two ways: via the “physical disappearance” by becoming very small due to miniaturization; via the “mental disappearance” of devices by becoming "invisible" because they are integrated/embedded in the physical environment (e.g., walls, doors, tables) around us. "

Privacy Issues

"The “Disappearing Computer (DC)” approach raises some fear among users because of the increased possibilities of being observed and of loosing control over private information, due to hidden functionality based on embedded invisible devices. This fear is certainly not entirely irrational, and the potential of DC indeed enables invasive capture of private data. On the other hand, as DC is devoted to collaborating with the user and supporting him, it needs to know things about the user. How can this be achieved without the user being put in embarrassing situations where personal data are disclosed to the wrong person, or used by others against his will? As privacy is a cultural notion, it may vary in time and space. The limit between privacy and isolation is not easy to define; as the right to be left alone competes with the right to be informed. To cover all these issues, we will provide a general framework for privacy design."

Download the European Disappearing Computer Privacy Design Guidelines (Version 1, November 2003, pdf-file, 190KB)

Facing the privacy issues: Privacy Guidelines for DC (organized by Saadi Lahlou, Laboratory of Design for Cognition, EDF R&D, Paris, François Jegou, Dalt Brussels & Politecnico di Milano Marc Langheinrich, ETH Zürich) (Download the "Open Day"-Schedule, pdf-file)

Project Partners:

The Integrated Publication and Information Systems Institute (IPSI) of the German Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG) in Darmstadt, serves as the scientific and technical as well as the administrative coordinator of the project. It has expertise in developing innovative concepts and software prototypes in the fields of human-computer interaction, CSCW, and hypermedia environments. The research division AMBIENTE - »Workspaces of the Future« will contribute based on its earlier work in the areas of meeting rooms, Roomware®, and Cooperative Buildings.

EDF (Electricité de France) , the French electrical power utility, is the user organisation in the consortium. The Laboratory of Design for Cognition (LDC), located near Paris, of its R&D division develops and evaluates a wide range of office environments. In the project, it contributes innovative observation and evaluation methods as well as participative design techniques. Their K1-Building will provide a versatile testbed for the project.

Wilkhahn, located in Bad Münder (Germany), develops design-oriented, high quality products and interior concepts for applications in high quality segments, e.g., creating innovative office environments. Together with its design company "wiege" (Wilkhahn Entwicklungs GmbH), they provide the expertise for designing and building the planned artefacts. They will make use of their specific experience gained in the design of the second generation of Roomware® components developed in cooperation with IPSI as part of the Future Office Dynamics Consortium.

More about Ambient Intelligence:

OCW AmI Course: MAS. 963 and MAS.961
AMIGO Project (Ambient Intelligence for the Networked Home Environment)