Designing interaction for smart environments: Ambient intelligence and the disappearing computer

In this keynote, the author presents selected visions of ambient intelligence and the disappearing computer and comment on the resulting challenges for designing interaction in future smart environments. Our approach is based on exploiting the affordances of real objects by augmenting their physical properties with the potential of computer-based support. Combining the best of both worlds requires an integration of real and virtual worlds resulting in hybrid worlds. In this approach, the computer "disappears" and is almost "invisible" but its functionality is ubiquitously available and provides new forms of interacting with information. The general comments are illustrated with examples taken from developing roomware components for cooperative buildings, project work in the EU-funded "Disappearing Computer" initiative, especially ambient displays and mobile devices in the "Ambient Agoras" project, and more recent developments for smart home environments