"The most powerful technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it." - Mark Weiser

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Ambient system/technology/computing is aimed to be unobtrusive so that it can support and enhance our lives without getting in the way. Rather than being front and center, it operates in the background, empowering us to live in the moment and focus on what's most important.

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1. Why?

It is very natural to ask why we need ambient systems. As Arthur C. Clarke famously said, advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Ambient systems help us achieve this by making technology feel effortless and invisible so that it enhances our lives without drawing attention to itself. By eliminating friction and making technology feel like magic, we can free ourselves to focus on what truly matters.

Ambient systems are required to solve one key problem that is the burden of interaction and competition of a task via a technical system on a human being. As we discussed in one other thread, there has been a lack of emphasis on the idea of why technology cannot comprehend human needs and seamlessly serve them in the background. We are bombarded with apps, screens, and interfaces to get our tasks done. But why can’t we have the same without interfaces? Can a world exist where systems as well as interfaces are a part of the background?

What it leads us to achieve is our (human) liberation from the burden of carrying out tasks. Ambient systems can free up human mental bandwidth, enabling people to focus on what really matters. Without having to constantly interact with technology, people can be more present and mindful in their lives. It can make us focus on the objective and not on the technology, and associated sub-tasks.

The goal of ambient systems is to take technology that we're already familiar with and make it disappear into the background. Essentially, we want to turn the technology we have today into magic, by making it feel effortless and invisible.

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2. What? What is ambient computing?

An ambient system is one that operates autonomously in the background, unobtrusively collecting required data from its environment to fulfill a purpose. Unlike traditional systems that require explicit interaction, ambient systems understand their surroundings and act accordingly, requiring no conscious attention from us.  

Ambient technologies go beyond simple automation to offer intelligent, contextually-aware assistance. By understanding the dynamic nature of the environment, these systems can provide assistance that's tailored to the specific situation and location. This context-sensitivity is what makes ambient technologies truly powerful.

The complexity of ambient systems lies on a wide spectrum. They can be seen in very simple rule-based environments like the sensors in overhead tank pumps where they switch on pumps based on the water level. Or complex environments like thermostats where they maintain a room’s temperature based on multiple variables like the weather, people, and their preferences.

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3. How?

Ambient systems use interfaces and sensors to monitor the environment and identify opportunities for assistance. This perception capability is what makes them truly useful. Once they detect an opportunity for assistance, they use their triggers to complete the necessary tasks. These triggers are based on the environmental context and the data collected from sensors. Essentially, they're able to perceive the right situation and respond with the appropriate action.

The current state of perception technology has reached a level of sophistication that enables ambient systems to be deployed in a wide range of locations and situations.

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Our Focus

Our overall focus is to identify new applications for ambient technology to make it more widely available. It is also to develop new sensors and ambient interfaces to enable new possibilities. All this needs to be handled by ensuring that the data and computation are connected and processed securely while respecting user privacy.