CyberEurope

Abstract

In this feature, we will try to describe the characteristics of current cyberpsychology research in Europe. In particular, CyberEurope aims at describing the leading research groups and projects running on the other side of the Ocean.

FET Flagship—The Guardian Angels Project

Future and Emerging Technology (FET) Flagships are ambitious, large-scale, science-driven research initiatives (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/programme/fet/flagship/) that aim to achieve a visionary goal. To provide lasting support at a level that allows a concerted effort toward fulfilling a grand ambition, FET Flagships are envisioned to run for at least 10 years, with a budget of up to 100 M€ per year, per initiative. The scientific advance should provide a strong and broad basis for future technological innovation and economic exploitation in a variety of areas, as well as novel benefits for society.

To prepare the launch of the FET Flagships, six Pilot Actions were funded over a period of 12 months starting in May 2011, whose contents will be discussed in this and in the next issues.

Guardian Angels: Guardian Angels for a Smarter Planet

For more info:

Prof. Adrian Ionescu

EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), CH

www.ga-project.eu/

Providing Information and Communication Technologies to assist people in all sorts of complex situations is the long-term goal of the Flagship Initiative, Guardian Angels.

These Guardian Angels will be like personal assistants and are envisioned as intelligent (thinking), autonomous systems (or even systems-of-systems) featuring sensing, computation, and communication, and delivering features and characteristics that go well beyond human capabilities. It is intended that these will provide assistance from infancy right through to old age.

A key feature of these Guardian Angels will be their zero power requirements. The answer to the big “power-supply” question is simple: we don't power them; they take care of themselves. In other words, they must have the ability to extract energy from their immediate environment, wherever they happen to be. Foreseen are individual health support tools, local monitoring of ambient conditions for dangers, and emotional applications.

Research will address scientific challenges such as energy-efficient computing and communication, low-power sensing, bio-inspired energy scavenging, and zero-power human–machine interfaces.

What can Europe expect to gain?

There is a huge market for zero-power devices, portable gadgets, wearable health monitors, and critical safety technologies that must have uninterrupted power. The scope of zero-power technology is hard to quantify, but should usher in a new era of autonomous “guardian angel” systems that will become our revolutionary, smart companions, improving many aspects of our lives: our health, our safety, and even our relationships.