Artificial Human Sensors

225 Pages·5.81 MB·English

by  Peter Wide

Artificial
Human Sensors
Science and Applications
© 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
© 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Artificial
Human Sensors
Science and Applications
Peter Wide
Örebro University, Sweden

© 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press
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Foreword
In order to live and thrive in an often challenging world, humans have evolved
tounderstandtheirenvironmentandthenconceptualisenotionsthatwouldallow
them to evaluate the impact of different natural phenomena as well as of their
actions.
The need to develop better communications and trade relations through the
historyofhumanityhasledtoagradualdevelopmentoftheconceptofmeasure-
mentbasedoncommonly agreeduponbasic units, whichallowed toassignsym-
bolicanddistinct”values”todifferentobjectparameters.
Vision, which isthe most accurateand information-rich humansense, stood
at the basis of the early measurement procedures for the evaluation of the non-
quantitative aspect attributes such as colour, as well as the quantitative geometric
parameters,suchaslength,surfaceandvolumeoftheobjects.
The evaluation of non-quantitative parameters such as colour is done by
human decision makers who visually compare the specific colour against a ref-
erencesetofstandard-coloursamples.
The evaluation of the quantitative parameters such as length, can be done
eitherbycountinghowmanyaprioridefinedunitshavetobeaddedtogetherin
© 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
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vi Foreword
ordertobest matchthe usuallycontinuous parametertobe measuredcalledthe
measurand,orbycomparingthemeasurandagainstaspeciallymadegradedscale.
Inbothcasesithasbeenuptoahumanoperatortolook,compareanddecidehow
manyunitsthemeasurandwasworth.
Aningenioussolutionforthemeasurementofnon-geometricparameterssuch
as time, weight, temperature, voltage, current, power, etc., is to convert those
parameters into a proportional displacement of a pointer moving in front of a
geometricscaleconvenientlygradedinmeasurementunitsofthesamenatureas
the measurand. Among these non-geometric/displacement transducers are the well
knownanaloginstruments:weightscales,clockwatches,scalethermometers,elec-
trical meters (for voltage, current, etc.), the oscilloscopes, magnetic and electric
fieldmeters,radioactivitymeters,lightintensitymeters,etc.
Itshouldbenotedthathumanswereessentialintegralcomponentsofthemea-
suring process using these early meters, as the measurement cannot actually be
completed without having a person do the reading, i.e., visually deciding what
numericalvalueshould beassigned tothe currentposition of the pointer on the
gradedscale.
The adventof the electronicstechnology in the 20thcentury allowed for the
development of automatic controllers able to execute sophisticated control algo-
rithms. Asthe”plainoldmeters”designedtoprovidedatatohumanuserscould
not satisfy the feed-back requirements of these controllers, a new generation of
instrumentshadtobedeveloped. Thesenewdigitalinstrumentsactuallywerethe
firstcompleteinstrumentsincorporatingboththemeasurand-against-scalecompar-
isonandthegenerationofthenumericresult.

Asaneffectofthe digitalinstrumentation’s success, the analoginstruments
becameobsoleteandhumansweretakenoffthemeasurementloopandrelegated
toglobalsituationassessmentanddecisionmakingroles.
© 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
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Foreword vii
Based on this digital instrument technology, new sensor systems have
been developed for a large diversity of industrial (manufacturing, chemical,
food production, pharmaceutical, etc), healthcare, and environment monitoring
applications. Furtherdevelopmentsinelectronicandcomputer technology have
allowedforcomplexdataprocessingalgorithmstobeincorporatedinintelligent
machine sensing and perception systems able to explore a multitude of parameters
overabroaderfrequencyspectrum.
Recent developments in the computer and AI technologies have led to
the apparition of a new sensing and perception paradigm, the symbiotic
human/instrumentpartnership.
Humansandanimalscanactassensoragentsproviding,usuallyfuzzy,explicit
estimatesofspecificparametersofinterestwhichtheyarenaturallyabletofeelwhile
artificial/machinesensorsarenotcapabletomeasure.
Humanscouldbetrainedtoestimatethevalueofthequantitativeparameter
ofinterestwithvaryingquantisationerrorsandconfidencelevelssuchasfreezing,
cold,cool,oraround–20oC.Humansareabletorecognisecolourswithaveryhigh
resolution. Dogshavebeentrainedtorecognisebysmellevenweakodourlevels
ofsubstanceslikedrugsorexplosives,whilepigsareusedtodetecttruffles.
Observing non-verbal behaviour of humans, animals, or vegetation could
provide indirect-measurement clues about environmentalparameters such as ambient
smell, radiation, air and water quality, extreme spectrum vibrations, etc., which
aredifficultorimpossibletomeasurebyinstrumentsbutarenaturallydetectedby
humans,animals,orvegetation,Forexample,canariesandmicewereusedforcen-
turiesasmethanegasandcarbonmonoxidedetectorsinthecoalminestoprovide
warning for explosion-potential and poisoned air. Leaf colouration and growth
levelsofplantsandtreesareusedasqualitativeindicatorsofenvironmentstatus
suchasairandwaterpollution,temperature,etc.
Withoutenteringintotheoreticalandtechnicaldetails,thisbookrepresentsa
thoughtprovokingintroductiontotheintriguing fieldofsensingandperception
basedonaneverevolvinghuman-instrumentpartnership. Itdiscussesnewintel-
ligent sensor technologies which areavailabletodayto enhance naturalsensing,
perception, and mobility abilities of humans allowing them to have a healthier,

moreproductive,saferandoverallbetterlife.
EmilM.Petriu
12February2009
© 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
© 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
2
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Preface
Thehumansensingcapabilityisdecreasingincapacityandaffectedbyageneral
deterioration, mostly depending on generation heritage, civilisation, contamina-
tion,andinshortrangeperhapsmostlyaffectedbyage. Theprimarymotivation
for human-based sensing or more correctly artificial perceptual sensor systems,
therefore, is to explore an area of human complementary sensor systems that is
foreseen to provide a new and emerging capability in human performance and
well-being.
Thisbookviewsanapproach,thatdirectsthepossibilityofincreasedpercep-
tion,lookingatthefactthatwesearchformoreexperienceandadventuresinour
lives. Alsowithacontinuouslygrowingpopulationthescientificfieldofhuman-
basedsensingwillsubstantiallyincreasetheinterestforcommercialsolutionsthat
complementtheperceptualsensingabilityofanindividual.
Artificial-basedsensingconsider,forexcellentreasons,aneedforsensorsand
new sensor principles, in order to design systems that complement the human
abilitiesfordirectandindirectinteractionwiththerealworld,togetanincreased
quality of information. The interaction also provides challenges. The definition
of the optimal communication flow — that is to receive the right information in
time,withdatathatmostlikelyisnotredundantnorofgoodquality,alsorequires
anabilitytointeractwiththeproximityofanindividualhuman. Theproblemis
thatinmostmeasurementsthereisagreatdemandforadditionalinformationin
parametersthatataspecifictimeisfragmentaryandpartiallypresented. Ifthere
arepoororinsufficientdata,thereisalwaysapossibilitytoaccessmoreparamet-
ricdataortofindtherequestedinformationbycomplementarydata.Forexample,
bymeasuring,byanIR-sensor,thetemperatureinanearofachildisaconvenient
techniquetogettheperceptionofsickness,thatistheresultprovidesadefinitive
temperature. This is done to estimate whether the child has fever, no fever or
adjoin.However,thisconclusioncouldalsobeestimatedbycomplementaryinfor-
mation,checkingtheoverallconditionofthechild’sbehavior,redcheeks,crying,
passive,sweating,freezingetc.
This perspective is actually the intention with writing this sensor book, to
get an excellent possibility to present a deeper view, describing the importance
of information to provide an apprehension and knowledge about sensors, their
prospects and opportunities in general and human based sensing in particular.
This is considered to be an area of highly interest for individual person’s to get
increasedenrichmentinlife. Thisconceptofsensor conceptmayalsocontribute
to make individual’s able to be more active also when the perceptual abilities
© 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC