A technique for using economical multimedia sensors to autonomously track human beings is presented. A sequence of color images captured from a video camera is processed in real-time to determine target locations. This data may be used to guide a computer-controlled pantilt-zoom camera, and may be fused with sound information to determine the location of a person speaking. Such capabilities are...

Although computer and video games have existed for fewer than 40 years, they are already serious business. Entertainment software, the entertainment industry's fastest growing segment, currently generates sales surpassing the film industry's gross revenues. Computer games have significantly affected personal computer sales, providing the initial application for CD-ROMs, driving advancements in ...

The literature seems to suggest that women may be at risk from being excluded from adult education programmes, which use e-learning, especially when they have low economic status. Based on a survey of 551 women, family day care providers, we conclude that there is a persistent divide in PC access and use, as well as in perceived PC skills according to age. Yet, this divide seems to run less alo...

Although Concurrent and Collaborative Engineering (CCE) has enjoyed widespread acceptance in industry, many implementation problems remain. With the advent of more powerful artificial intelligence techniques, CCE can be further improved. This paper demonstrates how intelligent software agents may be deployed to facilitate concurrent, collaborative engineering. A system architecture, Java Agent ...

Abstract Most applications in engineering use a data acquisition device hooked up to personal computer for processing. Finding less costly, easily accessible and reliable devices will make (PC) based systems difficult. A soundcard may be used as such it is standard almost every PC. It can also process any voltage signal within its limits. This paper proposes way enable the PC an oscilloscope. a...

As data and services are increasingly distributed in the network, rather than stored in a fixed location, one can imagine a scenario in which the Personal Computer, intended as a static workstation, is really disappearing. In such a scenario, users’ interactions are going to be mediated by ad-hoc connected devices, whose specific functionalities enable people to interact with data and services ...

The Personal Computer is evolving from a purely personal device to one that can support multiple applications in different locations simultaneously. This paper describes how the connectivity and processing capability of the PC can be used in a distributed manner in the home to provide a variety of services like speech activated environmental command and control functions, digital video decoding...

Personal authentication is an important process we encounter almost every day; when we are logging on a computer, entering a company where we work, or a restricted area, when we are using our plastic credit cards to pay for a service or to complete some other financial transaction, etc. In each of these processes of personal authentication some kind of magnetic or optical token is required. But...

Much of the confusion that surrounds electronic personal assistants arises from the open-ended complexity of their development. In this paper we categorise some of their more common uses before suggesting several thought-provoking extensions.