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22 September 2008

Motion Sensors in Laboratories

In the last year motion sensors have been deployed at a leading academic research laboratory to study how people use space. This study has been using sensors similar to those developed by MERL, which detect when an object moves under a sensor, which are mounted to the ceiling. This does enable for limited tracking capabilities, although the sensors are placed only in "public" spaces in the lab. Naturally this is rich area for research and this study also provides a platform for studying privacy systems.

While these sensors can be used to study how people use buildings in their current state, to me the most interesting question that these sensors can fundamentally change architecture. For example, if certain room types are found to be more effective for fostering interaction, could rooms automatically alter themselves (unfurling walls, moving lights, adding chairs) to try to elicit desired behaviors? Of course this could be done manually by having someone navigate an interface, but allowing the organization itself to specify architectural parameters and have the building change from day to day by itself would be fascinating.

The data in this ongoing study is kept public (online as well as access through a public display) to members of the laboratory being studied, although not to the outside world. This is a marked departure from previous studies, which would often only release analyzed behaviors months after the study. Still, it is important for people to know who is looking at the data, since someone at the lab could potentially use the data to track someone. Interestingly, when the system was installed there was an initial minor backlash, but now that the system has been in place for so long people mostly ignore it. I have experienced this before with the badges, but I suspect this is true in e-mail monitoring and similar applications as well.

Many companies are developing this built-in sensing technology, and NEC appears to be emerging as a leader with their IR motion sensors that actually leech power from fluorescent light bulbs, allowing them to last indefinitely in the environment, versus 3 years for the MERL sensors. While this technology is still experimental, this technology should become commercialized in the next few years, either as a consulting package or a standalone sensing tool.

Posted by Ben Waber at September 22, 2008 10:30 AM

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