Ambient Intelligence

from user impacts to changing user networks

Project Manager: Prof. dr. Nelly Oudshoorn

Tel.: +31 53 489 3344

Project website:

Project Summary

The aim of the project is to assess impacts of ambient technologies on user networks and reflect upon the consequences for the design of ambient intelligent applications, making use of insight in innovation dynamics from constructive technology assessment.

In the project three different kinds of applications will be analysed, which differ in the extent by which use of the ambient intelligence is depending on and affecting the relationships of and between users. Three areas are:

·	E-health applications with user networks structured around the doctor-patient relation with the doctor being embedded in a professional context and the patient in a family context;

·	Applications for traffic control with a user network dominated by individuals (traffic user) who perform some form of collective action in relation to the traffic infrastructure, which a traffic manager might want to optimize (better use of public transport, less traffic jams, etc.)

·	Applications in the area of entertainment were indeed individual experiences seem to dominate, but experiences may be related to peer group relationships and collective identities of user groups.

We expect that ambient intelligence will have a different impact in each of these contexts and that depending on the context use(rs) oriented design methods need to focus either on individual or network levels of use. Moreover, by assessing the user network, it will also be possible to assess the positions of actors within the networks and their capacities to govern the developments. Implementation and user optimization strategies can be related to such key actors.

Project duration: 2005-2009

Project budget: internally funded

Number of person/years: 1 fte / year

Involved groups: Centre for Studies of Science, Technology and Society (CSSTS)

CTIT Strategic Research Orientations: ASSIST - Applied Science of Services for Information Society Technologies, IE&ICT - Industrial Engineering & ICT