In the actual era of smart homes and smart grids, advanced technological systems that allow the automation of domestic tasks are developing rapidly. There are numerous technologies and applications that can be installed in smart homes today. They enable communication between home appliances and users, and enhance home appliances' automation, monitoring and remote control capabilities. This review article, by introducing the concept of the smart home and the advent of the smart grid, investigates technologies for smart homes. The technical descriptions of the systems are presented and point out advantages and disadvantages of each technology and product today available on the market. Barriers, challenges, benefits and future trends regarding the technologies and the role of users have also been discussed.
Smart Cities denote a stronger integration of information technology into the organisation of a city and the interaction and participation of its citizens. In developing the concept further, we propose to understand Smart Cities through the lens of Social Machines and thus stronger focus on the city as a socio-technical construct. We draw from an interdisciplinary background of computer science and urban planning to reexamine and combine existing theories and find a common understanding. We substantiate our claim to the validity of the concept of Smart-City-as-a-Social-Machine with a thorough literature study and comparison. We discuss the resulting system complexity issues and ways to address them. We further propose areas where this understanding can be useful in furthering research on both the Smart City and the Social Machine topics.
The debate on the introduction of AMR (Automated Meter Reading) in Norwegian households is largely built on the assumption that users will react on price incitements in relation to electricity. However, the basic function of the AMRsystem technology is to measure the use of energy and the power output (effect) and send this information to the electricity suppliers. In the list of demands on the imminent implementation of AMR-technology it is not specified how information on the actual use and the current price of electricity is to be communicated to end users to enable them to adjust to price signals. Simply introducing AMR in itself is not very likely to have a major influence households' use of electricity. However, it is likely that receiving this information will enable providers to better control and plan the production and to adjust the price levels of electricity. Using AMR this way only utilizes a limited part of the potential use of this technology for cutting energy demand and evening out peaks in energy use. The primary objective of the project is to explore households' incitements to be flexible users based on feedback on consumption in relation to a smart grid . In this project, participants in Demo Steinkjer living lab have participated in semi-structured focus group interviews (FGIs) in which user responses on different means of communication of AMR have been explored. The research questions are 1) what information should be communicated to households and 2) how should it be communicated? The secondary objective of the project is to use the results of the study to specify which functionalities are relevant to include in a prototype app-based control system for household functions based on AMR.
Environmental degradation and how we care for our planet are some of the greatest challenges the world is up against at this moment. These challenges has received increased focus in both, research and the public sphere. So far, most of this attention revolved around adult’s attitudes and behavior. However, environmental engagement amongst the younger generation gains in popularity. Using plastic pollution as a case, this qualitative study aims to acquire insights into the mental models of children. We collected qualitative data during an innovative, structured workshop according to the “Nature In Your Face” (NIYF) framework. The approach challenges the assumption that the societal change can be achieved gradually, with non-invasive techniques. Instead, we explore the potential of disruption to push citizens out of their comfort zone, thereby making room for co-creation. The disruption was performed by confronting 36 fifth graders from a Norwegian primary school, with disturbing images of plastic contaminating their local shorelines. The data was obtained by using the workshop framework, combined with semi-structured group interviews. The interview data was analyzed by means of thematic analysis. We found that the disruptions triggered emotional reactions like anger and fear. With these emotions as a driving force, the first workshop step was introduced, the Framing of the problem. The next step, Twisting the problem, was reflected in the children developing their own, creative solutions and creatively engaged with them in groups. The last step, Using, was only touched upon in the workshop and is therefore beyond the scope of this paper. Our results indicate that there are three prominent themes reflecting how children discuss plastic pollution. The children talked about their (1) Emotions related to plastic pollution, (2) Attitudes related to plastic, and (3) Perceptions of plastic pollution. These themes were further subdivided into different types of emotions, characteristics of plastic as a material as well as perceptions on different locations of unnecessary plastic. Psychologically, the mechanisms underlying the identified themes were linked to eco-anxiety, denial, self-efficacy, and cognitive dissonance. We conclude that disruptive eco-visualization can create an emotional response amongst children, which can be transformed into co-creation of ideas.
Energy is an important social resource on which we depend in our everyday lives; however, energy-related emissions constitute a major environmental burden, so in Sweden a major political goal is to reduce total energy consumption and to use energy more efficiently. To achieve this, users need to transform their behaviour and start reflecting on their energy use. This paper discusses three different methods for visualizing energy use, namely information tools, keeping time diaries, and using the "Power-Are Cord." Each method has its pros and cons, but combining different methods could prove a useful way to drawing attention to household energy use and the possibilities for energy reduction. By combining the data gained from the different methods, we are more likely to find strategies that are better suited to people's behaviour.
This paper explores care stakeholders' perspectives on how interactive technology can help form socially active environments in residential care settings. Based on participatory workshops, involving representatives from multiple stakeholder groups, we identify a set of considerations relevant for design of social inclusion technology for care settings. The design considerations relate to the following topics: Users, Places, Themes, Value and Role. We also present three mock-ups emanating from the workshops, representing the participants' visions as to how technology can contribute to social interaction by accommodating considerations related to the above topics. The results from our study highlight the importance of social inclusion technology being firmly anchored in the local and collaboratively produced care environment. In particular our findings illustrate how the local -i.e., the wider social context in which the care residents live, and in which activities and things gain social meaning and value -can offer a rich design space and valuable source of inspiration for social inclusion technology. Potential negative implications of social inclusion technology are also briefly discussed.The main contribution of this paper is an increased understanding of the intimate relationship between designs for social inclusion and the wider social context in which care residents live.
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