SHB: Medium: Assistive Cloudlet-Based Mobile Computing for the Cognitively Impaired

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

This project advances computer science by producing scientific insights, algorithms, system designs, implementation techniques, and experimental validations at the intersection of three major subdisciplines. These subdisciplines are (1) computer systems (including mobile computing, operating systems, and wireless networking), (2) vision technologies (including computer vision and machine learning), and (3) human-computer interaction (including activity inferencing, distraction reduction, and context awareness). These will be integrated to create cognitive assistive systems that can function "in the wild" with sufficient functionality, performance and usability to be valuable at any time and place to provide help for the cognitively impaired. From a societal perspective, this research has the potential to improve the quality of lives of individuals whose cognitive capabilities have declined due to natural aging, illness or traumatic injuries (estimated at 20 million Americans). In addition, cognitive support can assure safe use and compliance with instructions in rehabilitation and management of chronic illness. From an educational viewpoint, this research offers many unique opportunities to train graduate and undergraduate students on how to approach problems from a broad multi-interdisciplinary perspective. In close partnership with industry, this research has the potential to impact mobile computing by empowering resource-poor mobile devices to run interactive, compute-intensive applications at any time and place. While this proposal focuses on applying this new capability to the problem of cognitive assistance, it can also address important needs of the general population. Further, the resulting cloudlet architecture has the potential to transform arenas as diverse as business, engineering, health care, and defense.