Eric Paulos
University of California, Berkeley, USA
Title: Hybrid Urban Ecologies: Disobedient Objects, Unexpected Landscapes, and Human Wonderment
Abstract:
Through a lens of prior urban projects and research probes, this talk will critique the emergence of several compelling themes across our urban landscapes. Central to this discussion will be new models of citizen exploration, micro-volunteerism, participation, maker culture, the rise of the new expert amateur, and a reexamining the “public”. I will argue how the hybrid nature of these new ecologies lends itself towards connected and disconnected “things” at the intersection of art, computer science, and design research. I will detail an argument for hybrid materials, methods, and artifacts as strategic tools for insight and innovation within these urban computing landscapes. Finally, I will question emerging materials and strategies from the perspective of engineering, design, and new media as they apply to our desires and needs for “new urban things.”
Bio:
Eric Paulos is an Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering Computer Science at UC Berkeley and faculty within the Berkeley Center for New Media. Previously, Eric held the Cooper-Siegel Associate Professor Chair at Carnegie Mellon University where he was faculty within the Human-Computer Interaction Institute. He also founded the Urban Atmospheres group at Intel Research where a body of early urban computing projects were developed. Eric’s work spans a broad range of research territory from robotics, urban computing, citizen science, design research, critical making, and new media art. Eric received his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley but his real apprenticeship was earned through over two decades of explosive, excruciatingly loud, and quasi-legal activities with a band of misfits at Survival Research Laboratories.
Kings College London, UK
Title: IoT, Big Data & Smart Cities – The Untold Story
Abstract:
Based on my TEDx talk, this keynote will challenge some established hypes around smart cities but also outline opportunities and challenges for the coming years. From the many possible angles, I will focus on the urban Internet of Things (IoT), its underlying technologies, the resulting Open Data and Big Data opportunities, and surprising insights into how citizen perceive their Smart City. I will argue that we are still far off an “Internet” of things, mainly due to mistakes committed in the technology but also business developments over the past decade. I will then expose major research and design challenges which need to be addressed to facilitate a truly connected cyber-physical world, including issues related to Big Data, Open Data and Privacy. This talk is inspired by the numerous issues I have come across with when actually trying to facilitate smarter cities through Worldsensing. Along with the untold challenges, I will outline some viable steps to address these in the hope to facilitate the emergence of truly smart cities.
