Sensorial Systems Applied to Intelligent Spaces

The definition of " Intelligent Space " (IS) was formerly proposed for an environmental system capable of offering humans informative and physical support. Currently an IS denotes a space containing human and artificial systems, the space itself being considered an intelligent system. Human and artificial systems become clients of the IS and simultaneously the artificial systems become agents of the IS. Since the whole space is an intelligent system, it is able to monitor and provide services to many different clients with ease. For example, an IS uses electronic displays to provide information to humans, then robots are used to offer physical services to them as physical agents. When a robot lacks the sensors required to navigate around an IS, the robot is considered as a client and the rest of information is provided to the robot by the IS. An IS assumes two roles in relation to a robot working inside it. One is the enhancement of abilities, the other the sharing of resources. Generally an intelligent robot has its own sensors and it is designed to move autonomously (without outside help). However, even an intelligent robot has limitations on its ability. Even though it has refined sensors, certain problems cannot be overcome. An IS has a role as an extended sensor for the robot and enhances the ability of the robot to receive requests from distant locations. Resource sharing is valid when more than one robot uses the resources of an IS. Also, robots can reduce or eliminate such on-board resources as positioning sensors, sensors for detecting target objects, devices for interaction with humans, etc. However, an IS does not aim to make sensors redundant or reduce robot autonomy; rather, it supports robots with inadequate resources by providing the resources they lack in order to behave as a normal robot, while it helps robots with good resources to behave as even enhanced robots. According to the IS definition, an IS should include different kind of sensors (possibly networked), a central node which will be processing the received data in order to take decisions and several OPEN ACCESS