Speaker: Dr. Tin-Chih Toly Chen (陳亭志)

Biography: Tin-Chih Toly Chen received the Ph. D. degree in industrial engineering from National Tsin Hua University. Dr. Chen has been a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Systems Management at Feng Chia University. He joined the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at National Chiao Tung University in 2017. His research interests include fuzzy and neural computing, competitiveness analysis, cloud manufacturing, operations research, semiconductor manufacturing, and ambient intelligence. Dr. Chen is the editor-in-chief of International Journal of Lean Enterprise Research, and the founding president of Ambient Intelligence Association of Taiwan (AIAT). He has been the guest editor of journals including Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing, Health Care Management Science, Operational Research, Fuzzy Sets and Systems, Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, International Journal of Technology Management, Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, and International Journal of Intelligent Systems.

Keynote Topic: Application of Industrial Engineering Concepts and Techniques to Ambient Intelligence

Keynote Abstract: Ambient intelligence (AmI) researchers have primarily come from information engineering, electrical engineering, and medical backgrounds. However, industrial engineering (IE) concepts and techniques are crucial to the sustainable development of the AmI industry. For this reason, IE concepts and techniques are applied to AmI in this study. First, continuous improvement is necessary to maintain the evolution of an AmI system, and this conforms to the basic philosophy of IE, which is to continuously improve a manufacturing system or service. In addition, some concepts and techniques of IE may be applicable to problems encountered when developing AmI technologies. For example, the motion and time study as used in the field of operations research can decompose a task into several steps (operation, movement, checking, delaying, and storage), to determine which steps can be supported by AmI technologies. In addition, most AmI systems detect and determine a user’s posture and actions, and many IE researchers are engaged in image analysis and pattern recognition. Furthermore, ergonomics and occupational psychology concepts can be used to determine whether an AmI technology is obtrusive and to assist in the development of AmI applications on the basis of the assessment of human physiological conditions.

Speaker: Dr. Kazushi NISHIMOTO
Professor, School of Knowledge Science, Human Life Design Area, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Degrees
B.Eng.from Kyoto University(1985), M.Eng.from Kyoto Universit(1987), Dr.Eng.from Osaka University(1998)

Professional Career
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,Ltd.(1987), ATR Communication Systems Research Laboratories (1992), Invited Researcher of the department 2, ATR Media Integration & Communications (MI&C) Research Laboratories (1995), Researcher of Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (2000-2003),Invited Researcher of the department 1, ATR Media Information Science (MIS) Laboratories (2000-2003), Invited Researcher of the Kansei & Learning Media Lab., ATR Media Information Science (MIS) Laboratories (2004-2006), Information-technology Promotion Agency (2006-2007)

Specialties
Media Informatics

Research Keywords
Creative activity support, CSCW, Informal communications, Musical information processing

Research Interests
Creativity Mining
Everybody has creativity. However, many people are often not aware of their latent creativity. Creativity mining is a research effort to create technologies for finding people’s latent creativity, mining it and making it available. Creativity mining technologies make it possible for everybody to creatively contribute to family, friends, community, society and the world, which improves our quality of life.

Universal Media for Creative Activities
Even if we are aware of our potential creativity, it is still not easy to manifest it at will. One of the barriers that prevents us from manifesting the creativity is tools for creative activities such as musical instruments: they are too difficult to use and also too versatile. By finding unnecessary difficulties and versatilities, and alleviating and/or eliminating them, I would like to create universal tools that allow everybody to readily manifest their creativity.

Informal Communication Support System
Informal communication is very important for fostering human relations and for sharing and creating knowledge among people. I have been studying supporting systems that enhance this characteristic of informal communication to enrich and to smooth communication of minds, e.g., systems that facilitate sharing professional knowledge among people in offices or laboratories, and systems that foster bonds of affection of family or couples.

Keynote Topic: Making barriers by using AmI and IoT to improve our everyday life and human abilities

Abstract
In recent years, Ambient Intelligence (AmI) technology and Internet of Things (IoT) technology are rapidly developing. A lot of devices such as sensors and processors that are connected to the Internet are embedded in our everyday living environment in order to ubiquitously support people's daily activities by constantly acquiring and processing people's activities and environmental information. However, are there no risks in such ubiquitous and continuous support where the supported people themselves are not aware of being supported? For instance, if a person always uses a car to go anywhere, it causes muscle weakness of his/her legs and adult diseases. Likewise, constant support of our daily activities has the danger of spoiling various human abilities. In some cases, it may be necessary not to support our daily activities but rather to hinder. In this talk, I introduce the research on 'support by hindrances' promoted by the speaker’s research group, and discuss on the new applicability of AmI and IoT for improving the quality of our daily life and human ability.