Testing the Usability of the SEAP Pervasive Computing Middleware

Christine Julien, PhD and Seth Holloway, PhD Candidate

The University of Texas at AustinIRB#2010-02-0052

Materials Present

• In front of you, you should see several items:– Cover letter– Consent form– Pre-test questionnaire– Post-test questionnaire– A laptop computer– Three Sun SPOT devices

Consent Form

• Please read and sign the consent form now.• If you do not wish to complete, you may leave.

Questionnaire

• Please complete the pre-test questionnaire.

Pervasive Computing: A Brief Introduction

• The third age of computing has been termed pervasive computing– Characterized by many computers per person– Can be seen in practice with personal computers

and cellular phones– More sensors and actuators will be available soon– Currently, there is no standard for programming

pervasive computing applications

Sensors

Sensor – a device that takes a readingExamples:– Thermometer (temperature sensor)– Light sensor– Clock (time sensor)– Tiltometer (3D orientation sensor)– Motion detector

Actuators

Actuator – a device that performs an actionExamples:– Thermostat– Lights– Fan– Blinds– Alarm

This Study

• We are learning how people use SEAP and three potential interfaces

• In this study you will be developing an application that controls the lights by tilting a remote control

• You will then interact with three paper prototype interfaces

Part I - SEAP

• To begin, you will go through four tasks related to SEAP.

If you have questions, ask. This is not a test of your abilities. Your participation is greatly appreciated.

NOTE: Web page values will not update automatically—you will need to refresh the page (command+r) or icon on the address bar

Task 1

• You will start by familiarizing yourself with SEAP.

As you proceed through these tasks, it may be helpful to imagine that you are building a simple application to control lights in a smart home.

The SEAP Middleware

• SEAP: Sensor Enablement for the Average Programmer

• Pervasive computing middleware that allows for development of applications that use sensors and actuators

• Sensors and actuators communicate using standard HTTP, allowing them to interact with the World Wide Web

SEAP Overview

12

http://localhost:8080/

Devices communicate with the web server using HTML formsA standard web browser can be used to debug input and outputUser creates behaviors on server in their favorite web language

http://localhost:8080/SEAP/accelerometer.jsp

Sensor: spot47DD

………………………………………………………………

User Code

Actuator: spot342E

http://localhost:8080/SEAP/color.jsp

http://localhost:8080/SEAP/number.jsp

Web server: personal computer

Task 1a

• In Safari, navigate to http://localhost:8080/SEAP/accelerometer.jsp

This form provides a "dummy" input of accelerometer data, where the X, Y, and Z values are the accelerometer values along the different axes

• For X, Y, and Z, input values from[-1, 1]

Task 1b

• In Safari, navigate to http://localhost:8080/SEAP/color.jsp

The displayed value corresponds to the color of our lights in our remote controlled lights application.

• Change the color shown in color.jsp by inputting data through the form on accelerometer.jsp

Task 1c

• In Safari, navigate to http://localhost:8080/SEAP/number.jsp

This value corresponds to the number of lights to illuminate in our remote controlled lights application.

• Change the displayed number by inputting data through the form on accelerometer.jsp

Task 2

Now that you are familiar with the basics, we would like you to alter the code and test the results through the web pages (using Safari)

Task 2a

• There is an error in the output of the number.jsp

Currently, we have <%= (int)(spot47dd.getY() * 100.0) %>

but values should be in the range [0,8] because we only have eight lights to control

• Fix number.jsp in Eclipse• Demonstrate that your fix works in Safari

Task 2b

• We want more control of the lights based on our 3D inputs

We have a limited number of filters to apply to our automatic lights. Colors may be in the set {BLUE, GREEN, ORANGE, RED, WHITE, YELLOW, CHARTREUSE, CYAN, MAGENTA, MAUVE, PUCE, TURQUOISE}

• In Eclipse, alter color.jsp to incorporate Z in the color output

• Demonstrate that your implementation works in Safari

Task 3

For the final task, you will replace web input and output with physical sensors and actuators: Sun SPOTs

• SPOT 0000.47DD will post it’s data to accelerometer.jsp

• SPOT 0000.342E reads the number of LEDs to illiminate from number.jsp and sets LEDs to the color read from color.jsp

Task 3a

Now, instead of manually altering the web page, the Sun SPOT accelerometer will interact directly with the web pages.

• Move Sun SPOT 0000.47DD to change the values in color.jsp and number.jsp

• Verify this works in Safari

Task 3b

Now we will demonstrate the Sun SPOT as an actuator by illuminating its onboard LEDs

• Move Sun SPOT 0000.47DD to change the number of LEDs and their color displayed on Sun SPOT 0000.342E

• Verify the change using the Sun SPOTs

Phase II - Interfaces

Now, we move to the second part of the study.Using paper prototype interfaces, we will be

creating “policies” to govern the actions of devices in smart homes.

Available Devices

In these examples, imagine you are controlling devices in a bedroom.You have data from a• temperature sensor,• light sensor, • motion detector (presence

sensor),• and the current time.

You can control the • fan, • automated blinds, • lights, • thermostat, and send • SMS (text messages), • email, or sound an alarm.

Interfaces

You will be creating rules to govern behavior in a smart home using three interfaces

• Puzzle• Mad-libs• Magnetic poetry

Task 1a

• Create a rule to control the temperature in your bedroom using the Puzzle interface

Task 1b

• Create a rule to control the temperature in your bedroom using the Mad-libs interface

Task 1c

• Create a rule to control the temperature in your bedroom using the Magnetic Poetry interface

Task 2

Now, we will create a different rule—anything you please—using the available interfaces.

Task 2a

• Create any rule you please using the Puzzle interface

Task 2b

• Create any rule you please using the Mad-libs interface

Task 2c

• Create any rule you please using the Magnetic Poetry interface

Tasks complete!

• Please complete the post-test questionnaire

Thank you

• Collect your gift card and have a great day!