+

The Future of Mobile

Technologies

Professor Martin Rieser

De Montfort University

2020VISION

2

+

Locative Media and Pervasive Media

The convergence of mobile technologies and ubiquitous

computing have created a world where information-rich

environments may be mapped directly onto urban spaces.

My interest in dispersed forms of interaction focuses on the

way they raises a whole new series of intriguing questions

on the nature of narrative and communication,

particularly in relation to an audience’s modes of

participation and reception.

Emergent Technologies

3

+

Locative media is closely related to augmented reality

(reality overlaid with virtual reality) and to pervasive or

ubiquitous computing, Locative media concentrates on

social interaction with a specific place through mobile

technology.

Many locative media art projects have a background in

social, critical or personal memory. I will describe

attempts to use location-specific media in the context of

spatialised interaction.

Emergent Technologies

4

+

Locative Media and Pervasive Media

Locative technology blurs the borders between physical

and virtual space, leading to the redefinition of the concept

of the virtual from that of simulation to that of

augmentation.

Emergent Technologies

5

+

Locative Media and Pervasive Media

Locative technology blurs the borders between physical

and virtual space, leading to the redefinition of the concept

of the virtual from that of simulation to that of

augmentation.

Emergent Technologies

6

+ Emergent Behaviours

How is pervasive technology changing public behaviour?

Clearly the boundary between the private and the public is altering and the merging of the two is accelerating through augmented mobile reality etc.

Public conversations sometimes appear performative. Often phones in public are an intrusive technology and the tracking of individuals by social media is often a questionable practice.

How therefore do services re-frame ideas of privacy in public space to take account of these new pervasive technologies?

7

+ Natural Interfaces: Natal

How do you believe that both individuals and businesses in

Leicester will be using technology in ten years time? What do

you predict?

Business and the individual will both find mobile and

pervasive technologies integrated in every aspect of their

lives-all services will be mobile cloud computing and wide

area networks will ensure reception is good across the city

space

8

+ Impacts

Our attitude to the city has changed- now which tends to re-

imagine it as an unwritten slate. Our trajectory through it and

our sense of place seems to be altering from that of

perceived fixed nodes to a more fluid experience-

constantly diverted by location-based hyperlinked

information.

We also have a changed relation to synchronicity. Mapping

technologies and push media accelerate this changing sense

of place as no longer a fixed terrain, but an amorphous

space of potential.

9

+ Place and Space and Art

Can Pervasive Media successfully create place out of space, or

even from Marc Auge’s “non-places”- those transferable spaces

of alienation? How can these non-places be transformed by

locative media?

Artists tend to experiment in memory-rich spaces, rather than

those urban deserts. Accessibility is also a major issue-not

everyone has the latest iphone.

In experiencing this new public space- how can the past and

the present, public and private- be brought together by the new

technologies in ways that enrich our lives?

10

+ Place and Space and Art

We live in a world of lost histories-how can we reframe these

successfully for the public?

If pervasive media allows the enrichment of place, how can we

also enable the public to do this for themselves?

Now that such located rich media is emerging, how can this be

filtered to ensure quality of experience and safety for the

user?

11

+ Future sensing: Songlines

12

+ Future sensing:Songlines

Using image and object sensing via mobiles for Songlines

13

+Riverains: London

Empedia for Riverains

14

+Riverains: London

Empedia for Riverains: QR Codes

15

+Riverains: London

Empedia for Riverains: QR Codes

16

+Riverains: London

Empedia for Riverains: QR Codes

17

+Riverains: London

Empedia for Riverains: QR Codes

18

+Emotion sensing: Christian NoldFilm Structure

19

+Emotion sensing: Third WomanFilm Structure

The scenarios of the drama are constructed in three differently versioned forms to reflect subtle changes in emotional emphasis-designed to be driven by emotion sensing technology

20

+ Hybrid Place and Space

21

+ Hybridity

Our ability to conceptualise the world and filter our sensory

inputs makes “reality” a construction of the brain-there

seems to be no such thing as direct perception. It seems

likely that the brain does not differentiate between the real

and virtual.

For example, those blind from birth, who recover their sight,

have not developed the neurones for facial recognition-our

sense of reality therefore seems to depend on our internal

wiring

22

+ Hybridity

In Hybrid spaces, material and immaterial space are

merging. There is no longer a clear line between them. We

need to examine and understand this in relation to theories

of the mind.

A key question derived from our various project user-

evaluations is do we actually process a mixed reality

experience? It is very difficult to examine cognitive

mapping in a mobile experience. Techniques such as

mobile eye tracking can help (RetailLab)

23

+ Hybridity

In Hybrid spaces, material and immaterial space are

merging. There is no longer a clear line between them. We

need to examine and understand this in relation to theories

of the mind.

A key question derived from our various project user-

evaluations is do we actually process a mixed reality

experience? It is very difficult to examine cognitive

mapping in a mobile experience. Techniques such as mobile

eye tracking can help (RetailLab)

24

+ Projection

What do you think Leicester could be like in ten years time in

the best case, in terms of mobile technology?

Leicester like all major cities will be more privatised and

individualistic, with some citizen-led attempts to

revivify public and collective values against the smaller state

impositions of the previous ten years.

Information and personalised mobile services will be even

more important to the citizen in their survival strategies

25

+ Future Technologies

Mobile services are moving towards gesture recognition and

natural language interfaces, as well as towards emotion

sensing. How can we envisage the increasing invisibility of the

device as this natural interaction develops into a form of

“unforced” hybridity-which may include mobile projection?

This may be come a world where information streams start

responding to our changing emotions. Such interwoven

hybridity will in turn give rise to further new behaviours.

We already experience this with hands-free gestural

performances on mobiles. What will happen when we have

mobile non-verbal two way communication through enhanced

or projected video conferencing!

26

+ Integrated homes

As an artist, what do you believe the future for content is? For

example: we have all seen the increase of channels on Sky

television, but there is far too much to choose from...

Content will be pre-filtered by personal preferences to avoid

overwhelming the user-but mobile TV etc will be ubiquitous

and related to space and place.

27

+ Intelligent adaptive and

transformative architecture-

Much research in Architecture at present focuses on

technological developments, but not much thought seems to

be given to underlying concepts for behaviour changing

spaces.

Can the use of such technology in our homes and work-

spaces actually change our behaviour?

Perhaps we need hard, clear and accessible information

streams before buildings can stimulate beneficial behaviour

change

28

+ Intelligent adaptive and

transformative architecture-

Smart homes can be helpful, but are largely passive in their

effects.

To effect behaviour change we need to consider a more

complex relationship between design and human behaviour.

We are moving to emotional sensing and predictive

behaviour by buildings-that is adaptive architecture sensing

and reacting, but allowing the user to determine the core and

auxiliary services, perhaps by learning through a neural net!

29

+ Imagining Futures

What do you think the city of Leicester be like in 2020 in your

opinon? In general, not just in your specific area.

Leicester will have recovered from the depression years of

2010-2018 and will be regenerating through small e-

business start ups and service providers.

Micro-manufacturing start ups linked to new technologies

will also be part of this new economy.

Small scale individual entrepreneurship will be the order of

the day, offering personalised services through new mobile

networking.

30

+ Futures: Opportunities

You say that businesses are not aware of the opportunities

that mobile technology offers - what kind of opportunities are

these can you give any examples? Why will these

opportunities benefit them and in what way?

Micro-business and niche provision through personalised

mobile services is a growth area, particularly when linked to

social media and lifestyle choices

31

+ Futures: Best case

What do you think Leicester could be like in ten years time in

the best case, in terms of mobile technology?

Leicester like all major cities will be more privatised and

individualistic, with some citizen-led attempts to

revivify public and collective values against the smaller

state impositions of the previous ten years.

Information and personalised mobile services will be even

more important to the citizen in their survival strategies

32

+ Futures: Users

In ten years time, in your opinion, do you think that people will

still be using mobile phones - and will they look different to how

they are now? Do you think that the technology can develop

much further in ten years time? And to what extreme?!

The mobile phone will be more integrated into our bodies with

sensory switches linked to our emotions and movements and

gestures and the infrastructure around us will read from our

phones and respond with services and environmental

adjustments.

Mobile sharing will be automated and information will

migrate from phone to phone automatically according to pre-

selected filters

33

+ Futures: Nano technologies

34

+ Futures: Content

As an artist, what do you believe the future for content is? For

example: we have all seen the increase of channels on Sky

television, but there is far too much to choose from...

Content will be pre-filtered by personal preferences to

avoid overwhelming the user-but mobile TV etc will be

ubiquitous and related to space and place.

35

+ Futures: Integration

How do you believe that both individuals and businesses in

Leicester will be using technology in ten years time? What do

you predict?

Business and the individual will both find mobile and

pervasive technologies integrated in every aspect of their

lives. All services will be mobile cloud computing and wide

area networks and 4G will ensure reception is good across

the city space

36

+ Integration and Cloud

Computing

37

+ Futures: Economics

How good could this technology be to both businesses and

individuals?

Britain is well placed to develop applications in this area which

are ingenious and needed-and of global reach.

Do you think that we have the right entrepreneurs and forward-

thinkers in society and local government to enable this city to be

all that it can be 10 years from now?

Most of the developments I predict are tied up with the right

economic model: more entrepreneurial finance is needed and

for this the banks and government would have to collaborate to

set up new and easier risk-friendly finance structures.

38

+ Futures: Change

Do you think Leicester is equipped to cope with the changes

in technology?

Not on its current record as a city-it needs to move away from

an unsustainable private car-based economy to bring life

back into the centre and to allow its culture and lifestyle to

retain creative talents and innovators in the city.

This means developing cultural capital, green spaces, and

city centre nightlife for all its citizens.

39

+ Futures: Business

And finally in your own opinion how do you think the Leicester business world will look in 10 years time? A lot can change in this time can't it?!

Leicester has a wealth of energy and market connections with Asia and the Indian sub-continent. It is multicultural in the truest sense and is therefore potentially a model for the future shape of British cities. It has three good and innovative universities- including Loughborough-that is 30,000 Creative Industry-linked students .

What we need to see in the city is more connection between these engines of prosperity and easier ways to fund and develop innovation using the new pervasive technologies- such as mobile phones.

40

+ Futures: Speculation

And finally in your own opinion how do you think the

Leicester business world will look in 10 years time? A lot can

change in this time can't it?!

Leicester has a wealth of energy and market connections

with the Indian sub-continent. It is multicultural in the truest

sense and is therefore potentially a model for the future

shape of British cities. It has two good and innovative

universities .

What we need to see in the city is more connection between

these engines of prosperity and easier ways to fund and

develop innovation using the new pervasive technologies-

such as mobile phones.