The Twelfth IASTED International Conference on
Internet and Multimedia Systems and Applications
~IMSA 2008~
August 18 – 20, 2008
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Human Centered Multimedia Computing
Abstract
The rapid emergence of multimedia technologies and standards is causing an explosion of media-rich applications. However, state-of the art multimedia solutions are still taking a technology-centric view rather than a problem-centric view. The future of innovative multimedia solutions lies in understanding the needs of the customer with the ultimate goal of achieving symbiosis between the human and the computer, resulting in a human centered multimedia computing paradigm. This requires a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding, designing and solving problems. For example, the design of assistive technologies will not only require the engagement of computer scientists, information technologists and engineers but more importantly, disability specialists, cognitive scientists and industrial designers.
This talk will provide the rationale for human centered multimedia computing and present examples of a design philosophy inspired by transdisciplinary research collaborations. At the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC), we are engaged in research into designing and developing multimedia solutions for assistance, learning and rehabilitation. This research involves neurologists, psychologists, biomedical engineers, disability specialists, human computer interaction and computer graphics researchers, multimedia experts and industrial designers. Our design philosophy involves exploring fundamental research issues at the convergence of neuro-cogno-info domains and incorporating this knowledge in the design of multimedia systems. Three specific projects will be discussed: (a) design and development of assistive devices for individuals who are blind and visually impaired to enable activities in daily living; (b) developing virtual reality surgical simulation environments incorporating haptic (touch-based) feedback and cognitive training; and (c) rehabilitation devices for individuals with movement disorders.
Biography of the Presenter
Dr. Sethuraman (Panch) Panchanathan received his B.Sc. degree in Physics from the University of Madras, India in 1981; B.E. degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India in 1984; M. Tech degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India in 1986; and his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Ottawa in 1989. Dr. Panchanathan is currently a Professor and Director of the School of Computing and Informatics, Chair of the Computer Science and Engineering Department, Director of the Institute for Computing & Information Sciences & Engineering, and Director of the Research Center on Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC) at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. He is also the Interim Director of the new Biomedical Informatics department and an Affiliate faculty in the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix program. He is an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at ASU, and co-founder and President of a start-up company MotionEase Inc., which is focused on developing video based motion capture solutions for rehabilitative applications.
He leads a team of researchers and graduate students working in various areas, including: Ubiquitous Multimedia Computing; Visual Computing and Communications; Media Processor Designs; Multimedia Communication; Face/Gait Analysis and Recognition; Genomic Signal Processing; and Ubiquitous Computing Environments for Blind Persons.
Dr. Panchanathan has published over 300 papers in refereed journals and conferences. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Multimedia Magazine and an associate editor of seven other journals and transactions. Dr. Panchanathan is a Fellow of the IEEE and SPIE. He is a member of the European Association for Signal Processing (EURASIP), Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and ASEE.
