Intel Science and Technology Center to be hosted at UW

In the latest twist on our favorite hot topic, gamification,
Intel has announced that the University of Washington will host Intel’s fifth Science and Technology
Center (ISTC). The
center, which will be co-led by associate professor of computer science and
engineering Dieter Fox and Intel senior scientist Anthony LaMarca, will focus on pervasive computing. The new ISTC spans six
research universities nationwide, with its hub situated at the UW.

Pervasive computing, also known as ubiquitous computing, centers on the integration of computing into everyday activities. With
sophisticated sensors and computers embedded in regular objects, the human
computing experience is not limited to sitting at a desk. The new ISTC will focus
on writing algorithms to get the best possible information from sensor data and create computer systems that can adapt to different situations.

The three main applications of the ISTC will be monitoring health and well-being, family scheduling and “task spaces.” One example
of task space use is a smart kitchen where computers can assist in cooking complex recipes by sensing ingredients used, as well as detecting who is in the kitchen to begin with.

The four other ISTCs are at Stanford University (next-generation visual computing), the University of California Berkeley (secure computing) and Carnegie Mellon University (cloud computing and embedded computing).