Vasupradha Ramachandran
Ambient Intelligence (AmI) refers to the environment of electronic devices that are sensitive and responsive to the presence of human beings. This technology is considered to be a collaborative outcome of Artificial Intelligence with the Internet of Things (IoT).
The concept of Aml was first hypothesized in the early 1990s when the Information Society and Technology Advisory Group of the European Commission collaborated with Philips, a tech company, in developing an environment where the physical world can be integrated with sensors, intelligent systems and devices.
The main components of an AmI environment according to Information Society Technologies Advisory Group (ISTAG) consists of adaptive software, dynamic distributed network, embedded systems, I/O devices, components for mobile communication, sensors and essential hardware components. These components offered adaptability, security, contextual awareness, computational capabilities, robustness, etc to the AmI devices.
Ambient Intelligence – Adoption and Market growth
This electronic environment that can sense the presence and be responsive to the needs and habits of human beings is based on three components. Namely, ubiquitous computing, communication and intelligent user interfaces. The characteristics of these components such as embeddedness, transparency and context awareness along with the implementation of technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are some of the factors that significantly contribute towards the growth of AmI in the market.
Ambient Intelligence not only enables human-machine interaction but also helps in increasing the efficiency and performance of the device. Technology verticals such as BFSI, security, retail and e-commerce, manufacturing, energy and utilities, IT and Telecom, education and healthcare contribute massively towards the adoption of AmI. When it comes to region-wise adoption, North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions contribute significantly.
Various use cases of Ambient Intelligence
Healthcare
Ambient Intelligence in the healthcare sector has made noticeable improvements in monitoring and analyzing patients. AmI technologies can be used to maintain patients’ Electronic Medical Reports (EMR) by recording patients’ health stats. It can also help physicians in analyzing patient’s behavior and allergic responses to certain medications. Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) technology has been assisting senior citizens by remotely monitoring their health and enables them to live independently.
Retail and E-commerce
AmI technology has allowed E-commerce vendors like Amazon and Alibaba to adopt the concept of unmanned supermarkets. Leveraging this technology will provide a personalized shopping experience in physical stores that are similar to online shopping experiences.
Security
Security systems these days come with camera features. This allows the users to know and identify the people or to monitor home or factories or their properties remotely from one single location. AmI-powered security systems will be able to provide more accurate, real-time data and will be user-friendly as well. In 2023, the surveillance market is expected to be worth $62.6 billion along with the infrastructure applications.
Intelligent home automation systems
An intelligent home automation system can seamlessly integrate with electronic devices like refrigerators, lighting and entertainment systems and temperature controls. All of these smart-home appliances can be controlled from a single device. The evolution of technology will develop much greener and cost-efficient smart home devices that could potentially help towards reducing energy consumption and carbon footprints. The percentage of smart homes in the US by the end of 2021 will approximately be 28%.
Major players in the field of AmI technology
1) AppZen
AppZen, founded in 2012, develops the world’s leading AI platforms for financial firms. Their AI solution can help businesses with expenditure tracking and finance automation processes. Around one-fourth of the fortune, 500 companies use AppZen’s AI solution. With the help of deep learning, computer vision and intelligence, the AI solution can essentially make relevant decisions before a transaction takes place.
2) Audio Analytic
Audio Analytic, a Britain-based company, founded in 2010, develops devices with embedded software sensors that can react to smoke alarms, security breaches, car alarms, etc. The company initially developed products for professional security agencies and eventually shifted its focus towards consumer electronics and smart home appliances.Â
3) Near
Near, an ambient intelligence platform, provides real-time information of places, people and products. This platform provides information by collecting and processing huge amounts of data from smart devices and environments. Near deals with data that are collected on a global scale and is capable of processing data from over a billion devices at present.
Career opportunities in the field of Ambient Intelligence
As mentioned earlier, Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is the field that is related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Any form of intelligence demonstrated by machines in an environment can be referred to as Ambient Intelligence. Any professionals in the field of AI and IoT can work on developing AmI devices/platforms. Ideally, a few of the most common roles in both the fields include,
- AI engineer
- Embedded systems developer
- Software engineer
- Data scientist
- Machine Learning engineer
- Research scientist
- Hardware and device developer
- UX designer
- Network engineer
For students who want to pursue a career in the field of developing intelligent solutions, the basic requirements are to have a deeper understanding of sensors and their functioning, UX designing, a strong background in object-oriented programming languages and prior experience in working with IoT devices like the raspberry pi. To learn Artificial Intelligence, many courses are being offered by professionals on reputed platforms.
AmI technologies have a great chance to completely revolutionize the existing smart system mechanisms and contribute more towards making our lives easier. In the upcoming years, AmI will be able to contribute to the well-being of individuals. This will, in turn, become the key factor for the adoption of this technology.
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