Professor Martin Henson - Head of Department Computer Science

Introduction by Professor Martin Henson (iDorm2 opening)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very warm welcome to the opening of our new laboratory. It gives me enormous pleasure as Head of the Computer Science Department to share in the delight of our research group in Intelligent Inhabited Environments as we find ourselves within their dream come true -- an international-class facility which will have both the academic and business worlds beating a path to our door.

On behalf of the Department I would like to extent two sets of thanks -- first to my colleagues in this research group who have once again demonstrated real vision and turned that into an innovative reality. Second, I want to thank the University for its belief in our vision -- we have received unfailing support, and not a small amount of precious cash, from the University, from not one but two rounds of the national Science Research Infrastructure Fund. It is therefore entirely fitting that the iDORM2 should be opened by our own Vice-Chancellor. Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Professor Ivor Crewe.

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Professor Ivor Crewe - Vice-Chancellor of Essex University

Mr Mayor, distinguished guests…

For almost the entire 40 years of the University's existence, the Department of Computer Science has been at the forefront of research in computer systems and artificial intelligence.

Over the years, these two research areas grew together and, in February 1992, Professor Victor Callaghan established the Essex Robotics Research Group, and led the development of the Brooker laboratory for intelligent and embedded systems, to support such work.

The inspiration was the same as had motivated the early computer science pioneers, like the department's own founder Professor Tony Brooker (NOTE: he might attend): to facilitate work on intelligent machines.The Essex RoboticsResearchGroupis now the largest group of its kind in the UK and is one of the leading groups in the world.

In 1998, the Intelligent Inhabited Environments (IIE)research group was formed bringing the great expertise available within the Department in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics for application in pervasive computing and ambient intelligence.

Since then the IIEhas become one of the leading groups in the field. The group has attracted funding from the European Union (EU), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Korea-UK Science and Technology collaboration fund, and many industrial companies.
This intelligent apartment (the iDorm2) will build on the networked embedded technology developed within its forerunner, the iDorm, which featured on the BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme in 2002.

The iDorm2 was built as part of the Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF) project to build the Network Centre. Most recently the iDorm2 has been awarded £267,000 as part of the SRIF3 fund, to equip the flat with recent up-to-date equipment in the field of intelligent environments.
The iDorm2 is designed to act as a world class research facility in the areas of intelligent buildings, pervasive computing and ambient intelligence-- environments which learn and adapt to the lives of their occupants. In addition to obvious applications for energy saving, there are many applications for supporting and monitoring the elderly, the disabled andin hospitals.
The flat will provide a flexible test bed for intelligent environments that will allow researchers from over the world to collaborate to advance the area of intelligent environments and ultimately to allow for a better life for people in many different countries. Today’s launch is just the beginning of the development of the iDorm2… contd/

In a moment there will be an opportunity for those of you who haven’t yet had a chance to look around the apartment to do so, and see some demonstrations of current research. It can only accommodate about 12-15 people at a time, so there will be another opportunity tomorrow, for those of you attending the second day of the Intelligent Environments conference. Those of you who wish to look round this afternoon, please make yourselves known to our Head of Public Relations, Jenny Grinter.

First, however, I am delighted to open the new apartment – (hopefully by just pressing a button! )