MIT Media Laboratory Research Articles

Enhancing of informatics training for children in programming contests using scratch program

The launch of Nigerian Olympiad in Informatics (NOI) some years ago, there is need for more children to partake in the contest which has been a continual problem. Students and many teachers in the field of computer science see programming as a difficult aspect to teach and educate children. International Olympiad in Informatics tasks and contests are mostly considered too abstract at the primary and secondary school level. There is a lot of obstacles which can be improved through the use of Scratch, a visual graphical programming language developed at the MIT Media Laboratory. Scratch enables kids to develop interests with programming primarily on the concepts and theories in programming, it offers the environment to design several projects that are interesting and meaningful to the kids. Scratch allows accessing children’s skills in programming with Nigeria Olympiad in Informatics related tasks and provides them the avenue to appreciate and improve in the learning of programming languages used in NOI and IOI like C++, Java and python. It promotes the usage of new technologies to provide children with better learning opportunities.Keywords: Visual programming, Scratch contests, Nigeria Olympiad in informatics

Constructive function-based modeling in multilevel education

It is a digital age, especially for children and students who can be called the world's first truly digital generation. Accordingly a new generation education technology with a particular emphasis on visual thinking and specific computer-based notions and means is emerging. This is a new challenge for computer graphics which is a wide discipline dealing with creating visual images and devising their underlying models. There have been two major paradigms in computer graphics, and shape modeling as its part, for a certain period of time: namely, approximation and discretization. Their purpose is to simplify ideal complex shapes to make it possible to deal with them using limited capabilities of hardware and software. The approximation paradigm includes 2D vector graphics, 3D polygonal meshes, and later approximations by free-form curves and surfaces. The discretization paradigm originated raster graphics, then volume graphics based on 3D grid samples, and recently point-based graphics employing clouds of scanned or otherwise generated surface points. The problems of the both paradigms are obvious: loss of precise shape and visual property definitions, growing memory consumption, limited complexity, and others. Surface and volumetric meshes, lying in the foundation of modern industrial computer graphics systems, are so cumbersome that it is difficult to create, handle, and even understand them. The need in compact precise models with unlimited complexity has lead to the newly emerging paradigm of procedural modeling and rendering. One of the possibilities to represent an object procedurally is to evaluate a real function representing the shape and other real functions representing object properties at the given point. Our research group proposed in a constructive approach to creation of such function evaluation procedures for geometric shapes and in extended the approach to the case of point attribute functions representing object properties. The main idea of this approach is the creation of complex models from simple ones using operations similar to a model assembly from elementary pieces in LEGO. In terms of educational technology, such an approach is very much in the spirit of a constructionism theory by Seimur Papert. The main principle of this theory is active learning when learners gain knowledge actively constructing artifacts external to themselves. Applications of this theory coupled with modern computer technologies are emerging although a relationship with educational practice is not always easy. It is known that constructive thinking lying in the heart of LEGO games enable children to learn notions that were previously considered as too complex for them. There was research at the MIT Media Laboratory that led to the LEGO MindStorms robotics kits allowing children build their own robots using "programmable bricks" with electronics embedded inside. We have been developing not physical but virtual modeling and graphics tools that make it possible to use an extensible suite of "bricks" (see illustration in Figure 1) with a possibility to deform and modify them on the fly. Such an approach assumes mastering the basic mathematical concepts, initial programming in a simple language with subsequent creating an underlying model, generating its images and finally fabricating a real object of that model. We believe it is of interest as an educational technology for not only children and students but also for researchers, artists, and designers. It is important that learners interacting with a created virtual world acquire knowledge not just about mathematics and programming but also about structures and processes of the real world. We found soon after the introduction of our approach to modeling in the mid-90s that none of existing modeling systems or languages support this paradigm. Another necessity was to start preparation of qualified students to be involved in the R&D process. This was the initial motivation for the project and its applications in education that we would like to present in this paper.

Plenary session II; Just-in time-information: Is it in your future?

Plenary session II; Just-in time-information: Is it in your future?

In Memoriam: Push Singh (1972-2006)

Push Singh, one of IEEE Intelligent Systems AI Ten to Watch recipients this year, died 28 February 2006. He was slated to begin a position as a faculty member in the MIT Media Laboratory. His PhD advisor, Marvin Minsky, was one of many people who will miss him and his work, which was based partly on Marvin's society-of-minds approach, exploring what common sense was and how it could develop. This article is part of a special issue on the Future of AI.

10× — Human-Machine Symbiosis

10× is a new initiative at the MIT Media Laboratory with the goal of magnifying human abilities by an order of magnitude ('10×'), or more, along various cognitive and physical dimensions. Based on an understanding of human abilities and limitations, technologies can be shaped to extend human reach. By setting our sights on 10× gains, we deliberatively seek human abilities which can be dramatically improved with appropriate technology-based catalysts. We view the underlying challenges of developing assistive technologies for individuals with impairments and bionic technologies for unimpaired individuals as fundamentally similar in nature. Across this spectrum, our aim is to develop technologies that complement rather than replace human abilities.

Color and Texture Image Retrieval Using Chromaticity Histograms and Wavelet Frames

In this paper, we explore image retrieval mechanisms based on a combination of texture and color features. Texture features are extracted using Discrete Wavelet Frames (DWF) analysis, an over-complete decomposition in scale and orientation. Two-dimensional (2-D) or one-dimensional (1-D) histograms of the CIE Lab chromaticity coordinates are used as color features. The 1-D histograms of the a, b coordinates were modeled according to the generalized Gaussian distribution. The similarity measure defined on the feature distribution is based on the Bhattacharya distance. Retrieval benchmarking is performed over the Brodatz album and on images from natural scenes, obtained from the VisTex database of MIT Media Laboratory and from the Corel Photo Gallery. As a performance indicator recall (relative number of correct images retrieved) is measured on both texture and color separately and in combination. Experiments show this approach to be as effective as other methods while computationally more tractable.

Human dynamics: computation for organizations

The human dynamics group at the MIT Media Laboratory proposes that active pattern analysis of face-to-face interactions within the workplace can radically improve the functioning of the organization. There are several different types of information inherent in such conversations: interaction features, participants, context, and content. By aggregating this information, high-potential collaborations and expertise within the organization can be identified, and information efficiently distributed. Examples of using wearable machine perception to characterize face-to-face interactions and using the results to initiate productive connections are described, and privacy concerns are addressed.

Dynamics of creativity and technological innovation

This article concerns the struggle between artistic expression and technological innovation. The perspective that is articulated is drawn from the work of the Interactive Cinema group at the MIT Media Laboratory. Situated at the boundary of evolving technologies and media storytelling, research of the group iterates between shaping and presenting cinematic expressions using emerging technologies and developing the required tools and platforms to support its creation and delivery. This dynamic is integral to collaborative expression on largescale projects, as well as in more individual research endeavours such as a current investigation, which conjoins new tangible display technologies with interactive stories.

Adventures in Modeling

Shiny Happy Turtles? Adventures in Modeling: Exploring Complex, Dynamic Systems with StarLogo is a cleverly written and illustrated, comprehensive “StarLogo for dummies” manual. Any secondary school science teacher with a desire to bring technology into the classroom will regard this text as a rich source of ideas. StarLogo software provides a multipurpose teaching medium through which a teacher can illustrate the process of science investigation, the predictive nature of models, and the difficult-to-grasp concept of complex systems. What sets StarLogo apart from other modeling software is that the behavior of individual agents is manipulated, which allows students to observe complex behaviors resulting from a series of simple behaviors. Users are given the opportunity to investigate the effect individuals have on the environment as well as environmental influence on the behavior of individuals (individuals are referred to as “turtles”). The typical secondary school science experience often fails to provide students with opportunities to learn about the very nature of science; we are graduating seniors who are not quite sure what the phrase, “science as a way of knowing” really means. Why has it been so difficult to infuse technology and inquiry-based learning into science classes? One of the many roadblocks is the paucity of quality, teacher-friendly, fieldtested lessons and reassurance that the lessons can simultaneously satisfy the standardsbased requirements of an already over-stuffed curriculum. Adventures in Modeling offers a long-awaited infusion. This manual emerges from the talents of Stevens Colella and Klopfer, who provide expertise in the role of innovative computational tools in the teaching and learning process, and the effectiveness of learning about complex phenomena through simulations. They jointly conduct secondary school StarLogo workshops at the Santa Fe Institute and MIT. Resnick is, of course, the visionary who developed the original StarLogo modeling software. The paperback describes the notion of decentralized systems, the StarLogo approach to modeling systems along with the importance of models in science and education, and ideas to connect Adventures projects with state and national standards. Sample projects (on an enclosed CD and on the MIT Media Laboratory website) model concepts such as diffusion, probability, natural selection, species interactions, and demographics, all of which satisfy state and national standards for science as well as social studies, statistics, and mathematics.

External manifestations of trustworthiness in the interface

article Free Access Share on External manifestations of trustworthiness in the interface Authors: Justine Cassell Gesture and Narrative Language Group at the MIT Media Laboratory in Cambridge, MA Gesture and Narrative Language Group at the MIT Media Laboratory in Cambridge, MAView Profile , Timothy Bickmore Gesture and Narrative Language Group at the MIT Media Laboratory in Cambridge, MA Gesture and Narrative Language Group at the MIT Media Laboratory in Cambridge, MAView Profile Authors Info & Claims Communications of the ACMVolume 43Issue 12Dec. 2000 pp 50–56https://doi.org/10.1145/355112.355123Published:01 December 2000Publication History 155citation2,687DownloadsMetricsTotal Citations155Total Downloads2,687Last 12 Months330Last 6 weeks60 Get Citation AlertsNew Citation Alert added!This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.Manage my Alerts New Citation Alert!Please log in to your account Save to BinderSave to BinderCreate a New BinderNameCancelCreateExport CitationPublisher SiteView all FormatsPDF

An Ada interface to lego mindstorms

This article presents an Ada interface to the Lego Mindstorms TM RCX "brick", the core element of a commercial product that emerged from a collaboration between the Lego Corporation and MIT's Media Laboratory. Since its arrival on the market in 1998, it has considerable interest in the computing community: a variety of operating systems and language interfaces are available for it, all provided free of charge by people who simply wanted to find out how the RCX workedThe interface described here is in use at the Air Force Academy as part of an experiment in computer science education. Students with no prior programming background are given a pre-built Mindstorms robot and a series of programming challenges, which they then attempt to implement using Ada. Our hope is that the experience of programming robots will provide an effective, efficient, and enjoyable method for conveying essential computer science concepts. We are currently attempting to assess its effectiveness, and hope to present our results at a future date.

Neither Male or Female

Neither Male or Female

Agent-Mediated Electronic Commerce: An MIT Media Laboratory Perspective

:Software agents, semi-intelligent autonomous tools, will play an increasing role in electronic commerce applications. This paper gives an overview of the work at MIT’s Media Laboratory on several types of agents for electronic commerce, ranging from consumer-to-consumer “smart” classified-ad systems to merchant agents that provide integrative negotiation capabilities, from agents that facilitate expertise brokering to distributed reputation facilities, and from point-of-sale comparison-shopping agents to mobile shopping systems.

Hyperlinked television research at the MIT Media Laboratory

In hyperlinked video, objects are selectable—resulting in an associated action—akin to linked words or graphics on Web pages. Possible venues for hyperlinked video include broadcast television, streaming video (e.g., video on the Internet or other forms of video-on-demand systems), and published media such as DVD (digital versatile disc). Hyperlinked video offers new interaction possibilities with streaming media and the opportunity to move electronic commerce from the personal computer to the television receiver while making it more dynamic and engaging. In this paper we examine some opportunities and challenges of hyperlinked video, describe an object tracking and identification algorithm and an authoring tool we have developed, and discuss two prototype hyperlinked television programs—one an augmented broadcast and one a video-on-demand application.

Media, networks, and content

The more distant a person is from technology, the greater that person deems it to be the engine of social action. The lay press and our own relatives constantly ask us at the MIT Media Laboratory whether the Internet will converge with television, and how television will become interactive. They tacitly assume that technology will drive applications instead of the other way around. The populace at large and the popular press seem to live in fear that we will forcibly yank away their remote controls and replace them with mice and joysticks, that we will transform the living room from a place of relaxation to a field of Doom, and that we will do so merely by inventing it. Adoption and alteration are not options.

Physically interactive story environments

Most interactive stories, such as hypertext narratives and interactive movies achieve an interactive “feel” by allowing the user to choose among multiple story paths. In this paper we discuss physically interactive environments with narrative structure in which the ability to choose among multiple story lines is replaced with having users, first, interact with the story characters in small, local “windows” of the narrative and, second, actively engage their bodies in movement. In particular, we found that compelling interactive narrative story systems can be perceived as highly responsive, engaging, and interactive even when the overall story has a single-path structure, in what we call a “less-choice, more-responsiveness” approach to the design of story-based interactive environments. We have also observed that unencumbering, rich sensor technology can facilitate user immersion in the experience as the story progresses—users can act as they typically would without worrying about manipulating a computer interface. To support these arguments, the paper describes the physical setup, the interactive story, the technology, and the user experience of four projects developed at the MIT Media Laboratory: KidsRoom, It/I, Personal Aerobics Trainer, and Swamped!

Design and implementation of expressive footwear

As an outgrowth of our interest in dense wireless sensing and expressive applications of wearable computing, the Responsive Environments Group at the MIT Media Laboratory has developed a very versatile human-computer interface for the foot. By dense wireless sensing, we mean the remote acquisition of many different parameters with a compact, autonomous sensor cluster. We have developed such a low-power sensor card to measure over 16 continuous quantities and transmit them wirelessly to a remote base station, updating all variables at 50 Hz. We have integrated a pair of these devices onto the shoes of dancers and athletes, measuring continuous pressure at three points near the toe, dynamic pressure at the heel, bidirectional bend of the sole, height of each foot off conducting strips in the stage, angular rate of each foot about the vertical, angular position of each foot about the Earth's local magnetic field, as well as foot tilt and acceleration, 3-axis shock acceleration (from kicks and jumps), and position (via an integrated sonar). This paper describes the sensor and electronics systems, then outlines several projects in which we have applied these shoes for interactive dance and the capture of high-level podiatric gesture. We conclude by outlining several applications of our sensor system that are unrelated to footwear.

Why the Media Lab works—A personal view

The MIT Media Laboratory distinctively combines a high degree of vitality, creativity, and accessibility. The vitality is evident to students and visitors, especially in the late hours of the night. The creativity is evident as changes and innovations produce very different “products” from year to year, invariably surprising sponsors and other visitors who have been away from the Media Lab for six to twelve months. Finally, these products are unusually accessible to a general audience, and demonstrations of these products are generally exciting and inspirational to scientific and nonscientific audiences alike. This combination of vitality, creativity, and accessibility is part of the reason for the striking growth and public visibility of the lab over the past five years. It is also why many individuals and organizations around the world seem to be very interested in duplicating the model of the Media Lab. However, such duplications require an understanding of what factors have led to this successful combination in the first place. This essay looks at some of the factors that led to the success of the Media Lab, based on my own thoughts and efforts in trying to transplant that success to different contexts.

SuperNews: Multiple feeds for multiple views

The IBM intranet hosts a range of news “feeds,” or distribution services, from internal and external sources. To read the news of the day, users need to visit a number of Web sites, each with a different categorization, navigational structure, and layout. Transfer of technology from the MIT Media Laboratory to IBM enabled the design of SuperNews, a prototype application that aimed to improve IBM employees' experience in reading the news. SuperNews merged heterogeneous news feeds and presented a consistent interface to users. Users could choose to read news on the Web, in e-mail, or as engaging visualizations. Using text processing technology, SuperNews discovered meta-information in articles and created new ways to browse the news collection. SuperNews also allowed users to publish their own columns, as well as annotate and recommend articles to their colleagues. Starting with a range of uncoordinated feeds, SuperNews transformed the solitary reading of news into an engaging and visually appeal ing community experience.

Toward computers that recognize and respond to user emotion

For a long time emotions have been kept out of the deliberate tools of science; scientists have expressed emotion, but no tools could sense and respond to their affective information. This paper highlights research at the MIT Media Laboratory aimed at giving computers the ability to comfortably sense, recognize, and respond to the human communication of emotion, especially affective states such as frustration, confusion, interest, distress, anger, and joy. Two main themes of sensing—self-report and concurrent expression—are described, together with examples of systems that give users new ways to communicate emotion to computers and, through computers, to other people. In addition to building systems that try to elicit and detect frustration, our research group has built a system that responds to user frustration in a way that appears to help alleviate it. This paper highlights applications of this research to interface design, wearable computing, entertainment, and education, and briefly presents some potential ethical concerns and how they might be addressed.