Telecooperation Office
Encyclopedia
The Telecooperation Office (TecO) is a research group at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
in Karlsruhe
, Germany. The research group is in the Institute of Telematics
, and is attached to the Chair for Pervasive Computing Systems, currently held by Michael Beigl.
(then University of Karlsruhe (TH)) for research and development in applied telematics
by Prof. Gerhard Krüger and the Campus-based Engineering Center (CEC) of the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)
. The main focus of research conducted at TecO has been on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing
, with emphasis on wireless communication, Embedded Systems, Situational Awareness and Human Computer Interaction.
When DEC was taken over by Compaq, the CEC in Karlsruhe was taken over by SAP AG
and was attached to SAP Research Germany. The close research ties and cooperation between the DEC and the TecO were also transferred to SAP. The TecO continues to work in close cooperation with SAP Research
, and was later attached to Prof. Wilfried Juling.
In April 2010, the Chair for Pervasive Computing Systems was founded as a "New Shared Field Group" in cooperation with SAP AG
. This Chair was awarded to Michael Beigl, and the TecO was brought under the new Chair as a research lab with the title "TecO: Technology for Pervasive Computing". Currently the TecO contains 3 post-doctorate researchers and 10 research assistants / PhD students.
. These include the fields of Activity Recognition
, Context
and Situation Awarenes
in embedded, mobile and distributed systems. Other past research foci in Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing
include Wireless sensor network
s and RFID technology and Human-Computer Interaction. The current fields of research include the following:
appliance, demonstrating awareness in embedded systems. The TecO also organized and played a major role in initiating the HUC/Ubicomp conference series in 1999, which is now the major conference in the filed of Ubiquitous Computing. The "Point & Click" human-computer interaction paradigm developed at the TecO presented at this conference is now widely used to control devices in pervasive computing environments. The Smart-Its developed at the TecO, was the first European wireless sensor network in the private sector.
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is a German academic research and education institution with university status resulting from a merger of the university and the research center of the city of Karlsruhe. The university, also known as Fridericiana, was founded in 1825...
in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
, Germany. The research group is in the Institute of Telematics
Telematics
Telematics typically is any integrated use of telecommunications and informatics, also known as ICT...
, and is attached to the Chair for Pervasive Computing Systems, currently held by Michael Beigl.
History
The TecO, originally titled "The Telecooperation Office", was founded in 1993 at the Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyKarlsruhe Institute of Technology
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is a German academic research and education institution with university status resulting from a merger of the university and the research center of the city of Karlsruhe. The university, also known as Fridericiana, was founded in 1825...
(then University of Karlsruhe (TH)) for research and development in applied telematics
Telematics
Telematics typically is any integrated use of telecommunications and informatics, also known as ICT...
by Prof. Gerhard Krüger and the Campus-based Engineering Center (CEC) of the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
. The main focus of research conducted at TecO has been on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing
Ubiquitous computing
Ubiquitous computing is a post-desktop model of human-computer interaction in which information processing has been thoroughly integrated into everyday objects and activities. In the course of ordinary activities, someone "using" ubiquitous computing engages many computational devices and systems...
, with emphasis on wireless communication, Embedded Systems, Situational Awareness and Human Computer Interaction.
When DEC was taken over by Compaq, the CEC in Karlsruhe was taken over by SAP AG
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
and was attached to SAP Research Germany. The close research ties and cooperation between the DEC and the TecO were also transferred to SAP. The TecO continues to work in close cooperation with SAP Research
SAP Research
SAP Research is the global technology research unit of SAP AG with a network of 13 research centers worldwide. Each center is located in close proximity to an SAP development center or on a university campus...
, and was later attached to Prof. Wilfried Juling.
In April 2010, the Chair for Pervasive Computing Systems was founded as a "New Shared Field Group" in cooperation with SAP AG
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
. This Chair was awarded to Michael Beigl, and the TecO was brought under the new Chair as a research lab with the title "TecO: Technology for Pervasive Computing". Currently the TecO contains 3 post-doctorate researchers and 10 research assistants / PhD students.
Research Focus
The focus of research is currently on various topics with the field of Pervasive and Ubiquitous ComputingUbiquitous computing
Ubiquitous computing is a post-desktop model of human-computer interaction in which information processing has been thoroughly integrated into everyday objects and activities. In the course of ordinary activities, someone "using" ubiquitous computing engages many computational devices and systems...
. These include the fields of Activity Recognition
Activity recognition
Activity recognition aims to recognize the actions and goals of one or more agents from a series of observations on the agents' actions and the environmental conditions...
, Context
Context awareness
Context awareness is defined complementary to location awareness. Whereas location may serve as a determinant for resident processes, context may be applied more flexibly with mobile computing with any moving entities, especially with bearers of smart communicators...
and Situation Awarenes
Situation awareness
Situation awareness, situational awareness, or SA, is the perception of environmental elements with respect to time and/or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status after some variable has changed, such as time...
in embedded, mobile and distributed systems. Other past research foci in Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing
Ubiquitous computing
Ubiquitous computing is a post-desktop model of human-computer interaction in which information processing has been thoroughly integrated into everyday objects and activities. In the course of ordinary activities, someone "using" ubiquitous computing engages many computational devices and systems...
include Wireless sensor network
Wireless sensor network
A wireless sensor network consists of spatially distributed autonomous sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion or pollutants and to cooperatively pass their data through the network to a main location. The more modern...
s and RFID technology and Human-Computer Interaction. The current fields of research include the following:
- Sensor and RFID technology
- Communication, Collaboration, Networks and Middleware
- Human-Computer Interaction
- System Design and Engineering
- Security, Privacy and Trust
Notable Contributions
The first mobile browser for a hand-held device, called PocketWeb, was developed at the TecO on the Apple Newton. The MediaCup was an early example of Ubiquitous ComputingUbiquitous computing
Ubiquitous computing is a post-desktop model of human-computer interaction in which information processing has been thoroughly integrated into everyday objects and activities. In the course of ordinary activities, someone "using" ubiquitous computing engages many computational devices and systems...
appliance, demonstrating awareness in embedded systems. The TecO also organized and played a major role in initiating the HUC/Ubicomp conference series in 1999, which is now the major conference in the filed of Ubiquitous Computing. The "Point & Click" human-computer interaction paradigm developed at the TecO presented at this conference is now widely used to control devices in pervasive computing environments. The Smart-Its developed at the TecO, was the first European wireless sensor network in the private sector.