Stefan Marti Speech Interface Group MIT Media Lab Who has a pager? Who has a cellphone? Who has another cellphone, because the first one doesn’t work everywhere? So, some of you are in the same situation as I am: I have a 2-way pager, a cellphone, and would need another cellphone because mine doesn’t work everywhere.

What We All Want The ultimate communication device! Universal, has everything built in Works everywhere, anytime Long range, never runs out of battery, etc

Solution? The CommBadge! Please watch the TV show Star Trek. FOR MORE INFO... Please watch the TV show Star Trek. Above model will be available at around 2364…

Instead: Current Solution Cellphones, pagers, other cellphones, more pagers, wireless PDAs, etc.

Actually, there’s even more… Fax machines, wired phones, desktop computers, etc.

Why this variety? We don’t have the technology to pack everything into one device (will change in the future) Smallest devices will never be universal (wrist, finger ring, ear ring) AND: No one device fits all situations!

Our Solution! Something that integrates all our existing communication channels and devices:

Active Messenger (AM) is a kind of agent software that deals with a user’s incoming email AM manages this user’s communication channels AM is used by two users for two years now

AM guarantees the delivery of messages AM modifies its filtering and forwarding rules depending on which devices are being used and current location of user

Related Documents Main feature that makes it better than other solutions: it can wait! Scenario: What happens when an email message arrives? Let’s assume the following “channel sequence”: wait 10 minutes, send to Pager wait 13 minutes, send to Voicepager wait 13 minutes, send to Phone wait 35 minutes, send to Fax

done! done! skip it! cancel! 6:57am arrival of message send to Pager 10 minutes done! send to Pager 13 minutes done! send to Voicepager skip it! 13 minutes send to Phone 35 minutes cancel! send to Fax User reads message! Monday 6:50am 7:00am 7:10am 7:20am 7:30am 7:40am 7:50am 8:00am Pager: anytime Ok to use Voicepager: not 0-7 Ok to use Phone: not M-F 22-8 NOT ok to use! Fax: not 2-7:30 Ok to use

How Does It Work? How does AM choose specific “channel sequences”? AM solves the routing and forwarding problem using context information. Note: Most of the context information is not unambiguous, so AM uses behavioral heuristics.

Context Sensitivity User location Where is the user? Message priority How important is message? Message history Is this message part of thread? Message status Was the message read? Channel status Which channels are active?

User Location Where is the user? Most devices are not location aware Message priority Message history Message status Channel status User Location Where is the user? Most devices are not location aware Obvious: AM keeps track of user with caller ID information and UNIX “finger” command AM also infers from user behavior: From which channel did she communicate most recently? Soon: cell trilateration, other tracking options like GPS. (Will make AM just more accurate.)

Message Priority How important is a message? User location Message priority Message history Message status Channel status Message Priority How important is a message? Complex problem – almost philosophical. What is really important in my life? Anyways: Certain people are important, certain facts too: Static rules AM uses other information sources, like user’s calendar, address book, and communication history: Dynamic rules, created by CLUES

Message History Is the message part of a thread? User location Message priority Message history Message status Channel status Message History Is the message part of a thread? Instead of sending a message to a sequence of channels, pick the channel it originates from. This assumes that the message is part of a thread, going back an forth, perhaps a kind of semi-synchronous communication.

Message History, cont. Option: Association of channel with thread User location Message priority Message history Message status Channel status Message History, cont. Option: Association of channel with thread Usually: Channel sequence

Message status Is message read? When message is read, job is done! User location Message priority Message history Message status Channel status Message status Is message read? When message is read, job is done! Usually not enough feedback from devices BUT: User’s behavior could give a hint! Message read level is not binary (yes/no), but a continuum, a “probability level” between 0% and 100% (85% is enough usually.)

Channel Status Which channel is active? User location Message priority Message history Message status Channel status Channel Status Which channel is active? AM continuously checks all peripheral systems if they are working It skips channels and devices that seem to be not working Again, it uses back channel information from user

Summary of AM Features Context information is used to solve the routing and forwarding problem Behavioral heuristics are applied to enhance unclear context information AM has a temporal dimension: It can wait for user reactions and other events to happen

Speech Interface Group http://www.media.mit.edu/speech Stefan Marti and Chris Schmandt {stefanm|geek}@media.mit.edu