Human Media Lab at Queen’s takes “considerate computing” to new level

Kingston, ON, December 20, 2004 – An “attentive” office cubicle that blocks noise and visual distractions when you’re trying to work, and then opens communication channels when you’re ready to socialize, is just one of the innovative new devices developed by Queen’s University’s Human Media Laboratory (HML).

Inventions of the HML are highlighted in the January issue of Scientific American (“Considerate Computing”), released on-line today.

New devices use eye contact to prioritize, sense needs, and wait their turn

(Kingston, ON) April 1, 2003 – With increasing numbers of digital devices vying for our attention and time today, researchers from the Human Media Lab (HML) at Queen’s University have developed a new concept that allows computers to pay attention to their users’ needs.

HML researchers are addressing the problem of the barrage of messages people receive from large numbers of digital appliances. Their Attentive User Interface (AUI) is a new paradigm for interacting with groups of computers that moves beyond the traditional desktop interface.