titelseiten:Layout 1 23.02.2011 15:18 Uhr Seite 2 NEWSLETTER · supervision of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Detlef Zühlke will pre-sent an exhibit that demonstrates the concept of transferring

NEWSLETTER G E R M A N R E S E A R C H C E N T E R F O R A R T I F I C I A L I N T E L L I G E N C E

© 2011 DFKI I ISSN - 1615 - 5769 I 27th edition

RESEARCH LABS

1/2011

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

ROBOTICS INNOVATION CENTER

SAFE AND SECURE COGNITIVE SYSTEMS

INNOVATIVE RETAIL LABORATORY

INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS

AGENTS AND SIMULATED REALITY

AUGMENTED VISION

LANGUAGE TECHNOLOGY

INTELLIGENT USER INTERFACES

INNOVATIVE FACTORY SYSTEMS

The talking cocktail shaker – Digital refinementof everyday objects in the Internet of Things

DFKI Strengthens Its Presence at CeBIT

DFKI Coordinates W3C in Germany

DFKI at HANNOVER MESSE 2011

titelseiten:Layout 1 23.02.2011 15:18 Uhr Seite 2

Innovations with Eyes, Ears, and Reason

DFKI is once again exhibitingcurrent solutions at CeBIT2011 (March 1-5, 2011) inHanno ver. CeBIT lab in Hall 9 (formerly called future parc)is the direct interface bet-

ween ideas and commercial applications and isthe perfect venue for the DFKI exhibits (StandA30). Real systems, prototypes, innovations witheyes, ears, and reason to try out and under standare on display.

Web services can control and monitor the production pro-cess, check status and production grade of the work, com-municate with sensors, and actively support parameteriza-tion and maintenance of field devices.

Service-Oriented Architectures in Production Systems

One of the key topics of the 25 DFKI exhibits at this year'sCeBIT is "Urban Technologies", an area that is dealing withthe aspects of urbanization of the world's population as atechnological challenge.

Other DFKI exhibits can be visited at the various combinedexhibit areas: Federal Ministry of Education and Research

, Federal Ministry of Economics andTechnology , Saarland University

, Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility.

The DFKI stand covers an area of 1600 square feet and islocated in close proximity to the BMBF and BMWi standsand adjacent to CeBIT lab talk , which is mode-rated by Reinhard Karger. CeBIT lab, the conference forumat the trade fair, offers more than 100 lectures, conferenceseminars, live presentations, panel discussions, and projectdemonstrators to provide excellent insights into the state ofresearch and the technology standards of the future.

DFKI is also represented at the CeBIT lab talk through itsinvolvement in a series of panel discussions and lectures.

We look forward to welcoming you to Hannover!

At this year's Hannover Messe from April 4-8,

DFKI Innovative Factory Systems (IFS), under thesupervision of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Detlef Zühlke will pre-sent an exhibit that demonstrates the concept oftransferring SOA paradigms from ICT platforms tofactory automation systems.

The concept employs a modu-

lar production unit and can be

viewed at the DFKI stand A16

in Hall 8.


Newsletter 1_2011 I © DFKI 3

German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence

of last year, gives it the opportunity to generate ISOstandards. Dr. Philipp Hoschka, Head of the "UbiquitousWeb" department at W3C, introduced standardizationtopics for the mobile web. Dr. Stefan Wess, ManagingDirector Attensity Europe, illustrated, using the exampleof Social Media Analysis, the role of standardization ofthe web for IT-intensive industries. Prof. MichelCosnard, President of W3C's European host ERCIM andINRIA (Institut National de Recherche en Informatique eten Automatique), described the close relationshipbetween web technology, standardization, IT training,research, and innovation.

The German-Austrian W3C office promotes successfulsynergies. The W3C standards and the work of W3C on anopen web platform will form the basis for the conver-gence and the transformation ongoing in many impor-tant industries, including automotive, broadcasting,chemical, pharmaceutical, and mobile communications.

More informationwww.w3.org

ContactProf. Dr. Felix SasakiHead of W3C-OfficeDFKI project office BerlinE-mail: [email protected]: +49 30 3949-1807

W3C Opens German-Austrian Office at DFKI

The World Wide Web Consortium(W3C) has established its new officein Berlin at DFKI. The opening eventwas celebrated on February 10, withspeakers from W3C, the FederalMinistry of Economics and Techno -

logy (BMWi), DFKI, and industry partners participating atthe THESEUS Innovation Center.

"European research and industry have a clear role inshaping the Internet of the Future," explained Dr.Jeffrey Jaffe, CEO of W3C. "The increased participation ofkey German and Austrian industries will not only impactpositively on their business and innovation strategies,but will also influence W3C's international landscape."

W3C, founded by WWW inventor Tim Berners-Lee, is aninternational consortium of over 300 member organiza-tions working to develop standards and guidelines forthe web. The work of W3C is jointly run by MIT(Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the USA, ERCIM(European Research Consortium for Informatics andMathematics) in France, and Keio University in Japan.W3C's 14 other regional offices make it a truly interna-tional organization.

DFKI, a member of W3C for many years, has made manyvital contributions in several areas: technologies of thesemantic web, multimedia semantics, and the markuplanguages EMMA, EmotionML, MathML.

In this venue, Prof. Dr. Wolfang Wahlster described thecentral role played by the web in every type of IT-inten-sive industry. "Today's grand opening of the German-Austrian W3C office at DFKI is an important milestone,"said Wahlster. "We look forward to strengthening W3C'sposition in Europe via our network of national andinternational research institutes, standardization bodieslike DIN and ISO, and the IT-intensive, German speakingindustry as a whole."

Standardization is the key to linking innovation, appli-cation, and product development. DFKI directors Prof.Dr. Philipp Slusallek and Prof. Dr. Hans Uszkoreit intro-duced current topics that will benefit from standardiza-tion in W3C: Object Memory Modeling (OMM), UnifiedService Description Language (USDL), XML3D, and lan-guage technologies. Dr. Orestis Terzidis, SAP AG,expressed his positive expectations, specifically, hishope that USDL will soon enter the regular W3C stan-dardization process. Dr. Andreas Goerdeler, BMWi, dis-cussed the contributions made among others by theTHESEUS research program. He also emphasized the greatsignificance of the cooperation between internationaland national standardization organizations like ISO andDIN. W3C CEO Dr. Jeffrey Jaffe emphasized the fact thatsuch cooperation is made possible by the fundamentalwork of W3C. The W3C status as an accredited PASSubmitter (Publicly Available Specification) since the end

l.-r. Prof. Michel Cosnard, ERCIM; Prof. Wolfgang Wahlster, DFKI;Prof. Felix Sasaki, DFKI; Dr. Jeffrey Jaffe, W3C; MinR Dr. Andreas Goerdeler, BMWi

Newsletter 1_2011 I © DFKI4


Useware Engineering – User Focused Development of User Interfaces

The rate of innovation in times of global markets hasnever been higher. At ever shorter intervals, whethertalking about industrial machinery or cellular tele-phones, the customers are offered technological novel-ties and advanced development models with a greaterrange of functionalities. Yet how many customers actu-ally know about and use all the functionalities imple-mented by the suppliers? The more complex and unin-tuitive the available products become, the more impor-tant it is to insure an optimal design of the user inter-face. Whenever operating a product becomes too com-plicated for the user, the overall effectiveness and effi-ciency of the product suffer. Poor menu prompts oftenlead to frustration and dissatisfaction among the usersand this detracts from the product's desirability. Theterm used to describe the aspects of effectiveness andefficiency of the interactive controls as well as the over-all user friendliness is ”usability”.

It is extremely important, especially for industrial sys-tems, that the concept of operation be designed withhuman abilities foremost in mind. Complicated unitcontrols pose an extra burden for the operator beyondthe actual job assignment, which can affect the safety ofboth people and equipment. Especially in the event ofan accident or incident, a high level of system trans-parency ought to exist to allow an operator to respondquickly and without error. Difficult to understand andinaccessible user interfaces diminish the controllabilityof complex systems and are a major cause of system fail-ure and safety risk.

So, how do we achieve this usability? We must developuser interfaces that take into account human abilitiesand needs. This is precisely what the useware engineer-ing process created at the DFKI research department forInnovative Factory Systems (IFS) provides. In order toensure the optimal approach for the developers, the

process differentiates the various overlapping develop-ment phases. The analysis phase is of major importancefor the development of useful user interfaces, and,among other things, it defines the context and identi-fies the specific user groups intended for the productbeing developed. Using various methods such as surveysand observations, it determines the user's tasks, needs,and desires in the respective contexts. An early determi-nation of user requirements facilitates all subsequentdecision making, while in the process helping in thetimely identification of programming errors and risksand in avoiding costly reworking.

It is generally acknowledged today that usability repre-sents a comprehensive added value for customers andsuppliers. Nevertheless, the expert knowledge anddevelopment methodology for user interfaces has notyet been adequately internalized. An optimized userinterface improves the efficiency and effectiveness ofmodern products and provides a positive experience forthe users as well as a satisfied customer, and, in thefinal analysis, benefits the manufacturer. The Useware-Engineering Process of DFKI-IFS is an approach that cansignificantly reduce development effort and costs.

More informationwww.dfki.de/ifs

ContactDr. Gerrit MeixnerGroup Leader Human-Machine Interaction LabResearch department: Innovative Factory Systems (IFS)E-mail: [email protected]: +49 631 205-3707

HALL 9, STAND A30



Service-Oriented Architecture in Manufacturing Systems – DFKI at the Hannover Messe 2011

Web services control and monitor the productionprocess, check the status and production grade of thework, communicate with sensors, and actively supportthe parameterization and update of control terminals.

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) with integrated webservices has become the dominant solution for improv-ing the flexibility and reusability of components in tra-ditional IT systems. The transfer of SOA paradigms fromICT platforms to factory systems also gives the processdomain an opportunity to meet the coming marketchallenges. In these times of rapid change in the mar-kets, manufacturing companies face transformedrequirements, shorter product life cycles, and a growingpreference for customized products. Production plantsmust become more flexible in the future if they are torespond to these challenges.

DFKI Innovative Factory Systems (IFS), under the supervi-sion of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Detlef Zühlke, will have an exhibitat this year's Hannover Messe from April 4-8, whichdemonstrates the concept of transferring SOA paradigmsfrom ICT platforms to factory automation systems usinga modular production unit.

The classic industrial production plant is controlled byso-called programmable logic controllers (SPS) thatcommunicate with control terminals (sensors and actu-ators) via digital or analog inputs and outputs, or viafield bus systems like Profibus. The demonstrator pre-sented at the HMI 2011 Fair has been entirely convertedto benefit from service-oriented architecture. Theindustrial-grade control terminals provide their functionality to the network as abstract web services. Acentral orchestration unit can meaningfully combinethese services to form a process, which enables a service-based control of the manufacturing process.

Semantic technologies for manufacturing have beenintegrated in the demonstration scenario. The semantic

descriptions make fun c- tionalities and in ter -faces to the web ser-vices machine-read-able. In this way, visi-tors can interactivelyenter the semanticselection criteria over auser interface to browseand find the servicesavailable in the de -monstrator. The diverseweb services providedby the control termi-nals, the setup andupdate of parametersas well as the executionand control of the production processes are all activat-ed using standard mobile operating devices.

Service-oriented production plants are chipping away atthe prevailing dominance of the automation pyramidmodel and its rigid levels. Communication across thelevels is possible so that, for example, information froma control terminal to the Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) System need not be compiled from level to level,but rather is available directly as a service. The use ofSOA technologies in the production realm allows newdevices to be connected to the existing network at no

great expense whichmeans the expansion ormodification of plants canbe a very flexible under-taking.

More informationwww.dfki.de/ifswww.smartfactory.de

ContactProf. Dr.-Ing. Detlef ZühlkeHead of research departmentInnovative Factory Systems (IFS)E-mail: [email protected]: +49 631 205-3570

HMI HALL 8, STAND A16



"I eat lunch here everyday" or "This is myfavorite pub in Kaisers -lautern" are informativestatements that only havemeaning in relation to a

location. Location based services connect informationwith geographic data and supply it not only to a virtualroom, but also to real, mobile contexts. In this sense,"Augmented Reality Services" takes on a special role inproviding the user with information about objects in theimmediate environment and digitally expanding thereality. For the first time now, "Reality Browsers" onmobile devices provide an infrastructure that enablesAugmented Reality Services without the need for anyadditional, costly instrumentation or appropriate inter-face development.

The central problem forAugmented Reality Servicestoday is to provide data in a waythat it can be used in variousservices, because there are nogenerally accepted standards.The services tend to use their

own proprietary data format, which requires specialdata preparation. As a result of this heterogeneous sit-uation, presently, it is nearly impossible to integrateand aggregate data from the diverse use contexts of dif-ferent services.

RADAR – Resource Annotation and Delivery for Mobile Augmented Reality Services

To meet these challenges, the RADAR project is develop-ing an open infrastructure for the administration andaggregation of location-based multimedia data fromvarious sources suchas the social andsemantic web or digi-tal libraries. RADARnot only makes avail-able its own mobileclient for supplyingcustomized content, italso provides adapters for existing services like Layar,Wikitude, and ALOQA. The first application case, the"Augmented City Kaiserslautern” is now being realized.

RADAR is funded through the Rhineland-Palatinate StateFoundation for Innovation and has its roots in DFKI'ssocial media platform ALOE.

More informationwww.dfki.de/radar

ContactMartin MemmelResearch department: Knowledge ManagementE-mail: [email protected]: +49 631 20575-1210

Opinion-forming processes are no longer solely a phe-nomenon of traditional media like newspapers, radio,and television. Today, the World Wide Web also plays animportant role. The advent of Web 2.0 generated evengreater numbers of users who contribute online content.They express their opinions in blog articles and writeproduct evaluations in e-commerce platforms andexchange thoughts in discussion boards.

In the context of their innovation processes and cus-tomer communications, commercial companies recog-nize that they need to maintain a constant awareness ofwhat is being said in online domain discussions (e.g.,about a product or a person). However, because of the

Social Media Miner – Web 2.0 Trend Recognition for Companies

volume of information available in Web 2.0, it is verytime and cost intensive to read all the relevant entries.Social Media Miner (SMM) provides partially automatedsupport for the company’s market researchers so they donot lose sight of what is happening in the domain: theycan gain an overview of the discussion topics and rec-ognize emerging trends at their earliest stage. SMM does this by pooling blog articles for specifieddomains from various search engines. Through a combi-nation of algorithms taken from Social Network Analysis(SNA) and text mining, the categories can be definedwithin the domain and the most influential blogs pertopic are prompted for recommended reading. SocialMedia Miner is funded by the Investitionsbank Berlin(IBB) within the framework of the EU ProFIT program,and the industry partner is trommsdorff + drüner inno-vation + marketing consultants GmbH.

More informationhttp://socialmediaminer.wordpress.com

ContactDr. Stephan BaumannResearch department: Knowledge ManagementE-mail: [email protected]: +49 30 3949-1829Phone: +49 631 20575-1500

HALL 9, STAND A30

HALL 9, STAND A30



Public-Private Knowledge Management in Agriculture iGreen Gets to the Heart of Services and Knowledge

Aim

The aim of the iGreen re -search project is the de -sign and implementationof a network of knowledge

and location-based services which links distributedpublic and private sources of crop farming information.Mobile decision-making agents with state-of-the-arttechnologies are being developed. They connect locallyto a network in order to support and optimize produc-tion processes that are frequently organized in collabo-ration with many different groups in an energy-effi-cient, economically and environmentally friendly man-ner.

Application

To the user, iGreen offers a standardized and branch-spanning access to intelligent technologies, whichenable collaboratively organized, data-specific services.Small enterprises in particular will profit from the accessto encompassing structures for knowledge exchangeand eBusiness, while ensuring local control.

Infrastructure and knowledge gain will result in higherefficiency, reduced resource consumption, and bettereconomics. The competitiveness of enterprises thatintegrate into the innovative network of services andknowledge will thus be improved.

Crop farming, the main application area of iGreen, isdominated by decision-making that is characterized byspatial and time-dependent information. In order toenable individual, timely, and efficient support for on-

site decision making, iGreen supplies a mobiledecision-making agent with local access todiverse sources of information such as geologicaldata. Thus, iGreen makes a major contribution toa results-oriented and resource-efficient form ofagricultural production.

Domain specific applications are being imple-mented and tested in practical field trials in coop-eration with end users, i.e., big and medium-sized farm equipment manufacturers. The inte-gration of national industry organizations andrepresentative public institutions, for example,the Chamber of Agriculture, promises a highdegree of acceptance and market penetration.

Outcome

The desired outcome includes: An integrated infrastructure for a network of knowledge and services, based on content-supported, service-oriented software architecture (SOA).

The availability of open source software permanently supported in its basic components

Mobile decision making agents and techno-logy platforms for effective knowledge structure and transfer

The practical evaluation in real field studies of the created structures and specific appli-cations including integration of innovative software with modern agricultural technology

The establishment of sustainable network structures, especially among innovators, consultants, and end users as well as the technically supported continuing cooperationin public-private-partnerships.

The Innovation Alliance iGreen is an association of24 players from economy, science and publicauthorities, funded by the Federal Ministry ofEducation and Research.

More informationwww.igreen-projekt.de

ContactProf. Dr. Andreas DengelHead of research departmentKnowledge ManagementE-mail: [email protected]: +49 631 20575-1000

HALL 9, STAND A30


The volume of relevant information office workers arefacing every day is huge, and it is growing steadily. Thisis especially challenging for practitioners of the so calledknowledge-intensive occupations, who have to dealwith fact-filled and knowledge-intensive tasks in theirjobs, like scientists, journalists or engineers. Their e-mails and documents serve not only as aids to solvingan immediate task, but rather as important sources ofknowledge about business processes that can beretrieved for re-use at some future time. This is whydocuments like e-mails must be organized andarchived.

In order to simplify the job of structuring electronic doc-uments, scientists at DFKI have developed enhance-ments for the Microsoft Office applications Outlook andWord, which provide the Office-package with addition-al intelligent functions, thus facilitating improved man-agement of e-mails or text documents. The SmartOfficePlugins PID4Look and PID4Word enable the automaticassignment of semantic categories to e-mails or textdocuments as well as annotating them with informationstored in a knowledge database.

PID4Look generates classification recommendations fore-mails in Outlook and provides a simple exploration

option in a knowledge base: A user can view the cate-gories and search through additional related categoriesor information objects in the knowledge base. Beyondthis, PID4Look delivers information objects such as sentor received e-mails, documents, appointments, tasks, orcontact data that may be relevant to the current job tothe user.

PID4Look is already being applied in the AdiWa researchproject (Allianz Digitaler Warenfluss). The plugin is usedthere to manage unstructured tasks in order processingat our project partner, Globus SB-Warenhaus Holding.PID4Look assigns an activity to inbound e-mails anddocuments. When these are subsequently enriched withsemantic information, for example, about the type of

SmartOffice – Knowledge Management Plugins for Microsoft Office

order or the supplier, it is easier to find and retrievethem at some future time. The integration of PID4Lookin an existing order processing system enables the con-struction of highly networked, order-related documentarchives.

PID4Word integrates functions to identify semantic cat-egories in Word files. Furthermore, the plugin enablespassages in a document to be annotated automaticallywith the help of SmartTags and makes the documentinteractive: When a category name is identified in adocument, SmartTags that provide a link to the knowl-edge base are set automatically. By clicking such a tag,the user can open the respective categories in the ontol-ogy browser.

The near-term planning calls for the further enhance-ment of SmartOffice with plugins for the other Officeapplications like Excel or Powerpoint.

More informationwww.dfki.de/smartofficewww.adiwa.net

ContactOleg RostaninResearch department: Knowledge ManagementE-mail: [email protected]: +49 631 20575-1440


HALL 9, STAND A30


META-NET – Network of Excellence toSupport the Multilingual Europe Technology Alliance

Speaking your native language – be it Estonian,Hungarian, or Portuguese – must not superimpose anysocial or economic disadvantages in the networkedEuropean information society.

Language technologyenables communicationand cooperation to gobeyond language barriers.

When available for all European languages and in aposition to supply robust as well as precise translationsamong the languages, this technology can ensure accessto the same information and knowledge for all speakersregardless of the language spoken. Multilingual lan-guage technology that also relies on the functionalitiesof internet-based information and communication sys-tems also possesses the potential to develop new mar-kets.

One pressing condition forthe realization of this visionis a significant accelerationand intensification ofresearch and development –an acceleration that can beachieved only through ajoint effort by all participat-ing interests. This groupincludes: scientists, cus-tomer and supplier branch-es, technology integrators,language communities,

government agencies, politicians, research sponsors,journalists, and finally, the potential users. This hetero-geneous group of actors is pooled together in theumbrella organization META (Multilingual EuropeTechnology Alliance), with the aim of making theEuropean vision of a common digital market and infor-mation community a reality.

META-NET is a Network of Excellence coordinated by DFKIand funded by the European Union. It pursues the aimof strengthening the technological foundation for amultilingual European information society and imple-

menting applications that support, for example,machine translation and multilingual information andknowledge management for all European languages.Through the parallel development of intuitive, lan-guage-based and voice-controlled user interfaces,diverse technology sectors will be advanced - fromhousehold electronics to machinery and automotiveindustries to include innovative computers and robots.META-NET consists of three strategic areas:

META-VISION: Establishment of META, the dynamic and influential interest group with a common technology vision and a strategic research agenda for a multilingual Europe.

META-SHARE: Development and release of an openand distributed infrastructure for the exchange of resources and language databases.

META-RESEARCH: Network with related research and technology topics.

META-NET was established in February 2010 by 13 part-ners from 10 countries. Since that time, the network hasexpanded to include all of Europe and now consists of44 members in 31 countries. The network was first intro-duced to the public in November 2010 at the META-FORUM 2010 conference in Brussels, Belgium.

More informationwww.meta-net.eu

ContactDr. Georg RehmResearch department: Language TechnologiesE-mail: [email protected]: +49 30 3949-1833


Founding members of Meta-Net, kick-off meeting Berlin

Meta-Net symposium, Berlin


There are 28 well-known companies and research insti-tutes working on innovative technologies in the researchalliance SmartSenior, with funding provided by theFederal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Theresearch will benefit seniors as they go about their dailyroutines and help them to retain their independence.

The aim is to assist senior citizens socially, economical-ly, and with healthcare services in ways that extend theperiod of time in which they are able to live in familiarsurroundings. The project considers the independenceof seniors living alone as well as the acute or chronical-ly ill, i.e., elderly persons that require assistance andnursing care.

The world of the senior citizens in our society is thefocus of the research initiative SmartSenior. It examinesissues within the following three themes:

SmartSenior – Innovative Research Serving People

How can seniors move about safely or retain their mobility?How can seniors keep their health or recover quickly from illness?How can seniors maintain their independence andstay in their homes for a longer period?

There are diverse quality of life issues in the scenarios"Safe Mobility", "Healthcare Services" and "ExtendedIndependence". At the center of all this is the assurancethat in an emergency, life saving medical methods willbe employed. Taking the longer view, the goal is toestablish an optimally organized prevention and caresystem.

SmartSenior goes even further by striving to supportmaximum autonomy for seniors.

The issues are about facilitating their lives in familiarsurroundings, both at home within their own four wallsas well as with a social network of friends, family, andservice providers. Last but not least, new communica-tions media, innovative mobility aids, and assistancesystems will greatly improve the comfort and quality oflife of seniors.

moving car. This involves the use of various technolo-gies, including GPS, GSM, WLAN, and Bluetooth finger-printing.

A simulation environment had to be constructed for theevaluation of these new technologies especially for theindoor positioning function. This permits rapid switch-ing between methods as well as the combination andvisualization of how the positioning technology actual-ly functions. The CeBIT 2011 installation demonstratesthe evaluation of positioning data in a simulation envi-ronment and the indoor-location finding technologies.The exhibit also shows how the system works in the realenvironment of the fair grounds – both in the exhibitbuilding as well as in the exterior areas. The medicalemergency that initiates the location search is simulat-ed for the demonstrator by pressing a button on asmartphone.

Additional interim findings from SmartSenior are pre-sented at three different stations in the context of CeBITLabs at the BMBF exhibit (Hall 9, Stand B40). Variousapplications for the home, en route, and in a telemed-ical center will be displayed there. Examples of the inte-grated intuitive operations and assistance-orientedsolutions by SmartSenior include: the renter service por-tal which links service providers for things like repairservices, sensor based services to control the status ofhousehold devices, the telemedical agent, and theemergency response/emergency shutdown agent.


SMARTSENIOR – MOBILE ASSISTANCE SYSTEM FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

An emergency assistance system, which was developedfor SmartSenior, helps to determine medical emergen-cies using measurement data and vital sensor technolo-gy and automatically informs a rescue hotline per eCall.Besides the personal data of the victim and a classifica-tion of the emergency, a description of the location isalso transmitted, which enables the emergencyresponse staff to quickly reach the scene of the accident.

A positioning component developed at DFKI deliversinformation about the location. The component is capa-ble of locating the user both indoors and outdoors aswell as in mobile environments, for example, while in a



In the iHelpYou project, DFKI extends and customizesSmartSenior technologies. In 2008, more than 12 millionpeople having various ethnic backgrounds were living inGermany - or, approximately 15% of the population.Generally speaking, these residents have learnedGerman as a second language and have no problemmastering everyday situations. However, in medicalemergencies things can quickly turn dangerous due tocommunication problems.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Schmeier. I am a doctor. Whathappened to you?""Kusura bakmayın anlamıyorum. Almanca konuş -amıyorum. Düştüm ve başım incindi." "Excuse me, butI do not understand you!" "Afedersiniz, sizi anlamıyorum."

In the "SmartSenior – Independent, safe, healthy andmobile seniors" project, DFKI is developing iHelpYou, amulti-language interactive dialog system that supports

and, in some cases, is key to make the doctor-patientcommunication between individuals who do not speakthe same language possible.

The system runs on an iPad and supports a great num-ber of typical doctor-patient dialogs that may take placeat home or en route after an emergency or accident.Furthermore, there are model conversations of the kindexperienced during an ambulance ride and also gener-al questions to determine the initial patient history.Interaction targeted especially at senior citizens is alsoan integral part of the system.

Besides the complexity of the dialog content, which wasdocumented with the cooperation of the rescue profes-sionals of SMH GmbH in Berlin, the system has otherinnovative features:

Communication requires two directions: Accurate translations of the doctor's questions into the patient's language and reverse translation of the patient's answers.

Scalability on mobile phones: Several thousand sentences are possible through the use of "fill-in"texts and links to special lexicons.

Understanding through language: Speech synthesis on the end device with low latencies and supporting more than 26 different languages by the company SVOX AG.

More informationwww.smart-senior.de

ContactSven Schmeier Research department: Language TechnologiesE-mail: [email protected]: +49 30 3949-1815

Dr. Michael KruppaResearch department: Intelligent User InterfacesE-mail: [email protected]: +49 30 3949-1819

IHELPYOU – OVERCOMING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER WITH MOBILE TRANSLATION AGENTS

Imprint

Issue 27, February 2011, ISSN 1615-5769

Published by: German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence GmbH (DFKI)Editorial staff: Heike Leonhard, Michael Bruss, Christof Burgard, Reinhard Karger, Daniela Menzel, Helga Riedel, Udo UrbanAddress: Campus D3 2, D-66123 Saarbrücken, E-mail: [email protected], Phone: +49 681 85775-5390Photos: DFKI, unless otherwise noted.

Layout, graphics: Christof Burgard, Production: One Vision Design Translation team: Glenn Peach, Sylvia Krüger, Michael BrussResponsible: Heike Leonhard, Corporate CommunicationsFrequency of publication: Semi-annual, Newsletter online: www.dfki.de/web/news/dfki-newsletter

HALL 9, STAND A30



A cocktail shaker that laughs, acts bored or even getsangry encourages the hobby barkeeper to mix cocktailsproperly. Using so-called "smart objects" this edutain-ment installation can recognize the actions of the userin the vicinity of the cocktail shaker and respond withexplanations and advice.

The continuing trend in information technology todevelop ever smaller, more powerful, and less expensiveprocessors, communication units, sensors, and actuators

The Anthropomorphic Cocktail Shaker as an Emotional Cyber-Physical System

is resulting in the computer having a much more inten-sive role to play in our everyday lives. Everyday objectscan be digitally upgraded with miniaturized electronicsand outfitted with additional capabilities which go farbeyond the original application. In this interactiveinstallation, various types of wireless signal sensorsintegrated into the cocktail shaker and bottles cooper-ate to extract the user interaction from the sensor data.

Dealing effectively with these smart objects requires anew type of user interface. This system combines the"tangible interaction" design concept with the approachof anthropomorphic interfaces using the human abili-ties for physical interaction with the objects as well asfor the intuitive interpretation of affective feedback.

More informationwww.dfki.de/iui

ContactMichael SchmitzResearch department: Intelligent User InterfacesE-mail: [email protected]: +49 681 302-4896

Dual reality models are virtual representations of thereal world, which are at the same time networked tothat world. They not only mirror the appearance of theactual environment but also its functionalities and theyare able to interact with it. With the aid of 3D models,the dual reality user has the ability to remotely view thecurrent condition of the office or the apartment.Simultaneously, devices connected to the model may becontrolled via a simple click.

DFKI presents a dual reality concept at CeBIT 2011 usingthe Bremen Ambient Assisted Living Lab (BAALL), a 60m²model living area for seniors with a focus on mobilityassistance. Rolland, an autonomous wheelchair, uses alaser sensor system to bring its occupant precisely to thedesired destination, for example, the kitchen table.Command input is achieved via an interactive voiceresponse system, which also enables the user to controllighting, sliding doors, and the adjustable heightkitchen. All devices are also viewable and controllable inthe 3D dual reality model.

All this is made possible by the Universal RemoteConsole (URC) platform and the Yamamoto modelingtool. URC is an open standards-based platform thatfacilitates personal interaction with an arbitrary numberof devices and services over a central operating inter-face. Using Yamamoto, it is possible to represent build-ing interiors in 3D and to model the installed sensor andactuator systems there. The combination of these two

Dual Reality in the Bremen Ambient Assisted Living Lab

approaches supports the continuous developmentprocess of intelligent environments from concept torealization.

More informationwww.baall.nethttp://ccaal.dfki.de

ContactDr. Bernd GersdorfDr. Christoph StahlResearch department: Safe and Secure Cognitive SystemsE-mail: [Bernd.Gersdorf | Christoph.Stahl]@dfki.dePhone: +49 421 218-64205 or -64259

Dual Reality controls at the BAALL

HALL 9, STAND A30

HALL 9, STAND A30



CAPTURE - Fast 3D Scene Reconstruction for Urban Planning and Emergency Management

All over the world, urban environments are facing radi-cal changes. While in some regions the number ofinhabitants diminishes, cities in other regions experi-ence a significant increase in the number of residents.In this context, a major challenge for modern urbanplanning is to preserve high-quality living space whileincreasing attractiveness and security of urban environ-ments. A primary goal here is to balance the demandsof private and commercial use, efficient infrastructures,open access to public spaces, and security. Urban plan-ning addresses these challenges through the shaping ofurban environments, of transportation and communica-tion networks, and the protection and upgrading of thenatural environment. In most cities, urban planningalso involves emergency managing concepts, whichconsider measures for dealing with emergency situa-tions and loss limitation. For efficient urban planning,and even more for the management of emergency situ-ations, a holistic view on all aspects of an urban envi-ronment is required. This in particular involves 3-dimensional models of streets and buildings, whichtoday in most cases have to be manually captured. Thisprocess is cumbersome and very error-prone.

Goal of the CAPTURE project is to develop a software sys-tem that automatically reconstructs 3-dimensionalscenes from 2-dimensional images. CAPTURE is fundedby the German Federal Ministry of Education andResearch (BMBF). The fundamental principle of CAPTUREis to apply triangulation techniques to sets of imageswhich show a single scene from different perspectives.This allows for the construction of high-resolution 3-dimensional scenes within a comparatively short timeframe.

CAPTURE applies a novel approach to the problem of 3-dimensional scene reconstruction: Instead of analyzinglarge quantities of low resolution images, CAPTURE usesa small number of very-high-resolution and high-dynamic-range images (HDRI). In addition, CAPTUREapplies a unique image geometry and uses full-spheri-cal images instead of usual panorama shots. Suchimages contain by far more information than ordinaryimages and provide a holistic representation of thescene within a single image. The use of HDRI preservesfinest optical structures, which are exploited by CAPTUREto support a precise 3-dimensional reconstructionprocess.

First commercial products on the foundation of CAPTUREare currently developed in cooperation with AGT Group(Germany) GmbH, part of the network of AGTInternational, one of the fastest growing providers ofpublic safety and security solutions including innovationin the management of urban environments. The recon-structed 3-dimensional scenes are for instance used forurban information systems or the planning and imple-mentation of emergency operations.

At CeBIT 2011, AGT and the Augmented Vision departmentof DFKI present results of the CAPTURE project. Differenturban scenes, streets, and places as well as interiors oflarge buildings are shown together with their 3-dimen-sional reconstructions.Also visit AGT at the CeBIT joint stand of Hessen, Hall 9,Stand D22.

More informationwww.dfki.de/av

ContactProf. Dr. Didier StrickerHead of research department Augmented VisionE-mail: [email protected]: +49 631 20575-3500

Dr. Michael SchneiderAGT Group (Germany) GmbHE-mail: [email protected]: +49 30 3949-1877

Panoramic picture made with a high-resolution camera(St.-Martins-Square, Kaiserslautern)

3D reconstruction composed of several panoramic pictures

HALL 9, STAND A30



DFKI at CeBIT lab talk 2011

CeBIT lab talk, the conference forum at the trade fair,offers more than 100 lectures, conference seminars, livepresentations, panel discussions, and project demon-strations to provide excellent insights into the state ofcurrent research and the technology standards of thefuture.

3D technologiesOpen cloud computingPrivate cloudWeb 3.0Semantic WebUrban Management

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 201112:00-12:45 p.m.Keynote panel discussion: “Digital value added -Innovated in Germany” – Machine engineering for the21st century originates in software cluster.Prof. Dr. Lutz Heuser, CEO, AGT Group (Germany) GmbHDr. Wolfram Jost, CTO, Software AGMinisterialdirektor Prof. Dr. Wolf-Dieter Lukas,Director of Key Technologies, Federal Ministry ofEducation and Research (BMBF)Prof. Dr. Dieter Rombach, Fraunhofer GesellschaftProf. Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster, DFKI

Presentation: Reinhard Karger, DFKI

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 20112:10-3:00 p.m.Panel discussion: “From Software to Service - The Internetof Services: Benefits and Outlook” Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster, DFKIProf. Dr. Herbert Weber, Fraunhofer ISSTProf. Dr. Lutz Heuser, CEO, AGT Group (Germany) GmbHDr. Orestis Terzidis, SAP AGDr. Stefan Wess, Attensity Europe GmbHHermann Friedrich, Siemens AG

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2011“SME meets Research” 10:30-10:50 a.m.IT as an engine for innovation for SMEs - New marketsthrough the Internet of Things and ServicesProf. Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster, DFKI

12:00-12:20 p.m.COMMIUS – E-mail-based process support for small andmedium-sized enterprises Dr. Dirk Werth, DFKI

12:40-13:00 p.m.SpeechEval – Semi-automatic usability testing of interactive voice response systems Dr. Norbert Reithinger, DFKI

17:10-17:30 p.m.Standardization is Key: German-Austrian W3C Office atDFKI, BerlinProf. Dr. Felix Sasaki, DFKI

FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 201110:00-11:30 a.m.Standardizing the cloud: “No standards – no success”Research focus of DIN – Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V.DFKI involvement: “Cloud in the open web platform”,Prof. Dr. Felix Sasaki, DFKI

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 201111:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.A key topic of the CeLTech - Centre for e-Learning Technology of Saarland University and DFKI

11:00-11:20 a.m.Pant pocket learning: Mobile Learning EnvironmentDr. Roberta Sturm (CeLTech, Principial Researcher, Headof Lab „Applied e-Learning Technology“, Saarbrücken)

11:20-11:40 a.m.Experiencing the human Body:Learning Technologies in MedicineProf. Dr. Martin Haag (CeLTech, Principal Researcher,Head of Lab „e-Learning in Medicine“,Heilbronn/Heidelberg)

11:40-12:00 a.m.Finding the Best Brains: Talent recruitment and e-Learning

Adjunct Professor Dr. Christoph Igel (CeLTech, Managing Director, Saarbrücken)

12:00-12:30 p.m. Panel discussion with the speakers

Program coordination and presentationReinhard Karger, DFKI

HALL 9, STAND A40



Background: SemProM Project

AILA originates from theSemProM (Semantic Pro -duct Memory) projectfunded by the FederalMinistry of Education and Research (BMBF). Within theIKT-2020 research program of the BMBF, the InnovationAlliance “Digital Product Memory” is developing keytechnologies for the Internet of Things. A core theme isthe use of robots and wireless interaction with a seman-tic product memory that can present relevant objectcharacteristics in a machine readable form.

More informationwww.semprom.org

ContactProf. Dr. Frank KirchnerHead of research departmentRobotics Innovation CenterE-mail: [email protected]: +49 421 17845-4101

Robots have been employed in industrial production fornearly 50 years. However, one rarely sees a robot usedfor inspection and maintenance, for assembly and dis-assembly of large-scale plants, or for dangerous rescueoperations. The major reason for this is the highlydemanding design requirements: The systems must beable to independently perform tasks in complex envi-ronments. The lady robot named AILA, developed at DFKIRobotics Innovation Center, is one step ahead of her col-leagues. She can perceive her environment in threedimensions, recognize objects and their features, anddeal with them in a direct manner.

Situational Awareness in 3D

AILA's perception skills are mainly achieved with stereocamera images and laser range finders that produce animage of the environment, using so called point clustersor point clouds. Humans orient themselves by usingtheir knowledge of space, structure, and the position ofobjects. AILA functions in a similar way: She is able tointerpret space semantically, identifying tables andshelves through her spatial-semantic descriptions. AILAcan follow complex instructions, for example, "Take thered can from the shelf" or "Place the object on thetable."

Motion Planning with 18 Joints

When AILA moves, 18 joints built into the arms and bodymust function in unison. Coordinated, intentionalmovements are necessary for the lady robot to hold andtransport objects with both arms. During this activityneither the environment nor the robot’s own bodyshould become an obstacle. The distance between bothhands must be the same in order for her to hold theobject securely and with the proper positioning, e.g., abox with the opening at the top.

Her motion should resemble that of a human being. Thisis one of the higher-level objectives in AILA's continuingdevelopment. The day when AILA is oriented on humanmotion models, she will be able to choose among vari-ous ways to perform a task. In addition, the evaluationof system behavior is simple, in view of the fact thathuman movements are well known to us and therefore,easier to judge. AILA is designed to be employed in envi-ronments that are appropriate for humans in terms ofsize, accessibility, and positioning of objects.

Semantic Product Memory Helps the Robot

AILA can visually identify many of the object's character-istics, for example, the size. Nevertheless, this oftenrequires an intensive effort – and there are featuressuch as weight which cannot be determined visually.This effort can be avoided when the object itself sup-plies the robot with the relevant data via a semanticproduct memory. An antenna in her left hand allowsAILA to read the data stored in the object's semanticproduct memory.

Lady Robot AILA: Human-Like Motion and Awareness

HALL 9, STAND A30

16


DFKI's Innovative Retail Laboratory (IRL) is presentingfuture scenarios and addressing the topic of AI in retailat CeBit 2011. There are currently more than 20 livedemonstrators housed at the headquarters of GLOBUS SBWarenhaus Holding in St. Wendel, where they are partof a 450 m2 laboratory that forms a unique infrastructureset up to demonstrate an intelligent shopping environ-ment. Three of these will be transported and put on dis-play in Hannover.

Instrumented Cereal Display Shelf

Products in the supermarket of the future know wherethey belong, what they are made of, and who can safe-ly benefit from them. Goods equipped with RFID labels(Radio Frequency Identification) can communicate theirlocation to the nearby environment. An instrumentedshelf can recognize when such a product is removed andcan provide information about the product on its dis-play. If a customer chooses several products, the respec-tive content can be easily listed in table form for com-parison.

Instrumented Fruit Stand

Just as they do today, shop employees in the supermar-ket of the future will have a big role to play as the ser-vice partner for the customer. The difference is that theywill have the support of an assistance system like, forexample, an instrumented fruit stand that knows whatfruit or vegetable is presently stocked there. Type, ori-gin, class, price, tips, and handling instructions areautomatically shown on displays built into the stand.Icons in the display unit permit the customers to clearlysee what display belongs to each bin. In case the prod-ucts are rearranged, the labels adjust automatically.

Easy Checkout

When the customers finish shopping, they proceed withease through an RFID gate where the goods in the shop-ping cart or basket are automatically read by the check-

Artificial Intelligence in Retail Trade – Innovative Retail Laboratory at CeBIT 2011

out system. After confirmation by the cashier, customerspay by credit or debit with their customer card or amobile device equipped with NFC (Near FieldCommunication) technology. Optionally, bills can be set-tled by applying a fingerprint. The printed receipt con-tains, in addition to the usual entries, a 2D barcode (QRCode) with a link to a digital version of the sales receiptthat allows it to be displayed for example, on a mobilephone. Consequently, the shopper also has a digitalcopy of the sales receipt in paperless form. This innova-tion is a real time saving idea because it is no longernecessary to unload and reload the items. Furthermore,it offers new, convenient, and fast payment options.Come visit the IRL exhibit at CeBIT 2011 in the AutoID/RFID Solutions Park (Hall 7, D12).

CeBIT-Forum AutoID/RFIDSupermarket of the Future Friday, March 4, at 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. (Hall 7, D03).

2:00 - 2:30 p.m.Innovation in Retail Trade – How New Technologies WillChange Supermarket Shopping in the Future(Prof. Dr. Antonio Krüger, Innovative Retail Lab)

2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Intra-LogisticsThe long way of the chocolate bar from the producer tothe supermarket – How intelligent carriers serve thecustomers and help to improve logistics(Björn Anderseck, Fraunhofer IML; Katrin Weiß, Mars ServicesGmbH; Jörg Sandlöhken, REWE-Informations-SystemeGmbH)

3:30 - 4:00 p.m. PaymentPayment of the Future: Innovative payment processeswith contactless Smart Cards (Matthias Kaufmann,B+S Card Service GmbH)

4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Real-time location trackingPassive location tracking technologies for storage logistics (Roelof Koopmans, Mojix Europe)

4:30 - 5:00 p.m. Round TableHow the new technologies will change the shoppingexperience in the supermarket of the future

Presentation: Gesche Roy, DFKI

More informationwww.innovative-retail.de

ContactProf. Dr. Antonio KrügerHead of Innovative Retail LaboratoryE-mail: [email protected]: +49 681 85775-5075

Newsletter 1_2011 I © DFKI

Easy Checkout

HALL 7, STAND D12



Modern planning and design tools for architects andurban/regional planners rely more and more on thethree dimensional representation of objects. When suchdesigns are expanded through modeling of the sur-rounding areas, the ideas, concepts, structures, andalterations can be more vividly displayed. Nevertheless,such visualizations today still need expert support andare only possible using special systems. The XML3D tech-

nology developedat DFKI's Agents andSimulated Realitylab in collaborationwith Saarland Uni-v er sity, the Lea d ingEdge Cluster Multi -modal Com put ingand Interac tion,and the Intel Visual

Computing Institute, makes it possible for anyone toview such models online and to benefit from the advan-tages of three-dimensional presentation.

There is a strict separation in the traditional internetbetween two and three dimensional content. The XML3Dtechnology developed in Saarbrücken makes it possibleto embed 3D objects as fully developed HTML elements

into a webpage.This greatly simpli-fies the develop-ment of new 3D webapplications, forexample, a 3D Wiki -pedia page forVenice or for thehistoric fortifica-tions of Saarlouis. Beyond this at the DFKI stand at CeBIT2011, there are demonstrations of a car configurator, aphysics simulation, an agent-based problem solvingsimulation, or a retail product tracking.

More informationwww.dfki.de/asrwww.viscenter.dewww.xml3d.org

ContactGeorg DemmeResearch department: Agents and Simulated RealityE-mail: [email protected]: +49 681 85775-7745

3D Internet – Virtual Cities

Experts of the Interactive Visualization and Data Analysis(IVDA) group at the DFKI Agents and Simulated RealityLab demonstrate how visualization at home - in super-computer style – is possible on common computers,tablet PCs, and smartphones or even on high resolutionvideo walls. They give information about the latestresearch and developments in the field of large-scaledata visualization.

Interested parties can experience the visualization of agigabyte data set on a high resolution 80 megapixelpowerwall. The video wall consists of a five by four bankof 31’’ LCD monitors powered by a network of PCs. Thevisualization itself is controlled via mobile devices likeiPhones or iPads. Following the installation of the con-trol software on a smartphone, multiple users can loginto the wall via Internet and collaborate in the explo-ration of the data. Using an extremely detailed satellitephoto of the entire world as an example, visitors canturn, reposition, zoom, or even change the seasons onthe corresponding map sections.

The aim of the Gigapixel Visualization project is toquickly and easily explore – on a wide range of devices– enormous amounts of image data from diverse areasof scientific application using a software called ZAPP(Zero Administration Powerwall Package), which wasdeveloped at DFKI. Based on the distributed architecture

of ZAPP, it is not necessary for all the users of the visu-alization to actually be present - all that is required isan Internet connection to access the system.

More informationwww.ivda.uni-saarland.de

ContactDr. Jens KrügerResearch department: Agents and Simulated RealityE-mail: [email protected]: +49 681 302-70750

The Whole World in a Picture – Interactive Gigapixel Visualization

HALL 9, STAND A30

HALL 9, STAND B43



RadSpeech - A Semantic Speech Dialogue System for Radiologists

With traditional userinterfaces, users maybrowse or explorevisualized patientdata, but little to no

help is given when it comes to the interpretation ofwhat is being displayed. Semantic annotations shouldprovide the necessary image information, and a seman-tic dialog system should be used to ask questions aboutthe image annotations while engaging the clinician in anatural speech dialog. Our motivation in developingRadSpeech is the design and implementation of a mul-timodal dialog system for the radiologist. Dialog-basedsemantic image retrieval and annotation form the basisfor help in clinical decision support and computer aideddiagnosis.

With RadSpeech, we aim to build the next generation ofintelligent, scalable, and user-friendly semantic searchinterfaces for the medical imaging domain, based onsemantic technologies. Ontology-based knowledge rep-resentation is used not only for the image contents, butalso for the complex natural language understandingand dialog management process. With the incorporationof higher-level knowledge represented in ontologies,different semantic views of the same medical images(such as structural, functional, and disease aspects) canbe explicitly stated and integrated.

A radiologist’s daily task in the SIEMENS patient imagefinding stations as installed at the University HospitalErlangen defines the application scenario. Before every-thing else, we strive for more efficiency during the med-ical finding process and for more structured findingreports including semantic image annotations.

The CeBIT Demo „Interactive Paper“, presented as part ofTheseus MEDICO at the booth of the Federal Ministry ofEconomics and Technology (BMWi, Hall 9, Stand B47),shows new multimodal interaction possibilities of the

dialog system. In cooperation with Markus Weber andDr. Marcus Liwicki from the Knowledge Managementdepartment at DFKI, the interactive paper for radiologyfindings has been developed. With the help of a specialpen and handwritten annotations, structured radiologyfindings can be produced according to a medical ontol-ogy.

Project partnersSiemens AGFAU Klinikum Erlangen

More informationwww.dfki.de/RadSpeech

ContactDr. Daniel SonntagResearch department: Intelligent User InterfacesE-mail: [email protected]: +49 681 85775-5254

HALL 9, STAND B47

Functional principle of the interactive diagnosis form

THESEUSForschungsprogramm für eineneue internetbasierte Wissensinfrastruktur



The open ODP architecture insures flexible integrationand an interface to modality-specific and user side sys-tem components in addition to application-specificimplementation functionalities.

ODP provides especially powerful programming inter-faces for dialog-specific processing components, whichsupport an efficient data representation of knowledgestructures and their rule-driven processing. The ODPsolution is marketed by DFKI spin-off SemVox GmbH.

THESEUS is a research program initiated and funded bythe Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology(BMWi) with the aim of developing a new Internet-based knowledge infrastructure, in order to better uti-lize and exploit the knowledge in the Internet. Its focusis the semantic technologies being developed in theCore Technology Cluster (CTC) in order to apply and testthem in specific application scenarios in areas such asmedicine, business web services, business process opti-mization.

More informationwww.theseus-programm.dewww.ekiosk.dewww.semvox.de

ContactDr. Tilman BeckerResearch department: Intelligent User InterfacesE-mail: [email protected]: +49 681 85775-5271

Cirius is a multimodalinteractive systemthat enables access toinformation, multi-

media content, and services from a semantic databaseby means of spoken language and gesture. The demon-strator uses semantically annotated content aboutKonrad Zuse’s computer and related events, organiza-tions, people and shows how it can be called up from aPHEX multitouch console or a smartphone.

Cirius was developed under the terms of the THESEUSresearch program. The Cirius knowledge base is a data-base created by research partner neofonie in the THE-SEUS use case ALEXANDRIA. In addition to details aboutthe inventor of the computer, Konrad Zuse, Cirius pro-vides information about the exhibits at the THESEUSInformation Center in Berlin.

The system interprets various input modes like naturallanguage in the spoken form and pointing gestures andin addition enables a rapid access to semantic servicesas well as the ontological representation of the extract-ed information. These services create access to an unre-

stricted number of heterogeneous online informationsources. The gesture control feature, in particular, allowsfor new forms of interaction: e.g., a photograph of thehistoric Z3 computer can be "darted" onto the consolewith a “frisbee gesture” from a smartphone to be usedthere as the starting point for a search. Cirius uses webservices to find additional photos, texts, and videos.Documents in the results that have been provided withlocation data can immediately be displayed on a map.

The core of this multimodal system consists of an ontol-ogy-based interactive voice system platform (Ontology-based Dialog Platform - ODP), which was developed atDFKI under the terms of the THESEUS program (CTC-WP4).

Cirius Demonstrator – Multimodal interaction with Semantic Services and Knowledge Sources

CTC work package interacting with the THESEUS Use-Case applications HALL 9, STAND B47

Cirius user interface

THESEUSForschungsprogramm für eineneue internetbasierte Wissensinfrastruktur



Software Cluster Steps into the Spotlight

The Software Cluster is celebrating its first anniversary –one year ago, in January 2010, the Software Cluster waschosen by the federal government as a Leading EdgeCluster.

Only ten clusters in Germany have been awarded withthis title, which is linked to federal funds of up to 40million euros. The Software Cluster is the only oneamong them dedicated to the software industry. In thisjoint effort by business enterprises, research institutes,and government, the cluster is working to establish thefoundations for the business software of tomorrow bythe year 2015.

The official designation represents what businesses andresearchers in the field of software development in theregion have known all along: radiating outward fromthe cities of Saarbrücken, Kaiserslautern, Darmstadt,and Karlsruhe are the roots of the German softwareindustry. This is where enterprise software was invent-ed and it is still where large corporations like SAP AG andSoftware AG, numerous highly innovative SMEs, andespecially, where Germany’s leading universities andresearch institutes for education and research in thearea of information systems are located.

DFKI occupies a key position in this association of 37partners, all of whom bring their competencies andresources into the cluster. Furthermore, it hosts two"Living Labs:" the Innovative Retail Lab for the retailtrade in St. Wendel and the SmartFactory for productionin Kaiserslautern where innovative products and solu-tions for diverse industries are tested under applica-tion-like conditions.

The fact that Germany is a global leader in the field ofenterprise software is due in no small part to theSoftware Cluster. It follows that the Software Cluster isnot just a regional phenomenon, rather the enterprisesand institutions in the cluster region figure substantial-ly in shaping the "Software made in Germany" imageinternationally and represent a major component of theGerman software industry. The region's reputation asthe European "Silicon Valley" is steadily growing evenabroad. In a European-wide study performed last fall by

the Parisian privateequity firm Truffle Ca -pital, the Software Clus ter was named onceagain as the leadingsoftware center in Euro -pe – far ahead of the

Paris metropolitan region or the cluster around theEnglish cities of Oxford and Cambridge. Nowhere else inEurope, as much software revenue is being generated ashere!

More good news for the Software Cluster arrived appro-priately on its first birthday: The federal initiative“Germany – Land of Ideas” managed by the Office of theFederal German President awarded the title “SelectedLandmark in the Land of Ideas 2011” to the SoftwareCluster for its efforts to achieve a digital upgrading ofthe business processes in many different industries witha new form of enterprise software. As a “SelectedLandmark”, the Software Cluster represents Germany'sinnovation potential while serving as an ambassador forthe Land of Ideas in the year 2011.

“Actually, it should becalled the ‘Selected Region2011’ because the SoftwareCluster links so many ofthe individual locationsselected as Selected Land -marks in the Land of Ideas in previous years,” accordingto Prof. Wolfgang Wahlster, Chair of the Executive Boardof DFKI. “The regional cooperation and, corresponding-ly, the fact that large and small enterprises are workinghand in hand with scientists, enables the SoftwareCluster to operate on a higher plane, which is respectedacross Europe – and beyond. In the Software Cluster,through a combination of the Internet of Things andServices, we are working to create the next generationof enterprise software for the Business Web.”

More informationwww.software-cluster.org

ContactBernd HartmannPress Spokesman Software-Cluster Coordination officeE-mail: [email protected] Phone: +49 6151 16 70712

Land of IdeasGermany

DEASNNOVAT ON

PROSPER TYThe High -Tech Strategy for Germany

I



The Centre for e-Learning Technology(CeLTech) of SaarlandUniversity and DFKIwill present at CeBit2011 for the first timethe functionalities ofthe mobile “Learn &

Go” application titled “Innovation in mobile learning oncampus”. "Learn & Go" was designed for all everydaysmart phone operating systems and offers all the essen-

tial functions of a learning mana -gement system for use with AppleiPhone, Windows Mobile, GoogleAndroid, Blackberry OS, and NokiaSymbian. In addition to providingfor the display and use of virtualclassrooms, a course catalog,insight into current classes anddownloads of learning materials,other available functions include:export of individual semesterschedules to a smart phone calen-dar, a navigation function to findthe classroom and, at the momentonly as a showcase at CeBit, also

the use of Web 2.0 services and shared services. The appwas developed under contract and in cooperation withIMC, one of the leading European suppliers of e-Learning.

CeLTech also focuses on 3D educational and learningcontent for the medical sector and will present its virtu-al models of the human anatomy, which can beemployed via browser technology, in a so-called CAVE (athree dimensional projection room). In light of thehuman’s specific needs for depth perception, suchmodels are especially well suited for the multi-dimen-sional representation in an educational context. Theexhibit also features "eCampus Saar" the joint learningplatform of the Saarland University and the University ofApplied Sciences. With approximately 1000 online cour-ses, each month more than 10,000 students andinstructors use the digital assessments, eTests, web-

based trainings and Web 2.0services as well as theeLearning services of theMicrosoft IT-Academy.

Another presentation introdu-ces intelligent assessmenttechnologies for the field of"Talent Recruitment" inten-ded for use in higher educati-on as well as for corporations.In addition to selecting themost appropriate individualcourses of study for students,the online demonstrationsuse IT and HR consultingexamples to highlight thepotential of assessment tech-

nology developed at CeLTech interms of lifelong learning.

The CeLTech - Center for e-LearningTechnology consolidates the researchof the Saarland University and DFKI.The institute was established at thestart of 2010 and is co-sponsored bythe University and DFKI. Prof. Dr. JörgSiekmann and adjunct professor Dr.Christoph Igel are the two foundingco-directors. Current plans call forthe University competence center"Virtual Saar University" (CC VISU) and the DFKICompetence Center e-Learning (CCeL) to be merged bythe end of 2012 under the CeLTech umbrella. CeLTech willthen represent more than 20 years of competence ininternationally, nationally, and regionally acclaimedR&D, application, consulting, and services in the fieldsof educational technologies and information andknowledge management, while at the same time conti-nuing its role as a learning services provider to institu-tes of higher education in the State of Saarland.

More informationwww.celtech.de

ContactCeLTech – Centre for e-Learning Technology

Dr. Christoph IgelE-mail: [email protected]: +49 681 85775-1054

Prof. Dr. Jörg SiekmannE-mail: [email protected]: +49 681 85775-5275

CeLTech Presents – Innovative Technologies for Mobile Learning, 3D Medicine,Content Sharing, and Talent Recruitment

HALL 9, STAND A30 and B43

l.-r. Prof. Volker Linneweber, Saarland University; Prof. Wolfgang Wahlster, DFKI; Prof. Enrico Lieblang, HTW; Prof. Wolfgang Cornetz, HTW; Dr. Christoph Igel, CeLTech



MIRROR – Reflective Learning at Work

In July 2010, the EuropeanMIRROR research project inSaarbrücken was started,

funded under the 7th EU Framework Program in the areaof "Technology-Enhanced Learning." 15 project partnersfrom scientific and business communities have set thegoal to develop the first technology-aided approach tolearning for use in highly dynamic work environments inwhich traditional educational programs and formallearning content are inadequate or are altogetherunavailable.

Business enterprises today must react quickly and flexi-bly to changes in environmental conditions in order toremain competitive in the long run. This also means thatemployees are expected to be highly flexible concerningtheir job profiles and work content. The traditionalteacher-supported educational opportunities and pro-fessional training plans are nevertheless designed forthe long-term time horizon and are not appropriate forpreparing employees for new short-term job contentand inadequate to support them in terms of "on-the-job-learning".

The overall aim of the MIRROR research project is to pro-vide a means to enable and motivate employees toreflect on working functions and outcomes in order to

learn from this experi-ence and develop cre-ative approaches tosolving current prob-lems in their day-to-day work. The employ-ees will not only bene-fit from their ownexperiences, but alsowill be empowered to learn from other employees whomay have already successfully mastered similar situa-tions. A comprehensive model of continuous learning bymeans of reflection is being developed to this end with-in the context of this research along with a so called"AppSphere", which will provide employees with inte-grated access from their respective working environmentto a series of real-time learning applications.

More informationwww.mirror-project.eu

ContactSilke BalzertInstitute for Information Systems (IWi) at DFKIE-mail: [email protected]: +49 681 85775-2106

DFKI Develops a Running Coach for Mobile Phones

The Institute for Information Systems (IWi) at DFKI devel-oped uRun, a mobile assistance system designed espe-cially for runners. The system makes it possible toorganize, for example, a group run with other interest-ed athletes via a smartphone. Beyond that, the mobileassistant continuously collects and evaluates data aboutthe runner via a link to various sensors, which indicate,for example, the frequency of the heart beat or the run-ner's speed. Furthermore, the device determines thegeographic location of the athlete and proposes anappropriate running course. The virtual trainer can alsorecognize when runners are overexerting themselvesand will advise them to continue on a less strenuousroute or reduce the running speed. The acceptance and

usability of uRun is being tested to gether with activeathletes.

uRun is a sample application of the uService (UbiquitousService Infrastructure for the Mobile Super Prosumer)project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education andResearch (BMBF). The innovative service infrastructuredeveloped for uService allows a mobile user - at anytime, from any location - to construct individual elec-tronic services according to their own need and fancy.DFKI has developed a customizable, context-awaresearch and recommendation engine for mobile phonesenabling the user to find just the right service from thehuge volume of user-generated, mobile services available, which has now found a specific application inthe uRun scenario.

More informationwww.uservices.de

ContactProf. Dr. Peter LoosHead of Institute for Information Systems (IWi) at DFKIDr. Dirk WerthVice President Innovation and Research Consulting (IRC)E-mail: [Peter.Loos | Dirk.Werth]@dfki.dePhone: +49 681 85775-3106

HALL 9, STAND B43



In addition to the exchange of goods and payments, oneof the key forms of interaction in business is communi-cation. The need for communication is closely tied to theexecution of business processes. For example, takingand processing a purchase order requires communica-tion between the sales agent and the customer; a suc-cessful claim against an invoice presupposes an infor-mation exchange between the sales representative, cus-tomer, and bookkeeping. The if, how and with whom tocommunicate is decided and performed solely by theresponsible employee. A judegment is made within thecurrent situation regarding the necessity to communi-cate, the proper counterpart is identified, and theappropriate means of communication is then selected.

The aim of the PROWIT (Process-oriented Web 2.0 basedIntegrated Telecommunication service) project is to pro-vide context-aware communications automatically andbased on the current business process being executed.To this end, a Process Collaboration Platform (PCP) isbeing developed which captures an employee's currentsituation and opens an integrated telecommunicationsystem. The PCP generates a so-called autonomousprocess environment which limits communicationexchanges to only those users who are working on acommon problem. Users currently dedicated to animportant task may have their availability restrictedthrough a context-aware platform that automaticallyreroutes inbound phone calls to another employee. Incontrast, priority can be given to some callers, for exam-ple, when an urgent problem demands contact with anexpert. The PCP identifies the respective roles involved

PROWIT – Networking Business Processes and Communication

in the immediate situation and integrates them into theautonomous process environment. The prototype solu-tion also supports exceptional cases by identifying thecontacts required automatically based on the situation.It then integrates them all in a timely manner whiletaking into account the most appropriate means ofcommunication (cellular phones, e-mails, fixed net-works).

The basic functionalities of the Process CollaborationPlatform are being expanded by the integration of Web2.0 technologies such as Wikis, which are able to pro-vide context-aware information. A sample scenariodemonstrates the repair process of a machine manufac-turer. The PCP supplies information as needed about thenon-operational machine, for example, in the form ofthe unit's history. During the time of repair, theautonomous process environment ensures the techni-cian is only available to certain persons, while at thesame time giving the technician a priority to contactcolleagues or supervisors who may assist in the repair.In the event of an unusual situation, the problem-solv-ing process can be significantly shortened by the timelyand context-aware communication with the appropri-ate partners.

The PROWIT project started in January 2009 and isplanned to run for three years. The Federal Ministry ofEducation and Research (BMBF) provides the fundingunder the number FKZ 01BS0833.

More informationhttp://iwi.dfki.dehttp://prowit-projekt.de

ContactProf. Dr. Peter LoosHead of Institute for Information Systems (IWi) at DFKIPD Dr. Peter FettkeInstitute for Information Systems (IWi) at DFKIE-mail: [Peter.Loos | Peter.Fettke]@dfki.dePhone: +49 681 85775-3106

HALL 9, STAND A30



Electro Mobility – DFKI Robotics Innovation Center Develops New Concepts

They are on a roll, and it's a really quiet one: A largenumber of electric cars is already being tested byregional companies and private users in the ModelRegion Electro Mobility Bremen/Oldenburg, a programsponsored by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building,and Urban Development (BMVBS). The DFKI RoboticsInnovation Center and the Fraunhofer Institute forManufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials(IFAM) coordinate the regional project management.

Two-seaters, four-seaters, vans, and two-wheelers builtby various manufacturers are being evaluated for theirsuitability for everyday use. DFKI scientists receive feed-back from vehicle drivers, operators, and serviceproviders participating in the fleet trials. Researchersare evaluating survey data and documenting user expe-rience concerning the question how best to integrateelectro mobility into daily use. The assessment takesregional socio-economic factors into consideration. Anequally important part of the government-funded proj-ect is the public relations work. To generate broadacceptance of electric cars in the region (potential) usersare provided with detailed information during publicevents.

Scientists are building a comprehensive database duringthe fleet trials. Vehicle runtime data such as batterycharge, voltage, and current flows are recorded, as wellas statistical vehicle parameters and other informationlike current weather conditions. A digital driver's log-book is also connected to the data logger to capture themobility profile of each driver. This component wasdeveloped at the DFKI Robotics Innovation Center.

Model Region Expansion

A long-term goal is the expansion of the Model RegionBremen/Oldenburg in northwestern Germany. Thisimplies a focus on the use of electro mobility in ruralenvironments. The density of R&D players as well as thenumber of strategic joint ventures outside the regioncontribute to the regional development – and streng-then its position as one of the most important electromobility locations.

DFKI Develops the Intelligent Electric Car

Furthermore, these project activities are helping theRobotics Innovation Center as a basis for the develop-ment and implementation of technological innovations.DFKI researchers are currently developing an efficientand intelligent electric car. The "RoboCar" is designedexplicitly with user requirements in mind: e.g., it willhave the capability to undergo morphological formchanges and can be equipped with modular compo-nents that adjust to individual mobility requirements.Similarly it will be able to communicate with the driver,other vehicles, and an integrated transportation system.

More informationwww.personal-mobility-center.de

ContactJens MeyProject Coordination and ManagementAerospace, Safety, and e-MobilityE-mail: [email protected]: +49 421 17845-4122

HALL 9, STAND A30

Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz



Dr. Armin Stahl is the Head ofthe DFKI Competence Center -Multimedia Analysis andData Mining (CC MADM ).

What do you see as theapplication potential of yourresearch?The theme of my researchcareer has always been thedevelopment of intelligentassistance systems. In the

field of Case-Based Reasoning (CBR), this involves tech-nical diagnostic systems and product recommendationengines. One of our current projects focuses on theanalysis of multimedia content, for example, to supportpolice detectives in their evaluation of such data.

When did your interest in Artificial Intelligence beginand how have AI processes changed since that time?My first experience with AI was during my CBR internshipin 1997. The topic was so fascinating to me that, in theend, I chose CBR for my doctoral work. Since then, AI hasbenefitted tremendously from the huge increase incomputing performance. Many of the algorithms thatwe employ today were unthinkable on the hardware wehad back then.

What are the greatest challenges and opportunities forAI systems today?In my view, what poses the biggest challenge for ustoday is the possibility to combine and integrate diverseAI methods as they are sometimes based on very differ-ent paradigms, assumptions, and points of view. Thereare many AI research communities today that still oper-ate in relative isolation from one another and theycould certainly learn a lot from each other.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working asa research scientist?Sports have always been an important balance to mydaily office routine and I really prefer outdoor sportswhere I can get out and enjoy nature. Therefore bikingand kayaking are my favorite leisure activities.

What are your current projects?In addition to coordinating our CC MADM activities, I amcurrently heading two projects with industry partners onthe subject of anomaly and fraud detection and theBMBF INBEKI project, which combats Internet childpornography.

DFKI Interview: Dr. Armin Stahl

DFKI-Kaiserslautern's research department "AugmentedVision" has received 100,000 US dollars for a projectabout object tracking in digital videos. Google awardsthis prize for the development of new software solutionsfor simple production and administration of interactivedigital videos, based on new methods of image process-ing for object recognition and tracking over longsequences of a video.

For some time now, the advertising industry has givenincreased attention to "product placement", the placingof products within a film scene, so as to present con-sumers with a form of product advertising without apause. The next stage of development is called "embed-ded advertising": An object appearing in a scenebecomes a host for additional product information,which the viewer can call up by mouse-click.

Prof. Dr. Didier Stricker, scientific director at DFKI andHead of the research department "Augmented Vision",explained how a demonstrator functions to illustratethe applicability of this technology: "Objects or personsin films can be marked and linked to relevant supple-mentary information, for example, the computer of thestar in a music video. As the viewer watches the clip,they can click on the product and get further informa-

tion such as manufacturer, model, price, or technicaldata." The first system prototype is expected to beintroduced at the end of 2011 and promises new fields ofapplication for the suppliers of digital video content,advertisers, and even for the developers of computergames.

At the Augmented Vision lab, innovative solutions in theareas of computer vision, sensor interpretation andfusion, human-centered visualization, virtual andextended reality are being studied and implemented.The topics range from basic research to the developmentof specific industrial prototypes and even include soft-ware consulting services.

More informationwww.dfki.de/avhttp://research.google.com/university/relations/research_awards.html

ContactProf. Dr. Didier StrickerHead of research department Augmented VisionE-mail: [email protected]: +49 631 20575-3510

Another Google Award for DFKI



News in Brief

Asguard Robot as Guest at the "International GreenWeek" in Berlin

Mobile field robots aregaining in importance inthe agricultural sector.This is the trend theAssociation for Technologyand Structures in Agri -culture (KTBL) showedfrom January 21-31 at the

International Green Week Berlin, the world's largesttrade fair for food, agriculture, and horticulture. TheKTBL stand is where the DFKI Robotics Innovation Centerexhibited its cross-country terrain robot ASGUARD. Beingjust one meter long, the water and dust proof robotmoves flexibly along on four star-shaped wheels overuneven terrain, swims, and overcomes obstacles. In thefuture, equipped with additional sensors, ASGUARD canbe deployed to perform diverse agricultural jobs – e.g.,to take soil samples or to perform selective weed con-trol.

DFKI Robotics Innovation Center Presents IntelligentSystems at Bremen's House of Science (Haus derWissenschaft)

Robots are designed for employment in areas that aredangerous and hard to access for humans. The"Intelligent Systems" exhibit by the DFKI RoboticsInnovation Center shows how they can be used in space,emergency rescue operations, and to solve complex pro-duction tasks. This event initiated by Renate Jürgens-Pieper, Senator for Education and Science, opened onJanuary 20 in the House of Science, Bremen. Among theexhibitors are renowned research institutes of the stateof Bremen that, together with their industry partners,find practical uses for science.

CeLTech's New "Digital Music in Education" Lab

Information technology in the music world is a means toan end. So it was only natural for the University ofMusic, Saarbrücken, to cooperate with the nearbyCeLTech Centre for e-Learning Technology, a renownedcompetence center for educational technologies andinformation and knowledge management sponsored byDFKI and Saarland University. On January 14, 2011, Prof.Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster (DFKI), Prof. Dr. Volker Linneweber(Saarland University) and Prof. Thomas Duis (Universityof Music, Saarbrücken) signed a cooperation agreementfor the establishment of the "Digital Music in Education"Lab, with the focus on "technology in education, learn-ing, teaching, and the evaluation of music and musicstudies." More information at: www.celtech.de.

Innovative Retail Lab (IRL) at the EuroShop 2011

Another first for IRL: the "LyDeCa" system is being pre-sented at EuroShop (2/26 - 3/02/2011), in Düsseldorf. Thesystem uses a low-mounted camera on the fresh foodcounter and recognizes when the customer points to adisplayed item or to the special offer board. It thendetermines which offer has attracted the customer's

interest and displays the respective product informationon a scale - as a service for the customers and assistancefor the sales clerks. Come visit us at the stand of ourpartner Bizerba (Hall 06, Stand E56).

DFKI - Founding Member of the Software Campus forthe IT-Managers of Tomorrow

The Software Campus, presented to the public duringthe IT-summit in Dresden as a joint PPP-initiative ofleading companies, five universities and three researchinstitutes from the national network of the Europeanelite institution EIT ICT labs, will train the future leadersof the IT industry. Every year, there will be 100 selectedMasters- or PhD-students that have the opportunity tobecome an IT-manager, performing their own projectswith the support of mentors from the industry. For morethan a year, Prof. Wahlster has helped to conceive thisproject and to win broad support for the concept.

The Feldafing Circle for Research in the Internet Societyand the Science-Industry Cooperation of the GermanFederal Government explicitly backed the project, beforethe Work Group 6 of the IT-summit, led by FederalMinister Dr. Annette Schavan and the co-CEO of SAP, JimHagemann Snabe, officially introduced the initiative tothe IT-summit and the Dresden Agreements. TheSoftware Campus shall offer a substantiated elite train-ing for the ICT management talents and future companyfounders in the Masters and PhD sectors on a scientifictop level. The total budget of the Software Campus willbe 10 million Euros per year, half of the amount beingfunded by the Federal Ministry of Education andResearch (BMBF).

5th IT-Summit, Dresden, December 7, 2010.l.-r. K.-H. Streibig, Software AG; Dr. R. Achatz, Siemens; R. Obermann, Deutsche Telekom; Chancellor Dr. A. Merkel;J. H. Snabe, SAP; Prof. W. Wahlster, DFKI; MinDir Prof. W.-D. Lukas, BMBF

Photo: BMI/Hans-Joachim M. Rickel



The German ResearchCenter for Artificial Intel -li gence GmbH (DFKI),with facilities in Kaisers-lautern, Saarbrücken, Bre-men and a project officein Berlin, is the country'sleading business-proneresearch center in the

area of innovative software technology. In the interna-tional scientific community, DFKI is recognized as one ofthe most important „Centers of Excellence“ in the worldfor its proven ability to rapidly bring leading edgeresearch to commercially relevant application solutions.

DFKI was founded in 1988 as a non-profit organizationby several renowned German IT companies and two re-search facilities. Since then, DFKI GmbH has establisheda reputation for proactive and customer oriented workand is known both nationally and internationally as acompetent and reliable partner for commercial innovation.

Because of the increasinglyshort cycles of innovation in thefield of information technology,the lines between research,application related develop-ment, and conversion to prod-ucts are becoming blurred. Thisis why DFKI projects typicallyinclude the entire spectrumfrom basic application-based

research to market and customer oriented development ofproduct functions. DFKI GmbH is managed by ProfessorWolfgang Wahlster (CEO and Scientific Director) and Dr.Walter G. Olthoff (CFO).

Projects at DFKI are organized under one of the following areas of research:

Knowledge Management(Prof. Dr. Prof. h.c. Andreas Dengel)Robotics Innovation Center(Prof. Dr. Frank Kirchner)Safe and Secure Cognitive Systems(Prof. Dr. Bernd Krieg-Brückner)Innovative Retail Laboratory(Prof. Dr. Antonio Krüger)Institute for Information Systems at DFKI(Prof. Dr. Peter Loos)Agents and Simulated Reality(Prof. Dr. Philipp Slusallek)Augmented Vision(Prof. Dr. Didier Stricker)Language Technology(Prof. Dr. Hans Uszkoreit)Intelligent User Interfaces(Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Wolfgang Wahlster)Innovative Factory Systems(Prof. Dr.-Ing. Detlef Zühlke).

The official opening of the DFKI project office Berlin in2007 signals the further expansion of existing partner-ships within Berlin's research community and theimplementation of innovative solutions with newindustry partners.At the DFKI competence centers, where the focus is ontechnological and expert know-how, the aim is the

management of research problems that transcend theindividual labs.

Innovations you can touch: the latest innovative tech-nologies are tested, evaluated, and demonstrated in the"Living Labs":

Virtual Office LaboratoryRobotics Exploration LaboratoryBremen Ambient Assisted Living Laboratory – BAALLInnovative Retail LaboratorySmartFactory Laboratory

The purpose of the DFKITransfer Center is to makethe scientific findings ofDFKI available to commer-cial applications. DFKI is the only Germanresearch institute for Com -puter Science being amember in the three lea-ding research clusters and the co-founder of SoftwareCampus. With a projected overall annual budget in 2010of approx. EUR 36 million, the previous year’s recordresult will be surpassed.Currently, DFKI has 423 employees and 396 studentassistants. The circle of DFKI industrial partners compris-es among others (partially through associated companies)Attensity Europe GmbH, BMW Group, Daimler AG, Deere &Company European Office, Deutsche Messe AG, Deutsche PostAG, Deutsche Telekom AG, EADS Astrium GmbH, Fraunhofer Ge -sellschaft e.V., Harting KGaA, Intel Cor po ra tion, KIBG GmbH, Microsoft Deutsch -land GmbH, Ricoh Ltd., SAPAG, Software AG, Univer sityof Kaisers lautern, BremenUniversity and Saar landUniversity.All work is organized inprojects that have a clearobjective, are scheduled tolast for a specific period oftime, and that lead, among other things, to patented solu-tions, prototypes, or new or improved product functions. Atthe present time, there are about 139 ongoing projects.Project progress is checked once a year by an independent,international group of respected experts. In addition tofederal funds and EU grants for large, joint research proj-ects, substantial contracts from business enterprises couldalso be acquired in 2010. The successful transfer of DFKIresearch results to functional products is continuing. TheDFKI model of a non-profit Public-Private-Partnership (PPP)was positively received at numerous presentations and isoften recommended as a role model structure. January 2010marked the most recent review of DFKI in the 5-year eval-uation circle by the Federal Ministry of Education andResearch (BMBF). Also, in May 2010, the Federal Governmenthas evaluated the DFKI-model very positively in a report to thebudget committee of the German Bundestag. There is even aneffort to incorporate the PPP organizational structure intothe Federal Grant Handbook and the text of relevant laws.DFKI has membership rights in the Center for the Evaluationof Languages and Technologies (CELCT), based in Trento, inYocoy Technologies GmbH (Berlin), in SemVox GmbH (Saar -brücken) and in GraphicsMedia.net GmbH (Kaiserslautern).

DFKI – Simply Innovation

Saarbrücken Site

Bremen Site

Kaiserslautern Site

DFKI project office Berlin


Intelligent Solutions for the

Knowledge Society • Knowledge management and document analysis

• Virtual worlds and 3D internet

• E-Learning and e-Government

• Development of provably correct software

• Innovative factory systems

• Information extraction from text documents

• Intelligent web retrieval and web services

• Multi-agent systems and agent technology

• Multimodal user interfaces and language understanding

• Visual computing

• Multimedia analysis and data mining

• Augmented vision

• Mobile robotic systems

• Shopping assistance and intelligent logistics

• Semantic product memories

• Safe and secure cognitive systems

• Semantic web and Web 3.0

• Ambient intelligence and assisted living

• Intelligent solutions for safety and security

• Driver assistance systems and Car2X communications

Kaiserslautern Site

Trippstadter Straße 122

D-67663 Kaiserslautern

Phone: +49 631 20575-0

Fax: +49 631 20575-5030

www.dfki.de | [email protected]

Saarbrücken Site

Campus D 3 2

D-66123 Saarbrücken

Phone: +49 681 85775-0

Fax: +49 681 85775-5341

German Research Center for Artificial IntelligenceDeutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz

Bremen Site

Robert-Hooke-Straße 5

D-28359 Bremen

Phone: +49 421 17845-4100

Fax: +49 421 17845-4150

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