Intelligent Playgrounds From: CNN - 09/26/2007 By: Michelle Jana Chan New playgrounds outfitted with artificial intelligence and robotics technology will be able to recognize a child's behavior and respond accordingly, enabling children of different skill levels to play and challenge each other. Known as augmented cognition, or "aug cog," such technology is currently under development by the armed services to reduce mental overload in the battlefield. For example, fighter pilot helmets can be equipped with sensors that can tell when the pilot is being overburdened and adjust the level of stimuli by dimming the interface and lowering headset volume. Other aug cog applications include video games that are capable of determining a player's skill level and adjusting accordingly. University of Southern Denmark at Odense researchers have built four special playgrounds, two at kindergartens and two at youth clubs. The playgrounds have pressure-sensitive floor tiles and each tile has a small computer inside that measures the force of the child's foot and responds with colored lights and sounds. One of the games, called "Bug smasher," encourages children to chase after a light in the tiles, rewarding them with a comical smashing sound when they step on the "bug." The playground is able to adjust the difficulty of the game based on the child's skill level and can even tell when a child is tiring. University of Southern Denmark professor of robotics Henrik Hautop Lund says the technology aims to operate at 10 percent above the participant's capabilities, and that he is working on more applications for aug cog, including sports training, physical therapy, and diagnosing children with autism. Read the entire article at: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/09/26/fsummit.augcog/ Links: Center for Playware, University of Southern Denmark http://www.playware.dk/ Therapy tiles http://www.e-robot.dk/therapy.html Augmented Cognition International Society http://www.augmentedcognition.org/index.htm Henrik Hautop Lund http://www.mip.sdu.dk/people/Staff/hhl.html Playful science http://www1.sdu.dk/E/new/10_Henrik_Hautop_Lund.html --- Robotic Therapy Tiles: Playing Your Way to Health From: Wired News - 10/02/2007 By: Lakshmi Sandhana University of Southern Denmark professor Henrik Hautop Lund is developing intelligent therapy tiles that use neural networks to guide patients through exercises to hasten their recovery from injuries or surgery. The tiles are equipped with processors, rechargeable batteries, force sensors, colored LEDs, and communications systems. The tiles respond to the pressure the patients apply with their hands or feet, indicating whether they are delivering enough pressure or are moving fast enough. "The equipment creates a playful experience that motivates them to perform the actions needed for the recovery of their abilities," Lund explains. He says the tiles spur patients to exercise by providing instant feedback, and offer an alternative to often boring physical-rehabilitation workouts. Games for particular therapeutic routines are downloaded into a master tile, which senses the tiles' arrangement and stimulates the game; the tiles study patients' motions and gauge their progress. Upon the conclusion of the game the master tile displays a summary of the patient's performance. Lund and his team are also exploring how the tiles might be applied to aid autistic children and patients with cognitive disorders. "The next natural step is to use artificial neural networks to do classification of the patient's behavior and adapt the game [in real time]," Lund says. Robotic Therapy Tiles: Playing Your Way to Health http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2007/10/therapy_tiles