A Collaborative Wearable System with Remote Sensing
`Martin Bauer, Timo Heiber, Gerd Kortuem, Zary Segall
`Computer Science Department
`University of Oregon
`Eugene, OR 97403, USA
`
`{mabauer,timo,kortuem,zs}@cs.uoregon.edu
`
`Abstract
`This paper presents a collaborative wearable system
`based on the notion of remote sensing. Remote sensing
`lets users of wearable or stationary computers perceive a
`remote environment through the sensors of a remote
`wearable computer. We describe a concrete system with
`remote sensing capability that is designed to enhance the
`communication and cooperation of highly mobile
`computer technicians.
`
`1: Introduction
`There is an obvious need for effective communication and
`collaboration
`in
`typical wearable domains such as
`maintenance, repair, construction and manufacturing. As
`noted by Siegel et al [20], having wearable computer
`systems that allow field workers to access information and
`contact experts can be valuable in many settings, from
`airline maintenance, to health care, emergency response
`and on-the-job training.
`
`In this paper we report on the design and implementation
`of a collaborative wearable computer system that supports
`computer technicians in their task of maintaining a
`campus-wide computer network. The wearable computer
`is a Personal Computer-like device with a head-mounted
`display that integrates video camera, microphone and
`speaker. The computer is worn by a technician in the
`pouch of a specially designed vest (see Figure 1).
`
`The wearable system, which we call NETMAN, enables
`technicians in the field and office-based experts to
`collaborate in real-time using audio and video. A camera,
`that is attached to the wearable computer and points away
`from the user at the task area, enables a remote expert to
`see what the technician in the field sees and direct his or
`her attention using a remote pointer.
`
`While similar collaborative wearable systems have been
`proposed before or are currently under development
`[5;6;15;17], the NETMAN system uses an innovative
`approach to enhance and enrich the collaboration between
`
`remote users, based on the concept of remote sensing.
`Remote sensing means that a remote user, the expert
`sitting at a desk in an office or another wearable user, has
`direct, unmediated access to output of sensors attached to
`another user’s wearable computer. This concept
`is
`visualized in Figure 2.
`
`The term ‘remote sensing’ originally describes the process
`of measuring and analyzing electromagnetic radiation for
`the purpose of understanding and managing the Earth's
`resources and environment [18]. It has also been used in
`the context of telepresence and telerobotics systems (e.g.,
`[12;19]). For our purpose we define remote sensing more
`broadly as the collection of information about an object
`without being in physical contact with the object.
`
`Remote sensing requires sensors such as cameras,
`microphones, laser scanners, and receivers for radio or
`infrared radiation. Such sensors have long been used in
`wearable computing to provide users of a wearable device
`with an enhanced view of the immediate environment. The
`NETMAN system allows two or more users to share this
`enhanced view by transmitting sensory data to remote
`computers over a wireless network. Depending on the
`number and type of sensors, this approach enables remote
`
`Figure 1: NETMAN Wearable Computer
`
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`User with Wearable
`Computer and Sensors
`
`Remote User with
`Wearable or Desktop
`Computer
`
`Physical
`Environment
`
`Audio/video
`Conferencing
`
`& Application
`Sharing
`
`Sensor Input
`
`Fowarded Sensor Data
`
`Figure 2: Remote Sensing
`
`users to perceive a remote environment almost as if they
`were physically present.
`
`The idea of using remote sensing as a way to enhance
`collaboration was motivated by our experience with
`earlier prototypes of NETMAN [14]. We soon realized that
`the quality of the video image that can be achieved in a
`wearable setting tends to be rather poor. Limitations of the
`wireless network in terms of bandwidth and delay
`characteristics restrict the usable image resolution and
`frame rate. Small screen size and poor quality of current
`head-mounted displays directly effects the perceived
`image quality. This together with poor lighting conditions
`can make it impossible for a remote user to identify any
`significant details in the transmitted picture.
`
`Remote sensing is a natural generalization of shared
`audio/video
`capabilities
`found
`in
`‘traditional’
`collaborative wearable systems. It is an attempt to
`overcome limitations of such systems by providing a
`remote expert with additional (besides video and audio)
`and more accurate information about the state of the
`environment and what exactly the technician is doing.
`
`The remainder of this paper is structured as follows. In the
`next section we discuss related research and introduce the
`application scenario that underlies the design of NETMAN.
`In Section 3, we discuss general design considerations for
`collaborative wearable systems. Section 4 outlines the
`NETMAN prototype, while Section 5 describes remote
`sensing applications and
`the underlying
`software
`infrastructure. In Section 6, we discuss early experiences
`with the prototype. Section 7, finally, summarizes.
`
`2: Collaborative Wearable Systems
`Most wearable computers today are designed as stand-
`alone systems that provide users with automatic, context-
`
`sensitive access to information, but do not support inter-
`personal communication and collaboration. In a similar
`vein, previous work on collaborative systems has almost
`exclusively focused on white-collar workers in office
`settings. Communication needs of mobile field workers,
`whose work includes a high amount of manual activities,
`such as technicians and repair personnel, were mostly
`ignored.
`
`that for certain domains
`Recent research suggests
`collaborative wearable systems with shared audio/video
`capabilities can have a positive effect on workers’
`collaboration and coordination:
`
`In [15;20] the authors report the results of two CMU
`studies on mobile collaborative systems for the support of
`maintenance task of bicycles and aircrafts. They describe
`a wearable system for collaboration with a remote expert
`using shared video and hypertext: “Preliminary results
`suggest that doing the tasks with a more experienced
`helper with shared video to support coordination of work
`is the most effective treatment. Sharing a view of the work
`area helped the team to coordinate their conversation”.
`
`Similar research was performed at the University of
`Washington [5;6]. The authors describe two pilot studies,
`which imply that wearables may be able to support three-
`dimensional collaboration and that users will perform
`better with
`these
`interfaces
`than with
`immersive
`collaborative environments.
`
`Finally, Boeing is currently investigating the use of
`wearable video conferencing systems for fast and accurate
`communication of airplane mechanics at remote locations
`and/or mechanics working on different parts of the same
`airplane [17].
`
`None of these systems, however, makes advanced use of
`sensors. They are mainly mobile videoconference systems
`that solely rely on audio and video signals to support
`collaboration. Yet one of the most interesting and most
`novel aspects of wearable computing is the combination
`of sensors and contextual awareness. Using sensors such
`as proximity sensors, location sensors, and electronic tags
`for identification of nearby objects, a wearable computer
`can actively gather knowledge and information about its
`environment and use it for advanced automatic and
`context-sensitive support of users. Examples include:
`context-sensitive user interfaces, context-based reminder
`systems, and context-based retrieval systems [1;2;3;4;10].
`We believe
`that
`in collaborative settings
`remote
`participants can benefit in similar ways from having direct
`and unmediated access to another user’s sensory data.
`
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`We decided to test our ideas about remote sensing and
`collaborative wearable systems using a
`real-world
`application with hard requirements. In the following
`section we will introduce the application scenario that
`underlies the development of NETMAN.
`
`2.1: Application Scenario
`
`Our goal for the NETMAN project was to design and
`develop a wearable system that helps technicians in their
`daily task of troubleshooting and repairing faults in
`computer network equipment. For collecting requirements
`we are working closely with the University of Oregon
`Computing Center which is responsible for maintaining
`the computer and network
`installations
`throughout
`campus. Typical tasks of technicians include: installation
`of new network equipment such as routers; performing
`regularly scheduled maintenance work; troubleshooting of
`network
`faults;
`repair and
`replacement of
`faulty
`equipment.
`
`The technicians who are sent out to locate and, if possible,
`resolve network problems are equipped with an array of
`communication devices like cellular phone, walkie-talkie,
`pager, and - in some cases - a notebook computer. Skills
`and experiences of field technicians vary and can range
`from inexperienced student volunteers to highly trained
`experts. In most cases, however, technical knowledge of
`technicians is limited, but sufficient to perform routine
`repairs. As part of their work, technicians often have to
`perform manual activities like opening computers, moving
`furniture and equipment, dragging wires, crawling under
`desks, suggesting a wearable computer design with hands-
`free operation.
`
`In addition to field technicians, the Computing Center
`employs a limited number of full-time employees who are
`
`Figure 3: Remote Video Image
`
`knowledgeable experts in their domain. For the most part,
`they rarely leave their office and do not perform routine
`repairs.
`
`Field technicians often have to visit a particular site
`several times before they are able to resolve a problem,
`because they need to look up information, get additional
`equipment, or ask a more experienced technician for
`advice. For example, they might call into the office to ask
`questions like “How do I do…?”. Depending on the
`expertise of the technician, extensive communication
`between field technicians and experts at the office can be
`required to solve a particular problem. A wearable
`audio/video conferencing solution clearly could be helpful
`in this context: the expert is able to answer questions more
`quickly or more accurately if he or she is able to see the
`remote work area and what the technician is working on.
`
`To our surprise we found that the most frequent cause for
`network problems is not related to hardware faults or
`software configuration issues, but misconnected wires.
`This type of problem can very efficiently be resolved by
`two closely cooperating technicians: the expert can
`perform tests and analyze the status of the network from
`the office, while the technician in the field rewires cables
`at a network closet or other computer devices.
`
`Through experiments with earlier prototypes of NETMAN
`we made the observation that the quality of the video
`image can severely effect collaboration. For example,
`Figure 3. shows the video image as seen on the remote
`expert’s computer. The video quality
`in
`terms of
`resolution, frame rate, and delay characteristics is good
`enough to allow the remote expert to determine where a
`wearable user is, in which direction he or she is looking
`in, and what objects are in the environment. Yet, it is
`impossible to clearly identify details like shape and type
`of connectors or read printed labels. This information is
`necessary for the expert to determine if cables are
`connected properly.
`
`This observation lead us to the idea to use additional
`sensors, most notably sensors for object identity and
`location, in order to provide the remote expert with an
`enhanced view of the technician’s work area.
`
`3: Design Considerations
`During the design phase of NETMAN we studied a number
`of possible design alternatives. We finally came up with a
`list of six possible collaboration functions from which a
`collaborative
`system
`can
`be
`assembled. These
`collaboration functions define a design space
`for
`(synchronous) collaborative wearable systems:
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`1) Remote awareness: It has been shown in the CSCW
`literature that users of collaborative systems feel more
`comfortable when they know who else participates in
`a conversation
`[8;9;11]. Awareness of
`remote
`communication partners can be achieved in many
`ways, for example, by presenting icons or pictures of
`each participant. For wearable applications, one can
`also think of audio-only representations.
`
`1) Remote presence: Going one step beyond remote
`awareness, remote presence provides a richer and
`more
`natural
`conversation
`by
`using
`live
`representations of participants. This can be in the
`form of a live-feed from a camera showing a user’s
`face or in form of an avatar, a 3-dimensional
`representation of a user’s face or body controlled by a
`remote user. In both cases, remote presence gives
`users the ability to convey non-verbal clues using
`gestures and facial expressions, resulting in an
`improved intimacy between communication partners
`and a feeling of co-presence.
`
`2) Remote presentation: By remote presentation we
`mean a user’s ability to superimpose images over a
`wearable user’s (real-world) view. By using shared
`computer screens it is possible for a participant to put
`a wiring diagram in the field of view of another
`wearable user. Remote presentation
`is
`thus an
`effective means for sharing information and focusing
`verbal communication.
`
`3) Remote pointing: The ability to control a remote
`cursor enables users to point at objects in other users’
`view. Such objects can either be virtual objects (a
`wire in a wiring diagram) or real-world objects
`captured by the camera of a wearable computer. Like
`remote presentation, remote pointing can increase the
`effectiveness of verbal communications by directing
`the participants’ attention.
`
`4) Remote sensing: Remote sensing means that a remote
`user has direct, unmediated access to output of
`sensors attached to another user’s wearable computer.
`Remote Sensing has the potential of streamlining the
`conversation among several collaboration partners by
`helping them to establish a shared conversational
`context and by creating a heightened sense of
`copresence. For example, participants do not have to
`talk explicitly about which computer one of them is
`standing in front of, because this information is
`available automatically to each participant. Remote
`sensing allows users
`to perceive a
`remote
`environment almost as
`if
`they were physically
`present.
`
`5) Remote manipulation: Remote manipulation, finally,
`goes beyond remote sensing and refers to a user’s
`ability
`to manipulate objects
`in another user’s
`physical environment.
`
`Collaborative wearable systems discussed in the literature
`([5;6;15;20])
`focus almost exclusively on
`remote
`presentation and remote pointing. NETMAN goes beyond
`these systems by adding remote sensing as a third
`component. In this paper we focus on the remote sensing
`aspect of NETMAN, while remote presentation and remote
`pointing are addressed in [14].
`
`4: The NETMAN Prototype
`The NETMAN system is a distributed groupware system
`that consists of several hardware and software components
`(Figure 4):
`
`- One or more wearable computers worn by field
`technicians during repair and maintenance tasks;
`
`-
`
`-
`
`-
`
`-
`
`various sensors attached to wearable computers;
`
`one or more desk bound workstations used by expert
`technicians in offices at the Computing Center;
`
`application and system software running on both the
`wearable computer and the workstations;
`
`a central database server that stores information about
`computer and network equipment found throughout
`campus.
`
`We will now describe each of these components in detail.
`
`4.1: Wearable Computer
`
`The wearable computer we use in NETMAN is based upon
`a Pentium motherboard from Texas Instrument and runs
`Windows95 as operating system. The computer is housed
`in a specially designed vest that accommodates the
`various batteries and input devices (Figure 1). The central
`processing unit is fitted into a pouch on the back, and
`cables are run from the CPU out to the front pockets in the
`vest. These cables feed the batteries and input devices
`positioned in the front of the vest. The weight of the
`batteries and accessories counters the weight of the CPU
`pouch on the back, providing a comfortable fit. A head-
`mounted display is used for output. The primary form of
`user input is keyboard input using a Twiddler keyboard.
`More details on the design of the wearable computer can
`be found in [10;13;14].
`
`We are also experimenting with a commercial wearable
`computer,
`the FlexiPC by VIA Corporation. This
`computer combines a
`lightweight design with easy
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`equipment.1 By attaching iButtons to computers, routers,
`network outlets, and even individual wires we are able to
`uniquely identify objects that are important to network
`technicians. In order to read the registration number of an
`iButton, the user touches the button with the iButton
`scanner, which is connected to the parallel port of the
`wearable computer. A daemon process, written in Java
`using the iButton development kit, runs on the wearable
`device and listens to signals coming from the iButton
`scanner.
`
`A centralized database stores information about iButton-
`enhanced objects. Currently, the only information stored
`about objects is their location and type, that is, whether an
`object is a computer, a router or something else. At a later
`time we plan on storing this information directly in the
`memory of iButtons (iButtons with up to 4K memory are
`available), which would eliminate
`the need for a
`centralized database.
`
`Network Traffic: The third sensor is a packet sniffer, a
`devices that plugs into network outlets and allows
`technicians to analyze network packets.2
`
`4.3: Software Applications
`
`the
`Several applications make use of
`delivered by these sensors. Among them are:
`
`information
`
`-
`
`-
`
`-
`
`a context sensitive document browser that uses the
`input of the iButton scanner to automatically search a
`database for documents about the equipment the
`technician is working on;
`
`an interactive map that displays a building floor plan
`showing the location of various types of computer
`and network equipment, such as routers and network
`outlets (Figure 5). This application
`is used by
`technician and expert to identify which piece of
`equipment they are talking about, and to access
`information about network equipment by location
`(see below);
`
`a network analyzer, a software packet that analyzes
`and visualizes the information about the network
`traffic delivered by the packet sniffer.
`
`Because of the characteristics and limitations of the input
`devices of the wearable computer we have abandoned
`some features typical of current GUI interfaces, most
`notably the desktop-metaphor and the concept of movable
`
`
`1 We use DS1990A iButtons with 64-Bit ROM.
`
`2 The packet sniffer is not implemented in the current prototype.
`
`Figure 4: NETMAN Overview
`
`extensibility and features a hand-held display and pen-
`input. While this combination is not a wearable computer
`in the strict sense, because it doesn’t provide hands-free
`operation, we use it as our primary development and test
`platform.
`
`All wearable computers and stationary workstations are
`directly connected to the Internet. We are using a
`Metricom wireless local-area, which covers the entire
`University of Oregon campus.
`
`4.2: Sensors
`
`Each wearable device is equipped with the following
`sensors for
`location, object
`identity, and analyzing
`network traffic:
`
`Location: The first sensor is an infrared receiver for
`determining the wearable’s location inside buildings. The
`IR sensor receives signals sent out by IR transmitters that
`are attached to the ceiling of various rooms in our lab.
`Each transmitter broadcasts a unique signal allowing the
`wearable to look up its location in a centralized database.
`The IR receivers and transmitters are based on a
`proprietary design and are described in more detail in
`[13;14].
`
`Object Identity: The second sensor is a scanner for
`electronic equipment tags. We use iButtons from Dallas
`Semiconductor [7] as electronic tags for equipment, and
`iButton scanners (so-called ‘Blue Dot Receptor’) as
`sensors. An iButton is a 16mm computer chip housed in a
`stainless steel case. Each
`iButton has a unique,
`unalterable, 64-bit unique registration number stored on
`the silicon chip that we use to uniquely identify computer
`
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`indicate what device or network outlet they are referring
`to (Figure 5).
`
`The map application is a shared-window application, so
`that both users see identical screens. The symbols in the
`map represent various types of network equipment. For
`example, network wall sockets are indicated by stars. Both
`users can select symbols to indicate which particular piece
`of equipment they are referring to. Objects can be selected
`by either scanning the iButton tag attached to a device in
`the real world, or by clicking on the symbol on the screen.
`The selections of the local and remote user are indicated
`by colors: the object that was selected or scanned by the
`local user is indicated by the color gray, whereas the
`selection of the remote user is displayed in black.
`Additional information about the selected devices is
`displayed in the text fields at the bottom of the screen.
`
`When asked how a particular router is connected to the
`network, the technician scans the electronic tag of the
`respective outlet saying: “It is connected to this outlet.”
`This action highlights the outlet in the map application so
`that both users see what outlet the technician is referring
`to. Conversely, when asking “And what is connected to
`this socket?” the expert selects an outlet on the map.
`Seeing which object the expert selected, the technician
`then scans several sockets till he finds the one indicated
`by the expert. On the map the technician can observe
`which piece of equipment the expert has selected and
`which he himself scanned last. As response the technician
`then scans the tag of the connected device. This way the
`expert not only knows what type of device is connected to
`this outlet, but using the document browser has immediate
`access to all the relevant information without having to
`manually look for it.
`
`The network analyzer software could be used in a similar
`vein. Asking the technician to plug the network sensor
`into a specific outlet (again indicating it on the map) the
`expert could then analyze the network traffic at this
`particular outlet from his workstation.
`
`This description shows how remote sensing can facilitate
`collaboration by helping to disambiguate the meaning of
`pronouns or verbal descriptions like “the router over
`there”. Again, the quality of the video image makes it
`impossible to use a shared view for a similar purpose.
`5.1: Sensor Forwarding
`
`Remote sensing is implemented using a set of specially
`designed
`system
`services. The overall
`software
`organization of the wearable device follows a layered
`architecture as shown in Figure 6.
`
`Figure 5: Interactive Map Application
`
`and resizable windows. Both concepts have proven very
`successful for desktop computers, but seem inappropriate
`for wearable computers with limited screen space and
`restricted input device options.
`
`the so-called
`The desktop has been replaced by
`Application Manager, which allows the user to toggle
`between application modules. The application manager
`provides a streamlined user-interface for switching among
`several application modules. Using the Previous and Next
`buttons visible in Figures 3 and 5, the user can switch
`from application to application by simply pressing one
`button. While several applications can be running at the
`same time, only one applications is visible in the main
`window of the application manager.
`
`Each application module is an independent software entity
`that plugs into the Application Manager. The Application
`Manager provides a simple API that makes it easy for
`software developers to write new application modules.
`
`5: Remote Sensing
`
`All three applications mentioned above make use of
`remote sensing. This means that, while copies of each
`application are running on the wearable computer as well
`as on the workstation of the remote expert, sensor input is
`simultaneously sent to the applications on both computers
`(the exact mechanism is explained below).
`
`To explain how remote sensing works let’s assume that
`both users have decided to work together to resolve a
`particular network problem. Let’s further assume that they
`have decided to check the wiring in a building.
`
`Through the camera of the wearable computer the expert
`can see the remote work area, albeit in low quality. As
`they talk about how equipment is connected or how it
`should be connected, they use the map application to
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`Wearable Computer w/ Sensors
`
`Computer w/o Sensors
`
`Application
`Layer
`
`Message
`Layer
`
`Sensor
`Layer
`
`Application
`
`Sensor
`Proxy
`
`Sensor
`
`Figure 6: Software Infrastructure for Sensor Forwarding
`
`The top layer consists of several software applications as
`described above. Application modules receive input from
`one or more sensors using an event-based communication
`mechanism. An event-bus connects application modules
`with so-called sensor proxies3. Sensor proxies are
`background applications (daemons) that provide a unified,
`event-based API to heterogeneous sensors and make it
`easy for applications to talk to a wide variety of sensors.
`This approach enables us to easily integrate new types of
`sensors, or to replace one sensor with another one of the
`same type. In order to receive sensor data from a
`particular sensor, applications register with the event bus:
`
`int register(<host-name>, <sensor-type>)
`
`Upon registration applications receive notification events
`through the event-bus whenever a new sensor reading is
`available. For example, the call
`
`register( “localhost”, “iButton”)
`
`causes the calling application to be notified whenever the
`iButton reader scans a new iButton.
`
`In general, each application can register with several
`sensors and each sensor can have several applications it
`sends input to. The event mechanism is implemented
`using Sun’s InfoBus architecture [21].
`
`In our prototype, the workstation of the office-based
`expert runs essentially the same software as the wearable
`computer4. However, since (in our scenario) there are no
`sensors attached to the stationary workstation, the bottom
`two layers are missing. Application modules on the
`workstation can register with sensor proxies on the
`
`
`3 The term ‘sensor proxy’ was introduced by Ullmer and Ishii in [22].
`
`4 In a more sophisticated prototype the client software running on the
`stationary workstation could use a more traditional user-interface with
`multiple independent windows.
`
`local applications by
`like
`just
`wearable computer
`specifying the host name of the wearable computer.
`
`The distributed event-bus connects wearable and
`stationary computer (or two or more wearable computer)
`seamlessly, and ensures that sensor data are transparently
`forwarded to applications on the remote machine.
`
`5.2: Application Sharing
`
`In addition to the application modules described above,
`we realized a number of shared applications, which
`simultaneously run on both participants’ machines. These
`applications realize more traditional forms of synchronous
`collaboration (remote presentation and remote pointing).
`
`These modules are: (1) a shared web browser for
`accessing online manuals, help files, configuration files
`etc. which are stored on a central LAN server; (2) a shared
`video viewer which displays the current image of the
`wearable camera (Figure 3).
`
`6: Discussion
`The current NETMAN system is an early prototype, which
`has not yet seen formal evaluation or deployment in the
`real world. Preliminary observation point to the validity of
`some of the technical solutions employed in NETMAN. In
`particular the sensor-proxy approach has proved to
`provide a useful level of abstraction. It facilitates the
`construction of remote-sensing applications in two ways:
`(1) applications do not need to be concerned about
`characteristics of individual sensor types. Sensor proxies
`provide applications with a unified view of sensory input,
`whether the input comes from a GPS, an IR sensor or an
`iButton scanner. This
`fact makes
`the design of
`applications much simpler. We anticipate that this concept
`will also be useful for the design of traditional wearable
`systems without remote sensing. (2) Sensor-proxies allow
`us to switch the implementation of a particular sensor type
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`without effecting the application. For example, in the
`future we could easily switch from using iButtons for
`object identification to wireless electronic tags.
`
`The user-Interface of the current prototype is traditional
`compared to other approaches. For example, MacIntyre
`[16] describes an audio-based augmented-reality interface
`to intelligent environments. However, we believe that
`even simple interfaces in connection with remote-sensing
`can provide a significant advantage over systems without
`remote sensing.
`
`7: Conclusion
`The combination of wearable computing and remote
`sensing introduces new and interesting ways of interacting
`with
`the
`real world. By creating a
`rich shared
`conversational context, remote sensing has the potential of
`significantly enhancing the collaboration of remote users.
`Wearable computers provide a sole remote-sensing
`platform, because of their unique combination of mobility,
`perception, and context-awareness.
`In this paper we have described a concrete system with
`remote sensing capability. In particular we have shown an
`architecture for forwarding sensory data between wearable
`computers and how this architecture can be used to
`implement remote sensing applications. Furthermore, we
`have shown a real-world usage scenario for wearable
`remote sensing. The described applications are simple, yet
`we believe provide a glimpse of the future potential of
`wearable remote sensing systems. More sophisticated
`systems will include different and advanced types of
`sensors and more sophisticated user-interfaces. In future
`work we hope to apply remote sensing to other domains
`and integrate additional types of sensors.
`
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