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Perspectives on Classification in Synthetic Sciences: Unnatural Kinds (History and Philosophy of Technoscience)
by Julia R. S. BurstenThis volume launches a new series of contemporary conversations about scientific classification. Most philosophical conversations about kinds have focused centrally or solely on natural kinds, that is, kinds whose existence is not dependent on the scientific process of synthesis. This volume refocuses conversations about classification on unnatural, or synthetic, kinds via extensive study of three paradigm cases of unnatural kinds: nanomaterials, stem cells, and synthetic biology.
Perspectives on Complex Global Challenges: Education, Energy, Healthcare, Security, and Resilience
by Charles M. Vest William B. Rouse Elisabeth Pate-CornellExamines current and prospective challenges surrounding global challenges of education, energy, healthcare, security, and resilience This book discusses issues in large-scale systems in the United States and around the world. The authors examine the challenges of education, energy, healthcare, national security, and urban resilience. The book covers challenges in education including America's use of educational funds, standardized testing, and the use of classroom technology. On the topic of energy, this book examines debates on climate, the current and future developments of the nuclear power industry, the benefits and cost decline of natural gases, and the promise of renewable energy. The authors also discuss national security, focusing on the issues of nuclear weapons, terrorism and cyber security. Urban resilience is addressed in the context of natural threats such as hurricanes and floods. Studies the usage of a globalized benchmark for both student and pedagogical performance Covers topics such as surveillance, operational capabilities, movement of resources, and the pros and cons of globalization Examines big data, evolving medical methodologies and effects on the medical educational curriculum, and the positive effects of electronic records in healthcare data Perspectives on Complex Global Challenges: Education, Energy Healthcare, Security, and Resilience serves as a reference for government officials, personnel in security, business executives and system engineers.
Perspectives on Deep-Sea Mining: Sustainability, Technology, Environmental Policy and Management
by Rahul SharmaThis book is a sequel to ’Deep-Sea Mining: Resource Potential, Technical and Environmental Considerations’ (2017) and ‘Environmental Issues of Deep-Sea Mining: Impacts, Consequences and Policy Perspectives’ (2019), and aims to provide a comprehensive volume on different perspectives of deep-sea mining from specialists around the world. The work is timely, as deep-sea minerals continue to enthuse researchers involved in activities such as ascertaining their potential as alternative sources for critical metals for green energy and other industrial applications, as well as technology development for their sustainable exploration and exploitation, while addressing environmental concerns. With a steady increase in the number of contractors having exclusive rights over large tracts of seafloor in the ‘Area’, i.e. area beyond national jurisdictions, the International Seabed Authority, mandated with the responsibility of regulating such activities, is in the process of developing a code for exploitation of deep-sea minerals. These, coupled with growing interest among private entrepreneurs, investment companies and policy makers, underscore the need for updated information to be made available in one place on the subject of deep-sea mining. The book evaluates the potential and sustainability of mining for deep-sea minerals compared to other land-based deposits, the technologies needed for mining and processing of ores, the approach towards environmental monitoring and management, as well as the regulatory frameworks and legal challenges to manage deep-sea mining activities. The book is expected to serve as an important reference for all stakeholders including researchers, contractors, mining companies, regulators and NGOs involved in deep-sea mining.
Perspectives on Design and Digital Communication III: Research, Innovations and Best Practices (Springer Series in Design and Innovation #24)
by Nuno Martins Daniel Brandão Francisco PaivaThis book gathers new empirical findings fostering advances in the areas of digital and communication design, web, multimedia and motion design, graphic design, branding, and related ones. It includes original contributions by authoritative authors based on the best papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Digital Design and Communication, Digicom 2021, together with some invited chapters written by leading international researchers. They report on innovative design strategies supporting communication in a global, digital world, and addressing, at the same time, key individual and societal needs. This book is intended to offer a timely snapshot of technologies, trends and challenges in the area of design, communication and branding, and a bridge connecting researchers and professionals of different disciplines, such as graphic design, digital communication, corporate, UI Design and UX design.
Perspectives on Design and Digital Communication IV: Research, Innovations and Best Practices (Springer Series in Design and Innovation #33)
by Nuno Martins Daniel Brandão Adérito Fernandes-MarcosThis book gathers new empirical findings fostering advances in the areas of digital and communication design, web, multimedia and motion design, graphic design, branding, and related ones. It includes original contributions by authoritative authors based on the best papers presented at the 6th International Conference on Digital Design and Communication, Digicom 2022, together with some invited chapters written by leading international researchers. They report on innovative design strategies supporting communication in a global, digital world, and addressing, at the same time, key individual and societal needs. This book is intended to offer a timely snapshot of technologies, trends and challenges in the area of design, communication and branding, and a bridge connecting researchers and professionals of different disciplines, such as graphic design, digital communication, corporate, UI Design and UX design.
Perspectives on Design and Digital Communication V: Research, Innovations and Best Practices (Springer Series in Design and Innovation #50)
by Daniel Brandão Nuno Martins Emilia DuarteThis book gathers new empirical findings fostering advances in the areas of digital and communication design, web, multimedia and motion design, graphic design, branding, and related ones. It includes original contributions by authoritative authors based on the best papers presented at the 7th International Conference on Digital Design and Communication, Digicom 2023, together with some invited chapters written by leading international researchers. They report on innovative design strategies supporting communication in a global, digital world, and addressing, at the same time, key individual and societal needs. This book is intended to offer a timely snapshot of technologies, trends and challenges in the area of design, communication and branding, and a bridge connecting researchers and professionals of different disciplines, such as graphic design, digital communication, corporate, UI Design and UX design.
Perspectives on Design Education in India and Asia
by Peer M. Sathikh Ravi Poovaiah Venkatesh Rajamanickam Karin G. OenThis book spotlights design and media education in Asia, with contributors providing their reflections on curriculum development, pedagogy, and practice from Australia, China, Japan, India, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Turkey.The chapters provide in-depth and specific examples of how curricula and educational resources have been organised with respect to a wide variety of subjects, including aesthetics, engineering, and practice-based coursework. These course plans have also been adapted to respond to questions about integrating emerging technologies in the classroom and addressing changing industry needs as well as the need to encourage resilience and leadership skills across student and faculty cohorts. Although not an analysis of educational and industrial policies, some key documents such as The India Design Report of 1958 by Charles and Ray Eames and India’s National Education Policy of 2020 are referenced to provide important background information for understanding the past, present, and future of the design education ecosystem across the region.Presenting both historical context and practical contemporary applications of curricula in specific universities and design schools, this volume is compiled to share resources among faculty and researchers interested in global Asian design pedagogy who have previously relied upon publications centred on the UK and US contexts. It will appeal to design educators and anyone responsible for design education curricula across the Asian region and beyond.
Perspectives on Digital Humanism
by Hannes Werthner Carlo Ghezzi Edward A. Lee Erich PremThis open access book aims to set an agenda for research and action in the field of Digital Humanism through short essays written by selected thinkers from a variety of disciplines, including computer science, philosophy, education, law, economics, history, anthropology, political science, and sociology. This initiative emerged from the Vienna Manifesto on Digital Humanism and the associated lecture series. Digital Humanism deals with the complex relationships between people and machines in digital times. It acknowledges the potential of information technology. At the same time, it points to societal threats such as privacy violations and ethical concerns around artificial intelligence, automation and loss of jobs, ongoing monopolization on the Web, and sovereignty. Digital Humanism aims to address these topics with a sense of urgency but with a constructive mindset. The book argues for a Digital Humanism that analyses and, most importantly, influences the complex interplay of technology and humankind toward a better society and life while fully respecting universal human rights. It is a call to shaping technologies in accordance with human values and needs.
Perspectives on Digitally-Mediated Team Learning (Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations)
by Laurie O. Campbell Richard Hartshorne Ronald F. DeMaraThis book explores technology-supported andragogical and pedagogical approaches that facilitate teamwork, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving opportunities in diverse disciplines. Collaboration and communication skills are not typically developed in traditional STEM instructional practices.The purpose of the book includes expanding the learning science research base regarding how learning principles and strategies, including structured, collaborative, active, contextual, and engaging instructional settings, can support foundational STEM instruction and improve student interest and achievement. The chapters are classified into three categories: (a) empirical studies exploring the manner in which technology-enabled pedagogical principles and practices facilitate student interest in STEM courses, (b) exploration of logistical factors associated with revisioning STEM education and (c) theoretical underpinnings and literature review of digitally-mediated team learning. The book showcases full-length manuscripts advancing transformative approaches for technology-enhanced team learning within STEM disciplines. Contributions have been sought from interdisciplinary researchers, developers, and educators who engage in the research, development, and practice of adaptable digital environments for highly-effective, rewarding, and scalable team-based and collaborative learning. These include such topics as real-time tools for teams in classroom settings; learning analytics; effective technology-enabled pedagogies; and technology-enabled, collaborative, pedagogical approaches to broaden participation in STEM disciplines. Promising approaches and technologies to advance digitally-mediated team and collaborative learning are explored including learning analytics to form effective learning teams. Further, innovative cyber-assisted observation approaches for diagnostic/assessment observation and interaction with student teams, educational data mining of large volumes of collected data, and leveraging. The book will be of interest to Higher Education Faculty in STEM, Learning Scientist, and K-12 educators and learning coaches.
Perspectives on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering
by Atilla Ansal Mohamed SakrThis book offers a broad perspective on important topics in earthquake geotechnical engineering and gives specialists and those that are involved with research and application a more comprehensive understanding about the various topics. Consisting of eighteen chapters written by authors from the most seismic active regions of the world, such as USA, Japan, Canada, Chile, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Taiwan, and Turkey, the book reflects different views concerning how to assess and minimize earthquake damage. The authors, a prominent group of specialists in the field of earthquake geotechnical engineering, are the invited lecturers of the International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering from Case History to Practice in the honour of Professor Kenji Ishihara held in Istanbul, Turkey during 17-19 June 2013.
Perspectives on Energy Risk
by André Dorsman Timur Gök Mehmet Baha KaranSince the Industrial Revolution, the efficiency with which energy resources are extracted and converted into work has played a prominent role in the accumulation of material wealth The prominent role of energy resources, in conjunction with their scarcity and their uneven geographic distribution, has had significant repercussions. Collaboration, competition and conflict among nation states for energy resources have created global, geopolitical and market risks. In this volume, academic scholars and practitioners assess these risks from global, geopolitical and market perspectives. They do so by presenting empirical research and discussing our current understanding of this quickly changing and developing field. This is the third volume in a series on energy organized by the Centre for Energy and Value Issues (CEVI). The previous volumes in the series were Financial Aspects in Energy (2011) and Energy Economics and Financial Markets (2012).
Perspectives on Engineering Uncertainty: Civil Nuclear Energy Safety and Efficiency
by William Nuttall Edoardo Patelli Ewan Smith David Webbe-Wood Simon MiddleburghThis open access book considers the role of uncertainty in the design and development of large-scale engineering systems. The focus of the book is the safe behaviour of nuclear power plants in both routine operations and in incident situations. The book introduces various types of uncertainty and addresses the extent to which uncertainties may be reduced. The role of multiple dimensions of uncertainty is discussed, as is the importance of modern computational techniques in handling large data sets. Modern IT also provides engineers with new tools, such as digital twins with the potential to greatly reduce cost both in design and in operations. The book focuses on both system safety and efficiency and, to do this, reference is made to the Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (AGR). The AGR is a mature established system through which the book elucidates various key concepts and ideas. As well as being of interest to those working in the nuclear industry, the book is likely to appeal to those working in other safety critical engineering sectors and, for example, reference is made to experiences in aviation and railway engineering. This is neither a text book nor a review, it is a primer for those seeking an introduction to modern approaches to uncertainty.
Perspectives on Environmental Management and Technology in Asian River Basins
by David HiggittAsian river basins are undergoing rapid transformation. This volume considers the implications of the environmental change-development nexus for water management, river health and hazard awareness. As Biswas and Tortajada (2011) have recently commented, water management in Asia will likely change more in the next twenty years than in the last 2000 years. Critical environmental trends include decreasing flows of water and sediment due to dam construction and increased water extraction, land use change (especially forest removal), encroachment and degradation of floodplain and wetland environments, increased water demand and concerns about water security, urban expansion and associated pollution of rivers and contamination of groundwater reserves. These challenges are being reframed by new approaches to water management which represent a transition from engineering-dominated approaches towards integrated water management, from technology transfer to adaptive technologies. The volume comprises an introduction and five chapters. Brierley and Callum reframe approaches to river repair within emerging theories of in ecology and earth science which regard nature as a complex adaptive system replete with inherent uncertainties. These ideas are mirrored in the four case study chapters which deal with water governance in the Mekong Basin (Hirsch); hybrid adoption of water resource technologies in India (Barbanente et al.); determination of sediment dynamics in Java Rijsdijk); and ecological conservation imperatives in the headwaters of the Yellow, Yangtze and Mekong rivers in western China (Li et al.).
Perspectives on European Earthquake Engineering and Seismology
by Atilla AnsalThis book collects 5 keynote and 15 topic lectures presented at the 2nd European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (2ECEES), held in Istanbul, Turkey, from August 24 to 29, 2014. The conference was organized by the Turkish Earthquake Foundation - Earthquake Engineering Committee and Prime Ministry, Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency under the auspices of the European Association for Earthquake Engineering (EAEE) and European Seismological Commission (ESC). The book's twenty state-of-the-art papers were written by the most prominent researchers in Europe and address a comprehensive collection of topics on earthquake engineering, as well as interdisciplinary subjects such as engineering seismology and seismic risk assessment and management. Further topics include engineering seismology, geotechnical earthquake engineering, seismic performance of buildings, earthquake-resistant engineering structures, new techniques and technologies and managing risk in seismic regions. The book also presents the Third Ambraseys Distinguished Award Lecture given by Prof. Robin Spence in honor of Prof. Nicholas N. Ambraseys. The aim of this work is to present the state-of-the art and latest practices in the fields of earthquake engineering and seismology, with Europe's most respected researchers addressing recent and ongoing developments while also proposing innovative avenues for future research and development. Given its cutting-edge content and broad spectrum of topics, the book offers a unique reference guide for researchers in these fields. Audience: This book is of interest to civil engineers in the fields of geotechnical and structural earthquake engineering; scientists and researchers in the fields of seismology, geology and geophysics. Not only scientists, engineers and students, but also those interested in earthquake hazard assessment and mitigation will find in this book the most recent advances.
Perspectives on Music, Sound and Musicology: Research, Education and Practice (Current Research in Systematic Musicology #10)
by Luísa Correia Castilho Rui Dias José Francisco PinhoThis book gathers a set of works highlighting significant advances in the areas of music and sound. They report on innovative music technologies, acoustics, findings in musicology, new perspectives and techniques for composition, sound design and sound synthesis, and methods for music education and therapy. Further, they cover interesting topics at the intersection between music and computing, design and social sciences. Chapters are based on extended and revised versions of the best papers presented during the 6th and 7th editions of EIMAD–Meeting of Research in Music, Arts and Design, held in 2020 and 2021, respectively, at the School of Applied Arts in Castelo Branco, Portugal. All in all, this book provides music researchers, educators and professionals with authoritative information about new trends and techniques, and a source of inspiration for future research, practical developments, and for establishing collaboration between experts from different fields.
Perspectives on Music, Sound and Musicology II: Sounding Images: Sights, Sounds and Sensualities
by Luísa Correia Castilho Rui Sampaio Dias Luzia Rocha António de Sousa DiasThis book gathers a set of peer-reviewed works at the intersection between music, sound, and image research and practice. They are based on presentations contributed to the EIMAD–Meeting of Research in Music, Arts and Design conference, held at the Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco, Portugal, in 2020 and 2022, under the theme: "Sounding Images”. Authored by researchers in musicology, musical iconography, cinema and audiovisuals, digital arts, composition, sound art, and data sonification, the 21 chapters of this book offer a valuable resource and source of inspiration for professionals, researchers and general audiences in these interconnected fields.
Perspectives on Our Age: Jacques Ellul Speaks on his Life and Work
by Jacques EllulOriginally broadcast on CBC Radio's Ideas as a series of interviews, Jacques Ellul's first-person approach here makes his ideas accessible to readers looking for new ways of understanding our society, and also gives unique new insight into Ellul's life, his work, and the origins and development of his beliefs and theories. Jacques Ellul, historian, theologian, and sociologist, was one of the foremost and widely known contemporary critics of modern technological society.
Perspectives on Social LCA: Contributions from the 6th International Conference (SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science)
by Marzia Traverso Luigia Petti Alessandra ZamagniThis book gives a selection of contributions from the 6th Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) Conference in Pescara, Italy. S-LCA is a social (real and potential) impact assessment method that aims to drive improvements in order to increase the value of products and services. It helps organizations to plan better, implement more effectively, and promote scale initiatives. More in general, the assessment activity also facilitates accountability and supports stakeholder communication. Consumers are greatly aware of the provenance of the goods they purchase. They have greater access to product information than ever before, also thanks to the new digital platforms. They are also empowered to make more responsible purchase decisions about what concerns sustainability aspects. Therefore the need to linger on the social aspects has been emerging recently. Although the business evolution of environmental methods and metrics has advanced significantly over the past decades, tools and metrics to estimate the social aspects of products and services are in progress. In this volume several sections provide methodological developments and tool focus, contextualizing S-LCA scientifically and explore the fields of applications. Through current development (conferences, articles, seminars and industry group publications), the method is spreading, evolving and gaining in maturity. However, it still is an evolving field, and main developments foresee, both at the level of methodology and results, interpretation and communication in order to find a path forward. S-LCA has been changing since the beginnings. From our observations as educators, researchers, practitioners, and peer reviewers in the S-LCA community, there are trends that are of importance us.
Perspectives on Strategic Environmental Assessment
by Maria Rosário Partidário Ray ClarkAn environmental assessment must be performed whenever a property transaction takes place. Those who donít may find themselves responsible for the past misdeeds of others. This book contains contributions by professionals from various locations who use Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as a tool applied to water management issues. SEA helps make decisions that increase sustainability. Because of its procedural nature, it necessarily becomes tailor-made to different applications. Easily understood and geographic in scope, this book presents leading edge thinking and first hand knowledge on the applications of SEA in water management.Perspectives on Strategic Environmental Assessment is a comprehensive guidebook for performing environmental assessments all over the world. No other source provides you with as much information on the applications of SEA as a policy assessment and management tool. This book provides a blueprint for environmental assessments that safeguards you from the oversights of others.
Perspectives on Wearable Enhanced Learning (WELL): Current Trends, Research, and Practice
by Ilona Buchem Ralf Klamma Fridolin WildWearable technologies – such as smart glasses, smart watches, smart objects, or smart garments – are potential game-changers, breaking ground and offering new opportunities for learning. These devices are body-worn, equipped with sensors, and integrate ergonomically into everyday activities. With wearable technologies forging new human-computer relations, it is essential to look beyond the current perspective of how technologies may be used to enhance learning. This edited volume,“Perspectives on Wearable Enhanced Learning,” aims to take a multidisciplinary view on wearable enhanced learning and provide a comprehensive overview of current trends, research, and practice in diverse learning contexts including school and work-based learning, higher education, professional development, vocational training, health and healthy aging programs, smart and open learning, and work. This volume features current state of the art wearable enhanced learning and explores how these technologies have begun to mark the transition from the desktop through the mobile to the age of wearable, ubiquitous technology-enhanced learning.
Persuasive Communication for Science and Technology Leaders: Writing and Speaking with Confidence (IEEE Press Series on Technology Management, Innovation, and Leadership)
by Stephen WilbersPersuasiveCommunication for Science and Technology Leaders Explore this insightful guide to the development of persuasive leadership skills perfect for students and managers in technical fields Many technical managers receive little or no training in the persuasive arts. Though technically skilled, they often lack the ability to engage effectively with an audiences outside their field. Persuasive Communication for Science and Technology Leaders: Writing and Speaking with Confidence delivers a thorough treatment of how to connect with audiences whose knowledge, values, personal experiences, ethnic background, gender, and worldview may differ from their own. Written in a highly readable and entertaining style, this book goes beyond the scope of a standard textbook on persuasive communication. Its practical lessons illustrate the techniques of effective scientific and technical writing while emphasizing values-based leadership for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world, a theme that seems particularly pertinent during these times of multiple crises, misinformation campaigns, and science denial. The distinguished speaker and author explores the broader importance of language and explains various techniques for expanding your expressive range and your professional influence. He will also teach you methods for conveying information clearly and precisely as well as in ways that inspire and leave a lasting impression. You will also benefit from: A thorough introduction to knowing and connecting with your audience, using voice, tone, and point of view for results, and engaging your reader with compelling openings An exploration of explaining complex technologies clearly, succeeding with challenging writing assignments, and applying a variety of persuasive strategies for agile responses to a rapidly changing world An examination of speaking effectively while thinking on your feet, including how to create a safety net and how to recover from momentary lapses Easy-to-remember guidance on avoiding common language errors that might undermine your credibility or, worse yet, make people stop listening to you Perfect for undergraduate and graduate students in scientific and technical fields such as engineering, geology, botany, climatology, and epidemiology, Persuasive Communication for Science and Technology Leaders: Writing and Speaking with Confidence will earn a place in the libraries of technical managers and leaders who seek to better connect with their audiences.
Perturbation Methods and Nonlinear Phenomena: Applications to Continuous Mechanical Systems (Synthesis Lectures on Engineering, Science, and Technology)
by Angelo Luongo Daniele Zulli Manuel Ferretti Francesco D’AnnibaleThis concise text introduces the reader to the use of perturbation methods, able to investigate nonlinear phenomena in continuous (not only discrete) mechanical systems. Distinct from the classic books on perturbation methods, the algorithms are directly illustrated for continuous systems, referring to a very simple case-study as well as to a metamodel, for which Statics, Buckling, Dynamics and Bifurcation behavior are quickly analyzed. Moreover, fundamental mechanical aspects are discussed in dealing with applications. Concepts herein are reinforced with worked examples at the end the book, relevant to several continuous systems.
Perturbation Methods in Science and Engineering
by Reza N. JazarPerturbation Methods in Science and Engineering provides the fundamental and advanced topics in perturbation methods in science and engineering, from an application viewpoint. This book bridges the gap between theory and applications, in new as well as classical problems. The engineers and graduate students who read this book will be able to apply their knowledge to a wide range of applications in different engineering disciplines. The book begins with a clear description on limits of mathematics in providing exact solutions and goes on to show how pioneers attempted to search for approximate solutions of unsolvable problems. Through examination of special applications and highlighting many different aspects of science, this text provides an excellent insight into perturbation methods without restricting itself to a particular method. This book is ideal for graduate students in engineering, mathematics, and physical sciences, as well as researchers in dynamic systems.
Perturbation Theory: Mathematics, Methods and Applications (Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science Series)
by Giuseppe GaetaThis volume in the Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science, Second Edition, is devoted to the fundamentals of Perturbation Theory (PT) as well as key applications areas such as Classical and Quantum Mechanics, Celestial Mechanics, and Molecular Dynamics. Less traditional fields of application, such as Biological Evolution, are also discussed. Leading scientists in each area of the field provide a comprehensive picture of the landscape and the state of the art, with the specific goal of combining mathematical rigor, explicit computational methods, and relevance to concrete applications. New to this edition are chapters on Water Waves, Rogue Waves, Multiple Scales methods, legged locomotion, Condensed Matter among others, while all other contributions have been revised and updated. Coverage includes the theory of (Poincare’-Birkhoff) Normal Forms, aspects of PT in specific mathematical settings (Hamiltonian, KAM theory, Nekhoroshev theory, and symmetric systems), technical problems arising in PT with solutions, convergence of series expansions, diagrammatic methods, parametric resonance, systems with nilpotent real part, PT for non-smooth systems, and on PT for PDEs [write out this acronym partial differential equations]. Another group of papers is focused specifically on applications to Celestial Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics and the related semiclassical PT, Quantum Bifurcations, Molecular Dynamics, the so-called choreographies in the N-body problem, as well as Evolutionary Theory. Overall, this unique volume serves to demonstrate the wide utility of PT, while creating a foundation for innovations from a new generation of graduate students and professionals in Physics, Mathematics, Mechanics, Engineering and the Biological Sciences.
Pervasive Ambient Communication for Internet of Things
by Wei Gong Yimeng Huang Jia Zhao Jiangchuan LiuThis book covers several essential aspects of pervasive ambient backscatter communication, one of the most cutting-edge technologies for Internet-of-Things. It begins with introductory Part I, which presents visions, basic concepts, principles, and paradigms of ambient backscatter. Also, a taxonomy of state-of-the-art ambient backscatter systems is provided from the perspective of the OSI model. Part II and III study how ambient backscatter systems work on the communication and networking levels. Specifically, Part II discusses in detail how to make use of ambient WiFi signals to provide high-throughput backscatter communications with WiFi 1 (chapter 5), WiFi 2-3 (chapter 4), WiFi 4 (chapter 3), WiFi 5-6 (chapter 6) standards. Further, Part III includes several of the most advanced ambient backscatter network solutions, which are made possible by the first multi-hop backscatter (chapter 7), first backscatter mesh (chapter 8), and multiprotocol backscatter (chapter 9). On top of reliable communication and networks, we propose two novel applications that are thought impossible before, lightweight spatial sound recording over the air (chapter 10) and self-powered wireless wearables for healthcare (chapter 11). To conclude the monograph, we point out critical challenges for realizing the vision of pervasive backscatter IoTs and potential directions of ambient backscatter applications. The book provides an in-depth understanding of ambient backscatter technologies. In particular, we mainly take ubiquitous WiF signals as the communication sources and adopt a top-down approach to introduce three crucial subjects: WiFi backscatter communication, ambient backscatter network, and self-powered application systems. For each subject, we carefully divide it into several relatively independent topics, which come with the latest advances in pervasive backscatter and include extensive discussions of closely related state-of-the-art methodologies.