Sensor network could aid mass transit.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Robotics innovations - Brief article

Human behavior can be observed and analyzed accurately by a complex sensor network, a system that ultimately could benefit public transportation, homeland security, and crime prevention, reports a research team at the Indiana University School of Informatics, Indianapolis, and two universities in Japan.

The researchers evaluated a distributed sensor network they deployed in the JR Kyoto subway station in Japan as part of the Digital City Surveillance Project. They blanketed the station with a sensor network of 28 wide-view cameras, and developed a system that "learned" from a station operator to recognize what people were doing in the concourse. The system then audibly told operators about events like overcrowding so operators could respond promptly. "The advantage of this system is that it doesn't require an expert to design it to recognize a certain kind of event. Station operators can do that as new situations arise," explains Karl F. MacDorman, associate professor of informatics.

MacDorman, an android science and robotics specialist, points out that sensor networks are becoming increasingly important in supporting interaction between humans and...