Description

Abstract. The evolution of technology in support to the Knowledge
Society of the years 2000s will be driven by three dominant trends: a)
increase of richness and completeness of communications towards ”Immersive
Virtual Telepresence” (IVT), including an increased attention to
the aspects of human perception and of person-machine interaction; b)
increasingly relevant role of mobility starting from the UMTS ”Beyond
3rd Generation” (B3G); c) pervasive diffusion of intelligence in the space
around us through the development of network technologies towards the
objective of ”Ambient Intelligence” (AmI). This tutorial paper intends
to provide an insight on some of the main technologies that will allow the
development of this new perspective, as well as on perception issues and
related human factors. The paper also provides information on ongoing
and planned projects on virtual technologies and ambient intelligence technologies.