ODISEA: Active Environments for Intelligent Offices and Homes Xavier Alamán, Eloy Anguiano , Fernando Corbacho, Francisco Gómez, Pablo A. Haya, Javier Martínez and Germán Montoro Dpto. Ingeniería Informática, E.T.S de Informática Universidad Autónoma de Madrid 28049 Madrid Xavier.Alaman@ii.uam.es 1. Introduction The main goal of this project is the creation of a highly interactive environments based on multi-modal user interfaces (speech recognition, computer vision, etc.). These environments will be able not only to observe the users but also to participate in their everyday tasks. They can be implanted in, for instance, a household, an office, an industrial control room, or a navigation setting (driver assistants). In this framework we will develop a series of agents and the corresponding integrating architecture that will allow to include cameras, microphones, and, in general, all kinds of sensors (smoke, water) in the "active" environment. All these, along with image processing mechanisms, gesture recognition, speech recognition, natural language processing, robust speech control and other similar technologies, will allow a natural and fluid interaction with the environment. We shall also implement an intelligent room as the test laboratory for all these technologies. Such a room will be able to interact with its inhabitants through voice and gestures, will be context sensitive, and will be able to anticipate to events occurring within it. In the same manner we shall implement natural language interfaces in all project participants’ offices so that the overall system would be tested under real conditions. 2. Prior Work The concept of ubiquitous computing was initially defined by Mark Weiser in 1991 [1]. According to Weiser, both the ubiquity and the transparency of the system are the salient characteristics of ubiquitous computing. Perhaps one of the earlier implementations of a ubiquitous system is the Olivetti Active Badge system [2]. One of the first applications of this technology was to locate a person quickly on a campus.