Peek into a small room in the basement of the Sid Richardson Building, and you’ll find students busily creating a world where Jane Jetson might feel comfortable.

Home to the Crescent Lab for Intelligent Systems, the apartment-style space is home to complicated, state-of-the-art equipment designed to make life simpler.

The demonstration lab combines gadgets available now – like RoboMaid cordless floor sweepers – with technology developed by students and faculty to power the next generation of smart home products.

Students have already developed a kitchen software program that inventories the pantry and refrigerator, generating menus that take into account the likes, dislikes or even allergies of different family members as well as the groceries on hand. Projects include creating a personality for the lab’s virtual human – Charlie – who communicates with researchers and guests from a huge flat-panel TV screen in the living room. With semblances of a sense of humor, Charlie hums when she’s bored and rolls her eyes at appropriate times.

Jonathan Clark, a computer science senior, is collaborating with Charles J. Hannon, assistant professor of computer science, on a natural language processing project that takes a cognitive approach in its core intelligence.

“We try to solve this problem of making the home intelligent by emulating human intelligence as opposed to just coming up with algorithms that work,” Clark explained. This would enable the smart home to determine who is speaking as well the speaker’s authority. “For instance, if a small child, like a 4-year-old, says, ‘Make me a meal of two dozen chocolate chip cookies right now’ – well, maybe we don’t want to listen to that.”
A long-term goal is to add a robot arm that could carry out commands like, “Bring me a Frappuccino.” The ceiling is designed to accommodate a track, but researchers are having a difficult time finding a medical company that would like to donate the arm.

While Crescent researchers have a particular interest in technologies to meet elderly and special needs, they’re looking for things that can make life easier for anyone.

“The exciting thing about being an engineer is getting to create things,” said Lisa J. Burnell, associate professor of computer science. “You have the ability to improve people’s lives. It truly is a creative process.”

The work is wide in scope. Crescent researchers are working with the TCU Psychology Department to create a virtual human that can simulate conversation for a Web site designed to offer support to foster families. And Burnell and her students have an ongoing relationship with the University of Texas at Arlington’s Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering Department (the two departments have co-taught courses and shared in the NSF grant), as well as Texas Tech’s Management Information Systems Department to collaborate with business students to help determine market needs.

In addition, Antonio Sanchez, lecturer of computer science, is collaborating with three universities in Mexico to bring graduate students to work alongside TCU faculty and undergrad researchers, and the lab is working on a proposal to partner with faculty and students in Trier, Germany.

Looking ahead, Crescent faculty members want to remain on the cutting edge of technology, but they have neither the desire or the financing to pursue commercialization of their products. But as faculty (and students) publish and present their findings in academic circles, others may pick up the baton. “Many of the ideas we’re looking at will become products – not by us, but by someone else,” Sanchez said.