Οι ομιλίες παρουσιάζονται στην Αίθουσα Τηλεδιασκέψεων Κέντρου Διαχείρισης Δικτύων. Πιθανές εξαιρέσεις θα ανακοινώνονται ανά περίπτωση.
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12 Ιουλίου (Πέμπτη, 12:00)
Ομιλητής: Prof. Fotios Talantzis
"Multimodal Perceptual Interfaces For Smart Spaces"
 

Identifying people and tracking their locations is a key prerequisite to achieving context awareness in smart spaces. Moreover, in realistic context-aware applications, these tasks have to be carried out in a non-obtrusive fashion. In this presentation we will look into a set of robust person-identification and tracking algorithms, based on audio and visual processing. A main characteristic of these algorithms is that they operate on far-field and un-constrained audio–visual streams, which ensure that they are non-intrusive. We also illustrate that the combination of their outputs can lead to composite multimodal tracking components, which are suitable for supporting a broad range of context-aware services. In combining audio–visual processing results, we briefly exploit a context-modeling approach for the implementation of realistic prototype applications that make use of the full range of audio, visual and multimodal algorithms.

Short CV:
Dr. Fotios Talantzis, obtained his BEng in Electronic and Computer Engineering in 2000. He followed this by an MSc (Telecommunications and Signal Processing) and a PhD on Acoustical Signal Processing in Imperial College London. His work during his studies dealt with creation of mathematical models that investigated the robustness of 3-D audio and hands-free telephony. In general, his research allowed for a series of journal and conference publications while in parallel he enriched his professional skills by working as a consultant in respectful Greek and UK companies. In April 2004 he returned to Greece to join Athens Information Technology in which he works as an Assistant Professor. He also serves as a visiting academic in Imperial College London. His work now concentrates on development of technologies that enable creation of nonobtrusive environments. He has general research interests that deal with acoustic source localization, blind source separation, adaptive signal processing and filter design.

11 Ιουλίου (Τετάρτη, 12:00)
Ομιλητής: Καθ. Παύλος-Πέτρος Σωτηριάδης
"Διοφαντική Σύνθεση Συχνότητας (Diophantine Frequency Synthesis) - Αριθμο-Θεωρητική Προσέγγιση στην Σύνθεση Συχνοτήτων"
 

Η συνθεση συχνοτητας πολυ υψηλης διακριτικοτητας (μικρου βηματος) ειναι θεμελιωδους σημασιας σε συστηματα πλοηγησης, χρονισμου, επιστημονικων μετρησεων, πυρηνικης-μαγνητικης απεικονισης καθως και εξειδικευμενων συστηματων τηλεπικοινωνιας. Οι υπαρχουσες μεθοδοι συνθεσης συχνοτητας υψηλης διακριτικοτητας επιβαλλουν περιορισμους μεταξυ του βηματος-συχνοτητας, ευρους συχνοτητας, φασματικης καθαροτητας του συντιθεμενου σηματος, της ταχυτητας μεταβασης συχνοτητας καθως και του φυσικου μεγεθους και της πολυπλοκοτητας του συνθετητη. Αυτοι οι περιορισμοι συχνα αποκλειουν πολλες πρακτικες εφαρμογες. Η Διοφαντικη Συνθεση Συχνοτητας (DFS) ειναι μια νεα, γενικη μεθοδος συνθεσης συχνοτητας που βασιζεται σε μαθηματικες ιδιοτητες των ακεραιων αριθμων και Διοφαντικες εξισωσεις. H DFS εφαρμοζεται αμεσα με χρηση βροχων κλειδωμενης φασης και οδηγει σε αρχιτεκτονικες με εξαιρετικα υψηλη διακριτικοτητα (μικρο βημα), γρηγορη μεταβαση συχνοτητας και καθαρο φασμα, ιδιαιτερως κοντα στο φερον σημα.

Short CV:
Ο Καθ. Παυλος-Πετρος Σωτηριάδης αποφοιτησε απο την σχολη Ηλεκτρολογων Μηχανηκων και Μηχανικων Υπολογιστων του Εθνικου Μετσοβιου Πολυτεχνειου το 1994 με βαθμο πτυχειου 9.91 (μέγιστη), απεκτησε το Μαστερ (MSEE) απο το τμημα Ηλεκτρολογων Μηχανικων του Πανεπιστημιου Stanford της Καλιφορνιας, ΗΠΑ το 1996 και το Διδακτορικο απο το Τεχνολογικο Ινστιτουτο της Μασσαχουσσετης (ΜΙΤ) το 2002. Απο τοτε ειναι Επικουρος Καθηγητης στο Πανεπιστημιο Johns Hopkins του Mερυλαντ, HΠA. Τα ενδιαφεροντα του περιλαμβανουν την σχεδιαση, βελτιστοποιηση και μαθηματικη μοντελοποιηση αναλογικων κυκλωματων και κυκλωματων μεικτου-σηματος καθως και τηλεπικοινωνιακων και μικροκυματικων διαταξεων. Εχει ιδαιτερο ενδιαφερον σε συστηματα συνθεσης συχνοτητας, χρονισμου και πλοηγησης (GPS). Στο παρελθον εχει εργαστει επισης σε δικτυα διασυνδεσης σε μικρο-επεξεργαστες βασισμενους σε τεχνολογιες νανο-μετρικης κλιμακας. Ο Καθ. Σωτηριαδης δημοσιευει σε περιοδικα και διεθνη συνεδρια του ΙΕΕΕ, εχει συμμετασχει σε επιτροπες κρισης του Εθνικου Ιδρυματος Επιστημων των ΗΠΑ και ειναι Associate Editor του περιοδικου IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems?II καθως και κριτης σε πολλα περιοδικα και συνεδρια. Συνεργαζεται ερευνητικα με το Διαστημικο κεντρο του Εργαστηριου Εφαρμοσμενης Φυσικης του Μερυλαντ, ΗΠΑ, την NASA (JPL), το Ερευνητικο Εργαστηριο του Στρατου, ΗΠΑ, καθως και την Ιατρικη Σχολη του Πανεπιστημιου Johns Hopkins.

1 Ιουνίου (Παρασκευή, 14:00)
Ομιλητής: Prof. Georgios B. Giannakis
"Distributed Estimation Using Wireless Sensor Networks"
 

Envisioned applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) include surveillance, monitoring and tracking tasks. These motivate well decentralized estimation and smoothing of deterministic and (non)stationary random signals using (possibly correlated) observations collected across distributed sensors. In this talk we present state-of-the-art algorithms for consensus-based distributed estimation using ad hoc WSNs where sensors communicate over single-hop noisy links. The novel framework reformulates basic estimation criteria such as least-squares, maximum-likelihood, maximum a posteriori, and linear mean-square error, as decomposable, constrained, convex optimization problems that are amenable to distributed solutions. The resultant distributed estimators are provably convergent to their centralized counterparts and robust to communication noise. Besides stationary, the framework encompasses prediction, estimation and smoothing of non-stationary signals through distributed Kalman filtering.

Short CV:
G. B. Giannakis received his B.Sc. in 1981 from the Ntl. Tech. Univ. of Athens, Greece and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 1983 and 1986 from the Univ. of Southern California. Since 1999 he has been a professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota, where he now holds an Endowed ADC Chair in Wireless Telecommunications. His general interests span the areas of communications, networking, signal processing, estimation and detection theory -- subjects on which he has published more than 250 journal papers, 400 conference papers, two research monographs and two edited books. Current research focuses on wireless networks, complex-field and space-time coding, ultra-wideband and cognitive radios, cross-layer designs and wireless sensor networks. He is the (co-)recipient of six best paper awards from the IEEE Signal Processing (SP) and Communications Societies (1992, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004) and also received the SP Society's Technical Achievement Award in 2000 as well as the EURASIP Technical Achievement Award in 2005. He is an IEEE Fellow since 1997, currently a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE, and has served the IEEE in various editorial and organizational posts.

18 Δεκεμβρίου (Δευτέρα, 13:00)
Ομιλητής: Prof. Athina P. Petropulu
"ALLIANCES: A New Cooperative Cross-Layer Approach for Wireless Networks"
 

We propose a new media access protocol for wireless networks, named ALLIANCES, that due to its ability to resolve collisions can achieve high throughput. We view the wireless network as a spatially distributed antenna with antenna elements linked via the wireless channel. When there is a collision, the collided packets are saved in a buffer. In the slots following the collision, a set of nodes designated as non-regenerative relays, form an alliance and retransmit the signal that they received during the collision slot. By processing the originally collided packets and the signals forwarded by the relays, the destination node can recover the original packets. The proposed scheme maintains the benefits of ALOHA systems, i.e., needs no scheduling overhead and is suitable for bursty sources, such as multimedia sources. It also offers the benefits of multi-antenna systems, i.e., spatial diversity while employing a single transmit/receive antenna at each node. Spatial diversity enables it to be robust to the wireless channel. The proposed approach achieves higher throughput and energy savings than existing techniques that allow for multiple packet reception.

Short CV:
Athina P. Petropulu received the Diploma in Electrical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece in 1986, the M.Sc. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1988 and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1991, both from Northeastern University, Boston, MA. In 1992, she joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Drexel University where she is now a Professor.  During the academic year 1999/2000 she was an Associate Professor at Universit? Paris Sud, ?cole Sup?rieure d'Electr?cit? in France.  Dr. Petropulu's research interests span the area of statistical signal processing, wireless communications and networking and ultrasound imaging. She is the recipient of the 1995 Presidential Faculty Fellow Award in Electrical Engineering given by NSF and the White House. She is the co-author (with C.L. Nikias) of the textbook entitled, "Higher-Order Spectra Analysis: A Nonlinear Signal Processing Framework," (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1993). She has served as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing and the IEEE Signal Processing Letters, and is a member of the editorial board of the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine and the EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking. She is IEEE SPS Vice President-Conferences and member of the IEEE Signal Processing Board of Governors. She was the General Chair of the 2005 International Conference on Acoustics Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP-05), Philadelphia PA. She is a co-recipient of the 2005 IEEE Signal Processing Magazine Best Paper Award.

12 Δεκεμβρίου (Τρίτη, 14:00)
Ομιλητής: Prof. Claude Cadoz
"Sound synthesis and musical composition using the physical modelling – The CORDIS-ANIMA language and the GENESIS environment for musical creation"
 

Being pioneers in the physical modelling techniques for sound synthesis and animated images, ACROE team and ICA (Computer Arts) laboratory, from Grenoble developed a specific formalism, the CORDIS-ANIMA language, and several environments for its practice in the fields of artistic creation. GENESIS is one of these software environments dedicated to sound synthesis and musical creation.I will present the concepts underlying this approach and the GENESIS environment itself. After presentation of several typical examples of synthesis of new and rich variety of sounds, I will introduce a new paradigm for musical composition, founded on the power of physical modelling and of the CORDIS-ANIMA concept as system for representation and experimentation of dynamic systems and physical phenomena.I will present several extracts of musical pieces and artistic audio-visual works illustrating this approach.

Short CV:
Prof. Claude Cadoz was born in 1948. Director of the ACROE (Computer Arts) research group he founded in 1976 with Annie Luciani and Jean-Loup Florens Research Engineer of French Ministry of Culture and Communication PhD on Computer Sciences, INPG (1979). After his PhD, during which he invented the sound synthesis by physical model and devised the bases of the CORDIS-ANIMA language, he launched, with his two colleagues Annie Luciani and Jean-Loup Florens, an ambitious research program on computer arts through physical modelling, multisenory interactive simulation, and instrumental interaction with computer using force-feedback gestural interfaces. The ACROE group is considered as one of the pioneers of the Virtual Reality current. He built, with J. -L. Florens, one of the first force-feedback devices in the world and gets several patents on the following ones. At ACROE, he is more particularly in charge of the computer music research. He developed, with Nicolas Castagn?, the GENESIS environment, dedicated to sound synthesis and musical composition with the CORDIS-ANIMA physical modelling approach. He wrote many articles on computer music, man-machine interaction, physical modelling. He wrote a book on Virtual Reality, and he composed several musical pieces using the GENESIS environment. He founded and is responsible of the “Art, Science and Technology” master of the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG). C. Cadoz is also member of the board of administrators of the institute IRCAM in Paris since 1983.

24 Νοεμβρίου (Παρασκευή, 14:00)
Ομιλητής: Dr. George Kontopidis
"Transforming Telecommunications to Comm 2.0"
 

The telecommunications infrastructure established in the early 1900’s served voice interconnectivity of residential and business sites for almost 100 years. For the past 10 years we see an explosive growth of the mobile communications fueled by technological advances in the wireless infrastructure. What was accomplished in 100 years in the land-line space, was surpassed with the accomplishments of mobiles in an accelerated factor of 10. In the parallel universe of datacom, the web penetrated the day-to-day life of everyone and recently created a new platform, what is called Web 2.0. This presentation puts into perspective the two major platonic shifts in the communications world: the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and the Web 2.0 platform. We will discuss the worldwide status of IMS, the rationale of its creation and the major players. We will also discuss why Web 2.0 is important and how the combination of both will fuel a service oriented economy and better global human interactivity. This is a lead-in the end-to-end communications and the requirement to design platforms and applications spanning from the handsets to the network services. It is expected that during the next five years, we will be able to enrich the human communications by another factor of 10 across the globe – this is a huge opportunity for the next generation of entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers!

Short CV:
Dr. George Kontopidis is the SVP of Products and Technology Strategy for the NMS Communications. He monitors new technologies, assesses their potential to become new products and shapes the roadmap of core enabling platforms for innovating network services. He joined NMS in 1989 as the VP of Engineering growing the development staff from seven engineers to 220. He participated in the architecture, design and implementation of flagship media processing products. He held multiple leadership positions, including General Management of the New Network Access group and the Director of the Advanced Platforms Group. Before joining NMS, he worked for Sea Data Corporation, which became famous for the high quality underwater autonomous instruments and environmental monitoring systems. During his tenure, he got involved with several start-up companies and consulting firms in US and Europe and taught part-time classes in the Harvard Extension School. His has an EE/ME Diploma from the National Technical University of Athens, a MSEE degree in Computer Engineering & Automatic Control and a PhD degree in Signal Processing from the University of New Hampshire. He is an active member of various professional societies including IEEE, ACM, MIT Enterprise Forum, and the Tie Boston Group.