New approaches for localization and activity sensing in smart environments

Smart environments need to be able to fulfill the wishes of its occupants unobtrusively. To achieve this goal, it has to be guaranteed that the current state environment is perceived at all times. One of the most important aspects is to find the current position of the in- habitants and to perceive how they move in this environment. Numerous technologies enable such supervision. Particularly challenging are marker-free systems that are also privacy-preserving. In this paper, we present two such systems for localizing inhabitants in a Smart Environment using - electrical potential sensing and ultrasonic Doppler sensing. We present methods that infer location and track the user, based on the acquired sensor data. Finally, we discuss the advantages and challenges of these sensing technologies and provide an overview of future research directions.