Abdelsalam (Sumi) Helal——Smart Home in a Box | CNCC2025特邀报告

摘要：现任意大利博洛尼亚大学（University of Bologna）计算机科学与工程教授。此前，他曾在美国佛罗里达大学（University of Florida）任职26年，期间主导建立了移动与普适计算实验室（Mobile and Pervasive Com

意大利博洛尼亚大学(University of Bologna)计算机科学与工程教授Abdelsalam (Sumi) Helal将出席CNCC2025并将发表特邀报告——Smart Home in a Box：Lessons Learned in Designing Assistive and Intelligent Living Environments for Graceful Aging.

Abdelsalam (Sumi) Helal

意大利博洛尼亚大学（University of Bologna）计算机科学与工程系教授

ACM/IEEE/AAAS/AAIA/IET Fellow

现任意大利博洛尼亚大学（University of Bologna）计算机科学与工程教授。此前，他曾在美国佛罗里达大学（University of Florida）任职26年，期间主导建立了移动与普适计算实验室（Mobile and Pervasive Computing Laboratory），并联合创立了 “盖特科技智慧屋”（Gator Tech Smart House）—— 这是一座具有开创性的实景实验室，为 “箱载智慧家居”（Smart Home in a Box）理念的发展提供了重要推动。

研究领域涵盖物联网（IoT）、普适计算（pervasive and ubiquitous computing）以及以人为中心的数字健康（human-centered digital health）。他牵头开展了多个具有影响力的项目，包括面向服务的物联网架构、物联网边缘智能，以及面向老龄化与健康领域的辅助技术，既贡献了基础性理论见解，也带来了实用性创新成果。作为技术专家与企业家，他在物联网和数字健康领域成功创办了多家企业，其专利已被谷歌、苹果、三星、博世、西门子、思科、宜家、威瑞森、美国电话电报公司（AT&T）及德国电信（T-Mobile）等全球行业领军企业授权使用。

他是ACM、IEEE、AAAS、AAIA、IET Fellow，同时也是欧洲科学院（Academia Europaea）成员。他的研究工作持续影响着计算机科学、健康领域与人类福祉的交叉融合发展。

报告题目：Smart Home in a Box：Lessons Learned in designing Assistive and Intelligent Living Environments for Graceful Aging

摘要：The vision of the Smart Home has long promised to transform living environments into assistive, adaptive, and intelligent spaces that promote independence, safety, and wellbeing—particularly for older adults and those aging with disabilities. This keynote reflects on two decades of pioneering research, from the Gator Tech Smart House to current initiatives in “Smart-Ready Homes and Communities,” and distills the lessons learned in designing assistive environments for graceful aging.

I will first revisit the conceptual foundations of the Smart Home, clarifying its role in supporting user intentions, daily activities, health monitoring, and long-term care. Case studies from the Gator Tech Smart House highlight both technical innovations—such as smart floors, virtual sensors, and health IoT platforms—and key challenges, including coping with uncertainty, avoiding over-engineering, and ensuring scalability. Central to these lessons is the “Box Principle”: innovate boldly, but always within the boundaries of what can be realistically packaged, deployed, and maintained.

The talk will then shift toward the emerging paradigm of Smart-Ready Homes and Communities, exemplified by projects like Whyndyke Garden Village in the UK. By embedding “digital plumbing” into housing design, homes can be easily upgraded with assistive technologies, transforming them into personalized smart environments at the point of sale or throughout the resident’s lifespan.

Finally, I will discuss broader implications for digital health: the need for two-way connected health (from sensing to persuasion and human actuation), the balance between cybernetic and human-centered approaches, and opportunities for disruptive service models—our search for the “Uberization of Digital Health.”

Taken together, these insights outline a pathway to scalable, affordable, and human-centric smart living environments that can truly support successful aging in place.