1.
1.1 We found the entire concept of the article very interesting. The system as a whole seems very useful, and fills a niche that most people do not realize even exists. The integration of new technologies into a system that will be used for people who are unable to comprehend the details of that technology is a good thing. It is very interesting trying to abstract away a lot of the learning curves of the devices being used by this project.
1.2 Nothing really.
2. The main message of the article is that our current transportation systems are not in a ready state to help the people that depend on them most.
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3.
3.1 We think it is very interesting that the Personal Travel Assistant will be able to get real time GPS data and help the user via prompts and breakdown errors.
3.2 The most interesting part of this piece is the ability for non-technical caregivers to program a routine for their patients. This is very important because having a technician come and make routines would be a poor solution, as it is not the technician's primary field of study.
3.3 The Lifeline is interesting because it is a way for a care giver to easily support multiple patients. This would not be possible if there were only one caregiver per patient. It also allows for a better sense of security for the caregiver.
4. We have a friend who has worked on the MANTIS project.
5.
5.1 It is important to know who you're designing for and how much of the technology you need abstract away for it to become a usable system.
5.2 The system aids in automated learning for people who would otherwise need to be accompanied by a caregiver everywhere they go. It also allows them to recieve and reference knowledge independently.
5.3 It shows the good that can come out of highly technical people collaborating with other experts that reside in separate fields.
6. We would like to learn more about the real time transportation systems such as the GPS units used in buses and on the PDA's themselves. That seems like a very interesting field of study.
7. The research could also be applied to parents and their children, which is also a caregiver/receiver relationship. It would be very helpful to parents of children who are old enough to begin learning about the world on their own, but not old enough to be on their own. If a parent at work would like to check up on the location of their preteen, it would be helpful to have realtime data on their location, instead of having their teen check in via phone everytime he/she switches between friends homes within the neighborhood.