It’s as Easy as ABC

Abstract

The evolution and adaptation of humans is intractably intertwined with the evolution and adaptation of our technology. This was true when we added wooden handles to stone adzes, and it is true today. Weiser and Brown warned that ubiquitous computing would require the development of Calm Technology, a total change to the way in which we interact with computers, so that the entire process could become more suitable to human perceptual abilities and limitations. Our failure to do so is responsible for a daily onslaught of injury and death, from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome to plane crashes. We propose a solution based on one of the underlying concepts of Artificial Neural Networks. For decades, attempts have been made to recreate the basic physiological step of human information processing. It is time to go one step further and consider the basic human parameters of input and output, as proposed by Weiser and Brown. Their term Calm Technology has been modified and re-defined over the past twenty years and their true intent has been lost. In order to avoid the territorial battles that surround the term, and in an attempt to assist engineers and human factors specialists in their efforts to preserve health and save lives, we introduce the concept of Anthropology-Based Computing (ABC). We define ABC as any input and output design parameters based on the basic physiological, psychological and social requirements of the human animal in our natural habitat.