UW CSE and EE professor Josh Smith was featured yesterday as the “Disruptor of the Day” in the Daily Disruption tech blog:
“Sensors are everywhere around us from smartphone touchscreens to elevator buttons to thermostats. These sensor devices, which receive and respond to a signal, are a linchpin of the so-called “Internet of Things.” As they become smaller, cheaper and require less power they are being deployed in more places that we encounter every day — whether we are aware of it or not.
“Joshua Smith is a researcher on the cutting edge of sensor technology. Smith holds nearly 20 patents, including a capacitive sensor he developed as part of his MIT doctoral thesis that detects passenger position for airbags — if the passenger’s head is too close to the side airbag, the sensor will disable it. The technology has been deployed in Hondas since 2000.
“Today, Smith leads the Sensor Systems Laboratory and research group at the University of Washington, where he is an associate professor of Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering. The former principal investigator at Intel Research Seattle, where he led robotics projects, is now focused on inventing sensor systems, devising new ways to power them and developing algorithms for using them.
“Recently, Smith discussed the state of sensors, current and future projects, and the concerns that arise as sensors become more commonplace.”
Read the interview here.
Josh’s research was featured in two Intel videos. In each case, though, Josh was played by an actor: in one, by a Chinese gentleman with fuzzy black hair and glasses, and in the other by a Caucasian with a buzz-cut. We conclude that Intel’s PR firm doesn’t like ponytails …