Computing and Information Systems - Theses
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ItemUbiquitous Material Sensing in Everyday Settings Using Miniaturized Near-Infrared Spectroscopy( 2022)Our computing systems are becoming increasingly smart with the growing number of sensors. However, we are yet to have a material sensing method that can be easily integrated into a computing system. For its applications in many fields including healthcare, agriculture, and food computing, there is a high demand to have a ubiquitous material sensing method that is mobile, low-cost, and versatile for various sensing tasks. Conventional material sensing techniques require either expensive equipment or complex procedures with rigorous training, and thus cannot be readily incorporated with a computing system. A promising method to enable ubiquitous material sensing is to utilize the emerging miniaturized Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) scanners. Nevertheless, existing knowledge and tools are mostly for conventional laboratorial settings, requiring expertise in NIRS and significant efforts to develop new material sensing systems. To alleviate this issue, this thesis aims to enable non-experts, including researchers and developers in various study fields, to utilize NIRS as a ubiquitous material sensing method in everyday settings. We present novel designs and prototypes using miniaturized NIRS that can be deployed in everyday settings for various material sensing tasks. In particular, we demonstrate prototypes for probing liquids such as drinks or alcohols, detecting gluten in bread, and reading through covered contents within paper sheets or 3D printed objects. We also conduct comprehensive experiments to evaluate the performance of our tools. In addition, we investigate design considerations that can impact end users' trust in using our material sensing tools in daily tasks. Our findings provide guidance for designing trustworthy material sensing applications, especially for users who are unfamiliar with the technology. Our work contributes towards establishing a knowledge base for ubiquitous material sensing using miniaturized NIRS. In particular, our results provide references on design, data collection, and evaluation for this emerging study field. Our methods do not require expertise in NIRS, allowing readily and rapidly developing new material sensing applications. Finally, we discuss the future directions toward ubiquitous material sensing in everyday settings. We envision that material sensing is becoming an important tool to significantly improve our understanding of our living context.