We are pleased to welcome our new professors who joined the Faculty of Informatics. Jessica Cauchard, Daniel Müller-Gritschneder, and Paweł Woźniak will present their exciting work. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet them in person and learn more about their exciting fields of work!

Programm:

The event will be moderated by the Dean of TU Wien Informatics Gerti Kappel.

Inaugural lectures by:

• Jessica Cauchard
• Daniel Müller-Gritschneder
• Paweł W. Woźniak

We would like to invite you to a reception with food and drinks at the end of the event.

We also provide sign language interpretation (“ÖGS-Dolmetsch”) and child care (“Kinderbetreuung”) for this event. If you’re interested in child care, please let us know the number and age of children.

Jessica Cauchard

Title

Fly Me to the Moon

Abstract

As machines become ever more autonomous, diverging visions emerge, from the realms of science and science fiction alike. Some imagine a glamorous future with virtual and physical agents devoted to humans, supporting our well-being and handling our every chore as we luxuriate; while others ponder whether humans will, instead, support robots and AI in daily tasks. To nurture optimistic visions of the future, we must facilitate seamless human-machine communication, as to enable the symbiotic integration of machines into human environments. This challenge can be addressed from a dual perspective, one of understanding and one of interaction. Indeed, successful integration demands that intelligent systems grasp the intricacies and subtleties of human contexts, just as humans must interpret the actions and behaviors of machines. Furthermore, it hinges on the ability of humans and machines to engage with one another, both implicitly and explicitly, as they navigate the world together. Through a composition of projects, I will showcase how human-centered approaches foster the development of natural communication between humans and machines, and how design methods can be harnessed to leverage the understanding of complex systems. This ensemble will unveil opportunities for future technologies, unlocking groundbreaking applications – such as augmenting human abilities – and enabling coexistence between autonomous systems and us, humans.

Daniel Müller-Gritschneder

Title

Rapid Prototyping Methods for custom-tailored, safe and secure RISC-V processors

Abstract

Machine Learning, generally known as Artificial Intelligence (AI), has gained a lot of attention recently with new services becoming available such as ChatGPT or DeepML. These large language models are trained and executed usually in large data center environments. Yet in parallel, ML models such as vision systems are also moving to the so-called computing edge into cars (e.g., advanced driver assistance systems such as lane keeping and automatic parking) or wearables (e.g., activity recognition in smart watches using accelerometers). These edge devices often operate on batteries such that the immense energy hunger of ML workloads challenges their battery lifetime. Hence, new computing systems are required that offer energy-efficient ML computations at the edge. Next to ML, these systems also have to adhere to strict security and safety standards if they are operated in critical environments, e.g., in automotive or industrial settings. A rising star that is shaping future computing processor systems is the open RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA). RISC-V processors are implemented by a growing number of commercial chip developments and are a major driver for democratizing chip design by enabling open-source hardware projects. A main feature of RISC-V is its in-build support for adding your own processing instructions in a modular fashion, which opens a vast design space to custom-tailor your RISC-V processor to specific workloads such as ML computation. But a key question remains – how to find the right processor for the given computational workload and ensure it is safe and secure? To tackle this challenge, I investigate pre-silicon simulators, rapid prototyping methods, and fast safety evaluation methods. I will give an overview of our techniques as well as outline how we enable the design of custom-tailored, safe, and secure RISC-V processors for future computing systems. ped techniques and present results for state-of-the-art, open-source RISC-V processors.

Paweł W. Woźniak

Title

Active Bodies, Perceptive Machines: How Everyday Interactions Reveal Profound Questions in HCI

Abstract

In this lecture, I will explore what fascinates me about the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), especially as technology becomes an increasingly integral part of our everyday lives. I will examine how we can deepen our understanding of technology to ensure it genuinely benefits its users. I will start by focusing on one of my preferred areas of interactive technology: those designed for physical activity. These technologies, while appearing straightforward, often raise profound questions about the future of our relationship with technology. This exploration leads to intriguing considerations—can technology become conscious? Could it one day ‘perceive’ our physical state or even empathize with us? However, these exciting possibilities come at a cost. What happens when technology crosses personal boundaries, becoming intrusive or unsettling? I suggest that a deeper understanding of how technology causes ambiguous feelings is key for the future of interaction design. Ultimately, I hope to demonstrate that HCI is not only about designing devices and interfaces but also about understanding their broader impact on the human experience.

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