Integration objectives

The principal objective of the ENACTIVE Network is to create a stable connection of researchers coming from different multidisciplinary fields, such as Virtual Environments, Robotics, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Psychology, Physics and Computer Science, with the aim of defining the foundations of a newer and future oriented research field for the development of Enactive interfaces.

The creation of a common vision of Enactive Interfaces through the definition of the conceptual aspects of Enactive Interaction is the first aspect of the Integration Activities carried out by the ENACTIVE Network. The members of the consortium come from different disciplinary fields since the competence that are required must in fact contemplate human studies, technological expertise, understanding of human-computer interaction and philosophical conceptualisation on the topics of human cognition and human interaction in general.

The integration of such a multidisciplinary network requires to collectively define and share the relevant aspects of enactive interaction with computer mediated environments both from the epistemological, scientific and technological perspectives. The goals are:

• to establish a common criteria for the definition of the relevant terms, concepts and technical instruments, the measurement and evaluation of the results of the jointly executed research and the definition of technical standards;
• to develop common action plans (jointly executed research activities, jointly proposed projects at a national and international level, and joined exploitations of the research activities and results) on defined objectives considered relevant by the members of the Network.

The second aspect of the Integration Activities is the creation of a Virtual/Dynamic European Laboratory for sharing previously acquired knowledge, producing new knowledge and steering new technological developments on Enactive Interfaces.

Unfortunately the integration of different competence in the scientific and technological research is still an uncommon practice, also in the case of structurally interdisciplinary domains such as the study of human-computer interaction. The ENACTIVE Network believes in the importance of such integration and on the need of overcoming both the segregation between researchers of the same domain (horizontal integration) and the segregation between researchers from different domains whose interests converge on similar topics (cross, or transversal, Integration). For this reason we share the objective of creating a multidisciplinary laboratory able to work at European and Worldwide level.

Better technical achievement and faster results may in fact be achieved from a proper resource sharing and the correct inter-partner exploitation of existing systems and applications. The Network tries to identify the resources available to the partnership and the resources needed to advance and/or complete the development of new research.

The role of the Network will be that of co-ordinating the research actions of the partners on the basis of the available resources, to promote intra-partner exchanges of systems and competencies and to circulate, re-use and enhance at the best the existing systems and applications. Several facilities, in terms of existing systems, services and available and structured technical background, are already available at the partnership.

The measurable effects of the achievement of this objective are in terms of :

• Census and Report of all the instruments, tools, materials (with relative competence) at disposal of the members of the Consortium
• Creation of data-bases of previously independently acquired knowledge
• Intra-partners exchanges of
  • Human resources
  • Material resources
  • Training on systems
  • Specific competence