A rumination on human-centered automation world: multiagent system, human interface and people´s lifestyle

The cyberworld or cybersociety of the future is discussed with respect to: (i) its significance, (ii) the infrastructure of such a world, (iii) the plausible configurations of a cybersociety which comprises an information community of virtual schools, libraries, factories, offices, communities and homes, etc., connected via the information highway, and (iv) people´s lifestyles. Then, human interfaces, virtual reality and agents are discussed as the key technologies for realizing the cybersociety. Lastly, an interface agent of a virtual collaborator is proposed as a humanized intelligent interface agent system for helping with the operation and maintenance tasks of automated plants in the future