S. D. Warren’s scientific contributions

All new technologies have the potential to affect society in a complex man- ner, with both beneficial and detrimental consequences. The author considers an illustrative case study: a nonintrusive appliance load monitoring technique that can provide vital infor- mation to help avoid future energy crises, but can also be used for surveillance purposes. There appears to be a significant potential for the technology to be abused. The danger that the technology might eventually lead to an erosion of civil liberties and privacy rights leaves its developers in an ethical quandary. How should this technology be controlled? t one point in Woody Allen's futuristic comedy Sleeper, he and his revolutionary associates are discovered by government forces who monitor an increase in "the power function" where they are working. (l) This type of auto- mated discovery based on electric power usage is now technically possible and could become commonplace in the near future. A novel Nonincrusive Appliam Load Monitor has been designed to aid electric utilities in the collection of appliance end use data. (2,3) This device is installed at the revenue-meter socket of a residence (see Fig. 1) and, by using sophisticated signal analysis techniques on the voltage and current waveforms, determines the nature and exact usage characteristics of the individual appliances within the home which constitute the load. The monitor requires only the information externally available from measurements of the load; no entry into the home is necessary to place sensors on separate appliances or branch circuits; no appliance survey or other cooperation from the residents is required. A key feature of this new technique is its nonintrusive nature. The device can alternatively be installed on a utility pole at a distance from the site it is monitoring. With this mounting scheme, not even a momentary loss of electrical service is necessary for installation. From this unseen and unsuspected vantage point, the monitor has a view deep into the workings of the residence. After observing the residence for a short while, it generates a list of objects (appliances) and events (usages) that the occupants may consider completely private. The intended use of the device is completely benign. Utilities have important legitimate needs for end use load data. Previously available data collection methods are expensive and clumsy compared to the nonintrusive technique, so it is natural for utility load researchers to welcome more sophisticated tools for instru- mentation and data collection. The load monitor is currently being packaged into the form of a commercial product, and initial interest from utilities suggests that tens of thousands may be installed within the first five years of manufacture. For the scientist or engineer developing the nonintrusive load monitor, however, its development, promulgation, and commer- cialization present a rather interesting case study of the ethical