Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

Uubiquitous computingTraditionally people have thought of computers as discretedevices (such as a desktop or handheld device), used forspecific purposes such as to send e-mail or browse the Web.However, many researchers and futurists are looking towarda new paradigm that many believe is rapidly emerging. Ubiquitous(or pervasive) computing focuses not on individualcomputers and tasks but on a world where most objects(including furniture and appliances) have the ability to communicateinformation. (This has also been called “the Internetof things.”) This can be viewed as the third phase in aprocess where the emphasis has gradually shifted from individualdesktops (1980s) to the network and Internet (1990s)to mobile presence and the ambient environment.Some examples of ubiquitous computing might include:• picture frames that display pictures attuned to theuser’s activities• “dashboard” devices that can be set to display changinginformation such as weather and stock quotes• parking meters that can provide verbal directions tonearby attractions• kiosks or other facilities to provide verbal cues toguide travelers, such as through airports• home monitoring systems that can sense and dealwith accidents or health emergenciesUbiquitous computing greatly increases the ability ofpeople to seamlessly access information for their dailyactivities, but the fact that the user is in effect “embedded”in the network can also raise issues of privacy and thereceiving of unwanted advertising or other information (seeprivacy in the digital age).An early center of research in ubiquitous computing wasXerox PARC, famous for its development of graphical userinterfaces (particularly the work of Mark Weiser). Today amajor force is MIT (see MIT Media Lab), especially its ProjectOxygen, which explores networks of embedded computers.This challenging research area brings together aspectsof many other fields (see artificial intelligence, distributedcomputing, psychology of computing, smart buildings andhomes, touchscreen, user interface, and wearable computers).Note that while the user’s experience of ubiquitouscomputing might be similar in some ways to that of virtualreality, the latter puts the user into a computer-generatedworld, while the former uses computing power to enhancethe user’s connections to the outside world (see virtualreality).Further ReadingGreenfield, Adam. Everywhere: The Dawning Age of UbiquitousComputing. Berkeley, Calif.: New Riders, 2006.Igoe, Tom. Making Things Talk: Practical Methods Connecting PhysicalObjects. Sebastapol, Calif.: O’ Reilly, 2007.MIT Project Oxygen. Available online. URL: http://www.oxygen.lcs.mit.edu/. Accessed November 30, 2007.Morville, Peter. Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes WhoWe Become. Sebastapol, Calif.: O’Reilly, 2005.Terdiman, Daniel. “Meet the Metaverse, Your New Digital Home.”CNET News. Available online. URL: http://news.com.com/Meet+the+metaverse%2C+your+new+digital+home/2100-1025_3-6175973.html. Accessed November 30, 2007.484