Ubiquitous Computing

Providing computations and communications everywhere !!

February 2012 Presenter : 09BCE035 Arpan Patel Guide: Dr. S.N. Pradhan Nirma University of Technology

Yesterday's Computers Filled Rooms

 So Will Tomorrows

Computing Evolution

The Trends in Computing Technology

1970s

1990s

Late 1990s

Now and Tomorrow ?

Computers: Size + Number

size
One Computer for many people
Le Grand Napoleon

number

One Computer for everyone

adapted from: F. Mattern, Dagstuhl 2002

Many Computers for everyone

Types of Computing
1.
2.

Mainframe era (many people, one computer)

PC era (one person, one computer)

transition phase ( the internet, mobile computing, distributed data processing & storing , social changes , towards Information Society)

3.

Ubiquitous Computing (one person, many

computers & many people, many computers)

Reference: Alan Daniel, Georgia Institute of Technology. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_fall/projects/gacha/daniels_essay.html

Related Topics:

Several terms that share a common vision:

Ubiquitous

Computing/Pervasive Computing Ambient Intelligence Human Computer Interaction Context Awareness (Context-Aware Pervasive Systems) Wearable Computing Intelligent environments Augmented reality Sentient computing

What makes this possible ?

Processing

cheaper, faster, smaller, more energy efficient Big, fast and small in size.
1GB in Flashcard format

Storage

Networking

global, local, ad-hoc, low-power, high bandwidth, low latencies projection, flexible materials, power consumption

Displays

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf7IL_ eZ38 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZkHpN nXLB0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGXO_urMow

To be continued

The Ubiquitous Computing Vision

Mark Weiser (July 23, 1952 - April 27, 1999) Chief scientist of Xerox PARC During one of his talks, Weiser outlined a set of principles describing ubiquitous computing:

The purpose of a computer is to help you do something else. The best computer is a quiet, invisible servant. The more you can do by intuition the smarter you are; the computer should extend your unconscious.

Pervasive (Ubiquitous) Computing Vision

In the 21st century the technology revolution will move into the everyday, the small and the invisible The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabrics of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it. Mark Weiser (1952 1999), XEROX PARC

Small, cheap, mobile processors and sensors in almost all everyday objects on your body (wearable computing) embedded in environment (ambient intelligence)

Ubiquitous Computing
Ubiquitous computing enhances computer use by making many computers available throughout the physical environment, but making them effectively invisible to the user. Computing capabilities, any time, any place Machines sense users presence and act accordingly Devices mostly have low power and short-range wireless communication capabilities. Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) integrates computation into the environment, rather than having computers which are distinct objects. The idea of ubicomp enable people to interact with informationprocessing devices more naturally and casually, and in ways that suit whatever location or context they find themselves in. ~from Wiki
Source: Weiser, 1993a

Ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing, calm technology Weiser:

Available everywhere Everything connected which ideally weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it
The computer of the 21st century., Scientific American, 1991.

highest ideal is to make a computer so embedded , so fitting, so natural, that we use it without even thinking about it.

In Designing Calm Technology, Weiser and John Brown describe calm technology as "that which informs but doesn't demand our focus or attention".

Goals of Pervasive (Ubiquitous) Computing

Ultimate goal:
Invisible technology Integration of virtual and physical worlds Throughout desks, rooms, buildings, and life Take the data out of environment, leaving behind just an enhanced ability to act

Advantages of Pervasive Computing:

Quick,efficient and effortless.

It supports a new class of intelligent and portable appliances or "smart devices" . It gives people convenient access to relevant information . It removes the complexity of new technologies.

Applications:

Remote computers will monitor our heath statistics Cars will use the Internet to find an open parking space or the nearest vegetarian restaurant for their owners Used in Digi-tickers or implanted heart monitors In development of Smart Clothes.

Where do we currently stand?

Ubiquitous

devices (always at hand):

networks (always available):

Mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants, Laptops, etc.

Ubiquitous

(W)LAN/MAN (Ethernet & IEEE 802.11) GSM/GPRS/3G PANs (Bluetooth, IrDA, AudioNet etc.)
Ubiquitous

services

Currently mostly location-based

Related areas
Wearable computing Intelligent environments Augmented reality

All will be referred to by umbrella term of Ubiquitous Computing (ubicomp)

General Ubicomp Features (GUF)

There are three general features that are shared across a wide variety of ubicomp applications. These features are :
1. 2.

3.

the ability to provide transparent interfaces the ability to automatically adapt the behavior of a program based on knowledge of the context of its use, the ability to automate the capture of live experiences for later recall.

GUF - (1) TRANSPARENT INTERFACES

Unicom Vision: pervasive computation without intrusion. Remove the physical barrier between user and computational device
Keyboard and mouse are still the most commonly used interfaces !! Need:

flexible interfaces Varied interfaces that can provide similar functionality

GUF - (2) CONTEXT AWARENESS

Context information about the environment in which the application operates and reacts accordingly. LOCATION and TIME are simple examples of context ! Context aware application: is one which can capture the context assign meaning to it change behavior accordingly Need: Applications that are context aware and allow rapid personalization of their services.

GUF - (3) AUTOMATED CAPTURE

Capture everyday experiences and make the records available for later use. Constraints:
streams of information Their time synchronization Their correlation and integration Need: Automated tools that support capture, integration and future access of info.
Multiple

Pervasive computing provides an attractive vision for the future of computing

Computational power will be available everywhere through mobile and stationary devices
Three key features for Ubiquitous Computing 1. Transparent Interface 2. Context Awareness 3. Automated Capture When Edison finally found a filament that would burn, did he see the possibility of silent but pervasive electrical current flowing throughout our homes, cars and communities?

References

Grand Challenges http://www-se.doc.ic.ac.uk/Projects/UbiNet/GC/index.html http://indus.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page http://www.cc.gatech.edu/fce/pubs/icse99/final.html Mark Weiser. "The world is not a desktop". Interactions; January 1997; pp. 7-8. Mark Weiser, "Hot Topics: Ubiquitous Computing" IEEE Computer, October 1999. Mark Weiser, "Some Computer Science Problems in Ubiquitous Computing," Communications of the ACM, July 1997. (reprinted as "Ubiquitous Computing". Nikkei Electronics; December 6, 1997; pp. 137-143.) Mark Weiser, "The Computer for the Twenty-First Century," Scientific American, pp. 94-10, September 1991

Thank You
Questions ? Comments ?

Experiences?