Ubiquitous Computing The death of PC?

Ubiquitous Computing ubiquitous = Being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent. Mark Weiser, Xerox Parc 1988 Computers as we know them will be replaced by a multitude of networked computing devices embedded in our environments, and these devices will be invisible in the sense of not being perceived as computers. Ubiquitous computing pushes the user interface away from the desktop and into our everyday environments.

Ubiquitous Computing Invisible/Silent/Calm Interfaces Wearable Computing Tangible interfaces Augmented Reality Context sensitivity Public Interactions Ad hoc Networks Mobile-Nomadic Computing Software Agents Mechatronics Adaptive services Embedded computers

Embedded Computers Computers are becoming smaller and cheaper -> Everyday things will to a higher extent be “computerized”. – Analogy: Electric motors used to be large, powering several appliances. They are nowadays embedded in the devices and invisible, so that the user sees a task-specific tool and not the technology of motors. Computers as well as motors are enablers and infrastructure. (Donald Norman)

Computers -> Appliances – Each device are specialized for the task it performs – The user is largely unaware of interacting with a computing or communication device. Unobtrusiveness – The focus of attention is not forced towards a single box. – Dwelling instead of interacting with computers – Ambient media: Peripheral sound and light. – No one should ever have to see a computer Invisible/Silent/Calm Interfaces

Where atoms meet bits – Tangible = capable of being perceived especially by the sense of touch Hiroshi Iishi: (Tangible Media group MIT) Graspable objects: Physical WIMP – Media blocks Tagged objects, barcodes, RF tags et.c. Tangible interfaces

(All) aspects of the physical world can be correlated with (computing, communication) capabilities that augments the traditional physical aspects Adding Bits to Atoms Augmented Reality

Mobile computing – Extreme: User carry “work context” with him wherever he moves in the physical world Nomadic Computing – Extreme: “Work context” travel in parallel with the user in the electronic world. The user carries nothing Intermediate forms Mobile-Nomadic Computing

Access information anywhere Wearable technology – Heads-up displays – Unobtrusive input devices – Personal wireless local area networks – Context sensing – “Washable computers” Intelligent assistants Application Examples – Wearable Tactical Information Assistants (DARPA) – Remembrance Agent (MIT Medialab) Wearable Computing

Computational perception Sensors that measures non traditional modalities – Affection [Rosalyn Picard] – Focus of attention – Location – History – Local computing environment User/Task modeling -> Context modeling Context Sensitivity

Mobile Ad-hoc networks (MANET) – Bluetooth – WLAN (Jini) Dynamic context adaptation Ad-hoc networks

When computing devices become ubiquitous, the amount of public devices will increase. Computer dense environments for co-located cooperation: – i-LAND [GMD - IPSI] – The Interactive workspace [Stanford] Local CSCW Public Interactions

Software agents = Software components with: – Autonomy – Persistence – Non trivial long term behavior Proactive Reactive Reflective Adaptivity Senso-motoric skills Software Agents

Adaptive Services Sensors /Observation – User – Task – Physical context – Organization context Inference Modified behavior

Tendencies The Electronic and Physical world are integrated into one continuos space Intelligent software components can move freely in the integrated space The work context is configured dynamically from open sets of heterogeneous artifacts and services New models of interactions