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Ubiquitous ComputingDirectron Scholarship 2008 Essay No. 76by Thomas Goode Currently College: Sophomore at University of Florida Major: Computer Science Ubiquitous computing, also known as ubicomp or pervasive computing, is the idea that one day technology will be incorporated into every aspect of human life (da Costa, Yamin, & Geyer, 2008, 64). Sure, computers are already a part of many people's daily lives. Ubiquitous computing, however, is not the same thing as having access to a computer terminal everywhere - it is much more advanced. It is all about integration. One of the main components of ubicomp is the idea that computers are becoming increasingly obscure (i.e. they are not always easy to spot). Mark Weiser, who originally coined the phrase "ubiquitous computing", stated in his foundational paper The Computer for the Twenty-First Century, "The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it" (da Costa et al., 2008, 64; Weiser, 1991, 94). To some extent, this is already applicable today; there are computer chips in thermostats, cars, and even some shoes. However, the theory behind ubiquitous computing goes much deeper. Computers may one day be embedded in clothing (to track location), wallets/purses (think swipe-less credit cards), and even in a person's body (health monitoring). The idea is that computers will be everywhere, and that humans will interact with them in many different ways when compared to traditional computers. Ubiquitous computing combines many of the newest technological ideas of today, such as miniscule computers, constant data connectivity (wireless internet, cell phones, etc) and data tagging and tracking devices such as RFID (radio frequency identification) tags and GPS (global positioning system) units. Alone, these technologies have their benefits, but visionaries such as Weiser have imagined their complete and seamless integration as something much more creative: completely aware computer systems, that know everything from where you are and where you are going to what you are wearing, what you are eating, and how much money you have. The following is a common ubicomp scenario involving shopping: There are a couple other well known examples of ubiquitous computing. One quite useful example is a "smart" refrigerator that is able to read small "tags" on all of the food inside of it. This allows it to keep and inventory of all food, suggest potential dinner entrees, and even alert the consumer to an expired item. A second example is a location monitoring system - installed in an office, house, etc - that controls lighting and other ambient settings based on where the user is located. While these examples show some of the strengths of ubicomp, its full potential has yet to be realized. With the potential for great applications, comes the opportunity for abuse. Imagine corporate employers tracking their employee's every move (quite literally). Now imagine that an unscrupulous hacker forced his way into such a system and used it to monitor everyone's actions - from what they buy to what they eat to what they do. To some, ubiquitous computing is an unacceptable invasion of privacy. Regardless, everyone acknowledges a need for seamless security in such a system Hassle-free security is only one of the challenges that developers of ubicomp face. They also must figure out how to make applications and data portable as users change both devices and locations life (da Costa et al., 2008, 66). Despite the challenges, even better and more ingenious uses for ubicomp may be just around the corner. References: da Costa, C. A., Yamin, A. C., Geyer, C. F. R. (2008, January). Toward a general software infrastructure for ubiquitous computing. IEEE Pervasive Computing, 7(1), 64-73. Galloway, A. (2006: March). Internet of things? I am woman, hear me shop!. Purse Lip Square Jaw. Retrieved February 13th, 2009 from http://www.purselipsquarejaw.org/2006/03/internet-of-things-i-am-woman-hear-me.php Hargraves, I. (2007: July). Ubicomp: fifteen years on. Knowledge, Technology, and Policy, 20(1), 3-10. Kapoor, V. (2002: March). Pervasive computing. Kruthi(1). Retrieved February 13th, 2009 from http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r10/bombay/news4/Pervasive_Computing.htm Weiser, M. (1991: September). The computer for the 21st century. Scientific American, 265(3), 94. References: | Directron.com College Scholarship | |
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