Evolution of Pervasive Computing-1

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    1 INTRODUCTION

    A web of computing devices and sensors embedded in everyday objects ranging

    from cars to house appliances. The last few years have seen a dramatic change in the role

    of technology in our lives. We now use the tools of information technology in multiple

    ways without even thinking about it. This phenomenal growth of the influence of

    technology can be expected to continue at this same mind boggling rate, and evolve into a

    form in which it is seamlessly integrated into our everyday lives. The advancement of

    computing and communication technology on these lines can be expected to have a

    profound effect similar to that which the discovery of electricity had in the development

    of our civilization. Computing is no longer a discrete activity bound to a desktop;

    network computing and mobile computing are fast becoming a part of everyday life and

    so is the Internet. Rather than being an infrastructure for computers and their users alone,

    it is now an infrastructure for everyone. The essence ofPervasive Computingis to create

    saturated environments with computing and wireless communications capability, yet

    gracefully integrated with human users. Many key building blocks needed for this vision

    are now viable commercial technologies: wearable and handheld computers, high

    bandwidth wireless communication, location sensing mechanisms, and so on .We expect

    devices like PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), mobile phones, office PCs and even

    home An entertainment system to access information and work together in one

    integrated system and the challenge is to combine these technologies into a Seamless

    whole and on the Internet. The aim of Pervasive Computingis for making computing

    available wherever it's needed. It spreads intelligence and connectivity to more or less

    everything. So conceptually, ships, aircrafts, cars, bridges, tunnels, machines,

    refrigerators, door handles, lighting fixtures, shoes, hats, packaging clothing, tools,appliances, homes and even things like our coffee mugs and even the human body will be

    embedded with chips to connect to an infinite network of other devices and to create an

    environment where the connectivity of devices is embedded in such a way that it is

    unobtrusive and always available.Pervasive Computing, therefore, refers to the emerging

    trend toward numerous, easily accessible computing devices connected to an increasingly

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    ubiquitous network infrastructure. Pervasive Computingaims to make our lives simpler

    through the use of tools that allow us to manage information easily. These "tools" are a

    new class of intelligent, portable devices that allow the user to plug into Powerful

    networks and gain direct, simple, and secure access to both relevant information and

    services.Pervasive Computingdevices are not personal computers as we tend to think of

    them, but very tiny - even invisible - devices, either mobile or embedded in almost any

    type of object imaginable; all communicating through increasingly interconnected

    networks. Information instantly accessible anywhere and anytime is what Pervasive

    Computingis all about!

    1.1 Comparison with traditional networking:

    Communication between various devices is a central component of pervasive

    technology. However, in this it is different from traditional networking as there are no

    individuals directly involved in the process of communication. Rather, the devices

    intelligently figure out the information required and make the appropriate connections by

    themselves, without user intervention. Thus these appliances communicate over networks

    such that people do not directly monitor the communication between machines and

    programs. The majority of these communications will occur in an end to- end structure

    that does not include a human at any point. This automatic operation illustrates the

    features of smart devices of the future. The number of machines connected to the

    Internet has been increasing at an exponential rate and will continue to grow at this rate

    as the existing networks of embedded computers, including those that already exist

    within our automobiles, are connected to the larger, global network, and as new networks

    of embedded devices are constructed in our homes and offices. The kinds of devices that

    will be used to access the Internet are no longer confined to desktops and servers, but

    include small devices with limited user interface facilities (such as cell phones and

    PDAs); wireless devices with limited bandwidth, computing power, and electrical power;

    and embedded processors with severe limitations on the amount of memory and

    computing power available to them. Many of these devices are mobile, changing not only

    geographic position, but also their place in the topology of the network. Unlike traditional

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    Desktop Computers and existing networks, the new devices will have the following

    characteristics:

    As described earlier, they will connect to other computing elements without the

    direct intervention of users.

    The connections can be expected to be wireless in most cases.

    Many will have small, inexpensive processors with limited memory and little or

    no persistent storage.

    The devices themselves will evolve very rapidly. Old technologies will fail and

    newer ones will appear much more frequently than at present.

    They will act as terminals for receiving and sending information.

    1.2 Advantages of pervasive computing:

    The advantages ofPervasive Computing can be summarized as dramatically

    increased automation without much obtrusive or visible use of computer infrastructure.

    We increasingly rely on the electronic creation, storage, and transmittal of personal,

    financial, and other confidential information, and demand the highest security for all

    these transactions and require complete access to time-sensitive data, regardless of

    physical location. We expect devices personal digital assistants, mobile phones, office

    PC and home entertainment systems -- to access that information and work together in

    one seamless, integrated system.

    Pervasive Computing gives us the tools to manage information quickly,

    efficiently, and effortlessly. It will help people make effective use of computing tools

    without requiring the knowledge of complex devices, by means of a new class of

    intelligent and portable appliances or "smart devices" embedded with microprocessors

    that allow users to plug into intelligent networks and gain direct, simple, and secure

    access to both relevant information and services. It gives people convenient access to

    relevant information stored on powerful networks, allowing them to easily take action

    anywhere, anytime. Pervasive Computingsimplifies life by combining open standards-

    based applications with everyday activities. It removes the complexity of new

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    technologies, enables us to be more efficient in our work and leaves us more leisure time

    and thusPervasive Computingis fast becoming a part of everyday life.

    1.3 Evolution of Pervasive Computing

    Pervasive Computingdefines a major evolutionary step in work that began in the mid

    1970s, when the PC first brought computers closer to people. In Weisers vision,

    however, the idea of making a computer personal is technologically misplaced. In fact, it

    keeps computing separate from our daily life. Although the PC has not delivered the full

    potential of information technology to users, it certainly took a first step toward making

    computers (if not computing) popular (if not pervasive). It was also an instrumental factor

    in the phenomenal growth of hardware components and the development of graphical

    user interfaces.

    Figure 1.1 System view of pervasive computing. The mobile computing goal of anytime anywhere

    connectivity is extended to all the time everywhere by integrating pervasiveness support technologies

    such as interoperability, scalability, smartness, and invisibility.

    1.3.1 Distributed computing

    With the advent of networking, personal computing evolved to distributed

    computing. As computers became connected, they began to share capabilities over the

    network. Distributed computing marked the next step toward Pervasive Computingby

    introducing seamless access to remote information resources and communication with

    fault tolerance, high availability, and security. Although the World Wide Web was not

    designed to be a distributed computing infrastructure, its networking ubiquity has made it

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    an attractive choice for experimenting with distributed computing concepts. It has also

    created a culture that is substantially more amenable to the deployment ofPervasive

    Computingenvironments than the culture that existed when Weiser first articulated his

    vision. The ad hoc nature of the Webs growth has proved that we can distribute

    computing capabilities in a big way without losing scalability. The simple mechanisms

    for linking resources have provided a means for integrating distributed information bases

    into a single structure.

    Most importantly, the Web has pioneered the creation of a nearly ubiquitous information

    and communications infrastructure. Many users now routinely refer to their point of

    presence within the digital worldtypically, their homepages, portals, or e-mail

    addresses. The computer they use to access these places has become largely irrelevant.

    Although the Web does not pervade the real world of physical entities, it is nevertheless a

    potential starting point forPervasive Computing.

    1.3.2 Mobile computing

    Mobile computing emerged from the integration of cellular technology with the

    Web.4 Both the size and price of mobile devices are falling everyday and could

    eventually support Weisers vision of pervasive inch-scale computing devices readily

    available to users in any human environment. Cellular phone systems that separate thehandset from the subscriber identity module (SIM) card approximate this model of

    operation. Subscribers can insert their SIM card and automatically use any handset,

    placing and receiving calls as if it were their own phone. Users can already access the

    same point in the Web from several different devicesoffice or home PC, cell phone,

    personal digital assistant, and so forth. In this sense, for most users, what matters is the

    view a particular machine provides of the digital world. SIM cards also demonstrate that

    the end system is becoming less important than the access to the digital world. In this

    sense, we are well on

    the way to computers disappearing, freeing users to focus beyond them. The anytime

    anywhere goal of mobile computing is essentially a reactive approach to information

    access, but it prepares the way for Pervasive Computing proactive all the time

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    everywhere goal. As Figure 1 shows, pervasive computing is a superset of mobile

    computing. In addition to mobility, pervasive systems require support for interoperability,

    scalability, smartness, and invisibility to ensure that users have seamless access to

    computing whenever they need it.

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    2 PERVASIVE COMPUTING MODEL

    2.1 Necessary technological advances

    The technological advances necessary to build a Pervasive Computingenvironment fall

    into four broad areas: devices, networking, middleware, and applications. Figure 2

    illustrates their relationships.

    Figure 2.1 Pervasive computing framework. Middleware mediates interactions with the networking kernel

    on the users behalf and keeps users immersed in the pervasive computing space.

    2.1.1 Devices

    An intelligent environment is likely to contain many different device types:

    a. Traditional input devices, such as mice or keyboards, and output devices, such as

    speakers or light-emitting diodes;

    b. Wireless mobile devices, such as pagers, per-sonal digital assistants, cell phones,

    palmtops, and so on; and

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    c. Smart devices, such as intelligent appliances, floor tiles with embedded sensors,

    and biosensors.

    Ideally,Pervasive Computingshould encompass every device worldwide that has

    built-in active and passive intelligence. The University of Karlsruhes MediaCup project

    is an experimental deployment of everyday objects activated in this sense. The projects

    guiding principle is to augment objects with a digital presence while preserving their

    original appearance, purpose, and use.

    Sensors that automatically gather information, transfer it, and take actions based

    on it represent an important subset of pervasive devices. For example, sensors based on

    the Global Positioning System provide location data that a device can translate into

    an internal representation of latitude, longitude, and elevation. Stereo camera vision is

    another effective sensor for tracking location and identity in a pervasive environment.

    These fast-processing, two-lens digital cameras can record both background images and

    background shapes. The results are much more robust for tracking motion such as

    gestures.

    2.1.2 Pervasive networking

    The number of pervasive devices is expected to multiply rapidly over the next few

    years. IDC, a market analysis firm, has predicted that, by the end of 2003, the number of

    pervasive devices will exceed the estimated worldwide population of 6 billion people.

    Specifically, there will be more than 300 million PDAs; two billion consumer electronic

    devices, such as wireless phones, pagers, and set top boxes; and five billion additional

    everyday devices, such as vending machines, refrigerators, and washing machines

    embedded with chips and connected to a pervasive network.

    As a consequence of this proliferation, many current technologies must be

    revamped. In addition to extending the backbone infrastructure to meet the anticipateddemand, global networks like the Internet also must modify existing applications to

    completely integrate thesePervasive Computingdevices into existing social systems.

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    2.1.3 Pervasive middleware

    Like distributed computing and mobile computing, Pervasive Computingrequires

    a middleware shell to interface between the networking kernel and the end-user

    applications running on pervasive devices. As Figure 2 shows, this pervasive middleware

    will mediate interactions with the networking kernel on the users behalf and will keep

    users immersed in the Pervasive Computingspace. The middleware will consist mostly

    of firmware and software bundles executing in either client-server or peer-to-peer mode.

    User interfaces are another aspect of middleware. Standard Web browsers

    represent the high end of interface sophistication. They use more color, graphics, and

    controls than users typically expect on pervasive devices. Mobile computing has already

    introduced microbrowsers. For example, phone.coms UP.Browser is implemented on

    several commercially available digital phones. Middleware must mask heterogeneity to

    make pervasive computing invisible to users.

    2.1.4 Pervasive applications

    Pervasive Computing is more environment-centric than either Web-based or

    mobile computing. This means that applications will guide the middleware and

    networking issues to a large extent. Consider a heart patient wearing an implanted

    monitor that communicates wirelessly with computers trained to detect and report

    abnormalities. The monitor should know when to raise the alarm, based on its knowledge

    about the environment. So this is much more than simple wireless communication.

    EliteCare (www.elite-care.com) is an assisted living complex that applies similar

    technologies to improve the quality of life for elderly residents.

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    3 ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

    As a superset of mobile computing, Pervasive Computingsubsumes mobile computings

    research issues while opening up new ones unique to itself. In all cases, pervasiveapplications should disappear into the environment.

    3.1 Issues and challenges in Pervasive Computing

    Issues and challenges in pervasive are as described below:

    3.1.1 Scalability

    Future Pervasive Computing environments will likely face a proliferation of

    users, applications, networked devices, and their interactions on a scale never

    experienced before. As environmental smartness grows, so will the number of devices

    connected to the environment and the intensity of human machine interactions.

    Traditional development requires recreating the application for each new device.

    Even if an enterprise could generate new applications as fast as it adds new devices,

    writing application logic only onceindependent of deviceswould have tremendous

    value in solving the applications scalability problem. Furthermore, applications typically

    are distributed and installed separately for each device class and processor family. As the

    number of devices grows, explicitly distributing and installing applications for each class

    and family will become unmanageable, especially across a wide geographic area.

    3.1.2 Heterogeneity

    Conversion from one domain to another is integral to computing and

    communication. Assuming that uniform and compatible implementations of smart

    environments are not achievable, Pervasive Computing must find ways to mask thisheterogeneityor uneven conditioning, as it has been calledfrom users. For instance, a

    sophisticated laboratory and a department store may always differ in their infrastructural

    smartness. Pervasive Computing must fill this gap at some level, say middleware, to

    smooth out smartness jitter in the users experience.

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    For networking, developers have faced protocol mismatch problems and learned

    how to tackle the large dynamic range of architectural incompatibilities to ensure trans

    network interoperability. Mobile computing has already achieved disconnected operation,

    thereby hiding the absence of wireless coverage from the user. Middleware may borrow

    similar concepts to dynamically compensate for less smart or dumb environments so that

    the change is transparent to users.

    But the real difficulty lies at the application front. Today, applications are

    typically developed for specific device classes or system platforms, leading to separate

    versions of the same application for handhelds, desktops, and cluster-based servers. As

    heterogeneity increases, developing applications that run across all platforms will become

    exceedingly difficult.

    3.1.3 Integration

    Though Pervasive Computing components are already deployed in many

    environments, integrating them into a single platform is still a research problem. The

    problem is similar to what researchers in distributed computing face, but the scale is

    bigger. As the number of devices and applications increases, integration becomes more

    complex. For example, servers must handle thousands of concurrent client connections,

    and the influx of pervasive devices would quickly approach the hosts capacities. Weneed a confederation of autonomous servers cooperating to provide user services.

    Integrating Pervasive Computing components has severe reliability, quality of

    service, invisibility, and security implications for pervasive networking. The need for

    useful coordination between confederation components is obvious. This coordination

    might range from traditional areas such as message routing or arbitrating screen usage to

    new challenges such as deciding which application can use a rooms light intensity to

    communicate with the user.

    3.1.4 Invisibility

    A system that requires minimal human intervention offers a reasonable

    approximation of invisibility. Humans can intervene to tune smart environments when

    they fail to meet user expectations automatically. Such intervention might also be part of

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    a continuous learning cycle for the environment. To meet user expectations continuously,

    however, the environment and the objects in it must be able to tune themselves without

    distracting users at a conscious level.

    A smart environment can implement tuning at different system levels. For

    example, network-level devices will require auto configuration. Current manual

    techniques for configuring a device with addresses, subnet masks, default gateways, and

    so on are too cumbersome and time-consuming forPervasive Computing. Automated

    techniques to dynamically reconfigure the network when required are also crucial to

    realizing thePervasive Computingvision.

    3.1.5 Perception: Context awareness

    Most computing systems and devices today cannot sense their environments and

    therefore cannot make timely, context-sensitive decisions Pervasive Computing,

    however, requires systems and devices that perceive context. Mobile computing

    addresses location- and mobility-management issues but in a reactive context

    responding to discrete events.

    Pervasive Computingis more complex because it is proactive. Intelligent environments

    are a prerequisite toPervasive Computing.

    Perception, or context-awareness, is an intrinsic characteristic of intelligentenvironments. Implementing perception introduces significant complications: location

    monitoring, uncertainty modeling, real-time information processing, and merging data

    from multiple and possibly disagreeing sensors. The information that defines context

    awareness must be accurate; otherwise, it can confuse or intrude on the user experience.

    ComMotion, a location-aware computing environment that addresses these issues for

    mobile users, is under development at the MIT Media Lab

    (www.media.mit.edu/~nmarmas/comMotion.html). Microsoft Research is investigating

    Radar, an in building location-aware system.

    3.1.6 Smartness: Context management

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    Once a Pervasive Computingsystem can perceive the current context, it must

    have the means of using its perceptions effectively. Richer interactions with users will

    require a deeper understanding of the physical space.

    Smartness involves accurate sensing (input) followed by intelligent control or

    action (output) between two worlds, namely, machine and human. For example, a

    Pervasive Computing system that automatically adjusts heating, cooling, and lighting

    levels in a room depending on an occupants electronic profile must have some form of

    perception to track the person and also some form of control to adjust the ventilation and

    lighting systems. Pervasive Computing requires systems and devices that perceive

    context.

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    4 SECURITY IN PERVASIVE COMPUTINGENVIRONMENTS

    As Computing devices are numerous and ubiquitous, the traditional authentication

    including login schemes do not work well with so many devices. Proposed Solution is to

    Use biometrics for authentication and at the same time, ensure security of biometric

    templates in an open environment. User Interaction is with speech, gestures and

    movements and the sensors and computing devices are aware of the user and in the

    ideal case are also aware of his intent.

    4.1.1 Security and Privacy

    a) Consequences of a pervasive network

    b) Devices are numerous, ubiquitous and shared

    c) The network shares the context and preferences of the user

    d) Smart spaces are aware of the location and intent of the user

    4.1.2 Security Concerns

    a) Only authorized individuals need to be given access

    b) Authentication should be minimally intrusive

    c) Devices should be trustworthy

    4.1.3 Privacy issues

    a) User should be aware of when he is being observed

    b) The user context should be protected within the network

    c) Need to balance accessibility and security

    d) Should be scalable with multiple users operating in the network

    4.2 Solution: Biometrics

    It is the science of verifying and establishing the identity of an individual through

    physiological features or behavioral traits.

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    4.2.1 Physical Biometrics

    a) Fingerprint

    b) Hand Geometry

    c) Iris patterns

    4.2.2 Behavioral Biometrics

    a) Handwriting

    b) Signature

    c) Speech

    d) Gait

    4.2.3 Chemical/Biological Biometrics

    a) Perspiration

    b) Skin composition(spectroscopy)

    Figure 4.3 Biometrics solutions

    Biometrics offers a promising solution for reliable and uniform identification and

    verification of an individual. Biometrics is the science of verifying and establishing the

    identity of an individual through physiological features or behavioral traits. Physical

    biometrics rely on physiological features such as fingerprints, hand geometry, iris pattern,

    facial features etc. for identity verification. Behavioral biometrics depends upon

    behavioral features such as speech patterns, handwriting, signature, walking gait etc. for

    authentication. These traits are unique to an individual and hence cannot be misused, lost

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    or stolen. Biometrics are based on established scientific principles as a basis for

    authentication.

    4.2.4 Advantages of biometrics

    a) Uniqueness

    b) No need to remember passwords or carry tokens

    c) Biometrics cannot be lost, stolen or forgotten

    d) Security has to be incorporated in the design stage

    e) Traditional authentication and access control paradigms cannot scale to

    numerous and ubiquitous devices

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    5 Emerging Pervasive Technologies

    5.1 Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networking

    Napster popularized the application of P2P (peer-to-peer networking) products and now

    the same technology has begun to sing a business melody. The basic idea behind it being

    the sharing of files and programs and communicating directly with people over the

    Internet, without having to rely on a centralized server. What it does is to create private

    workspaces for sharing files, exchanging information, creating databases and

    communication instantly. Companies can now participate in B2B marketplaces, cut out

    intermediaries and instead collaborate directly with suppliers. Peers on desktop PCs can

    share files directly over a network. Renting computing power can solve resource

    problems in smaller companies, thus improving the power of web applications.

    5.2 Nano technology

    We've seen science fiction flicks where miniature machines get into the human body and

    track cell patterns and behavior like those of cancer cells and exterminate them. Molecule

    sized computers can be manufactured to create new materials that can replace steel in allits properties and even withstand temperatures of 6,500 degree Fahrenheit. It is predicted

    that these materials will soon be used to build automobiles and office buildings. 'A la' - an

    invisible infrastructure!

    5.3 Chips and the Net

    Net-ready chips are a low cost method of getting on to the Internet. They follow all the

    necessary Internet Protocols and can be embedded in home appliances that can then be

    easily connected to the Internet. They function as tags that possess comprehensive

    information about the object that it is tagged on to and include details like the date and

    place it was manufactured.

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    Next-Gen web will be more interactive with a swarm of specialized devices like sensors,

    and other appliances, all with Internet access and the ability to communicate.

    Basically easier computing that's available everywhere as needed, devices that are going

    to be easy to use, as simple as calculators and telephones or ATMs. With an extensive

    range like mobile commerce to home automation, and from the well-connected car to the

    convenience of small devices,Pervasive Computingexemplifies a vision beyond the PC.

    Agreed that some of the technologies behind these devices are in their infancy or

    evolutionary stages, so it may just be a question of time before all that is promised is

    achieved.

    5.8 Uses of Pervasive Computing

    Pervasive computing has many potential applications, from health and home care

    to environmental monitoring and intelligent transport.

    5.8.1 Some Business Uses of Pervasive Computing:

    a) Healthcare:

    i) records, lab order entry and results reporting (MRIs on the patient's TV)

    ii) prescription writing (mistakes, loss of paper copy, forgeries)

    iii) medications (what if every pill had a UPC code on it?)

    iv) billing and costs (why do I have to file my records?)

    b) personnel scheduling

    i) Mall interviewing with semi-connected TabletPCs

    ii) Vending: improved routing, re supply, ordering; price changes pushed to

    machines

    iii) Service Industry: "Cable guy will be at your home between 8am and noon." /

    GPS

    iv) MicroPayments: with cell phone for vending, train tickets.

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    v) Micro/Nano devices Hitachi's Mu Chip 0.4mm square, 128 bit ROM,

    Interrogated at 2.45GHz, useful for documents, currency, shopping,

    preventing "shrinkage"

    vi) Military: Operation Anaconda

    5.8.2 Some Personal Uses of Pervasive Computing

    a) Personal Information: PDA with wireless connections to web, broker, child's

    school, appointments, telephone numbers

    b) Flight Schedules: Your phone rings. Its the computer at American Airlines. Your

    flight departure is delayed by 20 minutes.

    c) Networked coffee shop: Wi-Fi at StarBuck's and Schlosky's

    d) Location: finding friends at the mall (or hiding from)

    e) Home interaction: The networked coffee pot/an alarm clock sync'd with Outlook /

    Electricity Peak Conservation/Thermostat/Hot Water Heater connected via

    wireless network (security issues)

    f) Car: schedule oil change seamlessly w/ garage; maps; traffic; kid movies

    streamed to back seat ("Only if its quiet back there")

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    6 FUTURE SHAPE OF PERVASIVE COMPUTING

    Today the uses of Internet are limited as its users look for read-mostly information. As

    we move to a world where the Internet is used as an infrastructure for embedded

    computing, all this will change.

    A COMPUTER on every desk and in every home. This was Microsoft's mission

    statement for many years, and it once sounded visionary and daring. But today it seems

    lacking in ambition. What about a computer in every pocket? Sure enough, Microsoft has

    recently amended its statement: its goal is now to empower people through great

    software, anytime, anyplace on any device. Being chained to your desktop is out:

    mobility is in !

    Figure 6.1Future of pervasive computing

    6.1 Exploiting pervasive computing

    We can hypothesize that the individual utility of mobile communication, wireless

    appliances and the respective mobile services - pervasive technologies in general - will be

    exploited through a digital environment that is:

    a) Aware of their presence.

    b) Sensitive, adaptive and responsive to their needs, habits and emotions

    c) Ubiquitously accessible via natural interaction. Increasingly, many of the chips

    around us will sense their environment in rudimentary but effective ways.

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    d) Some of the most profound benefits can be expected in the field of health and

    medicine. Devices attached to our body, as wristwatches, for example, will

    continuously monitor our biological processes, heart rate, blood sugar etc., and

    immediately report an abnormality.

    e) For the hearing impaired, Amplifiers will be implanted and used in the inner ear.

    f) New machines that scan, probe, penetrate and enhance our bodies will be used,

    turning us into partial bionic men.

    g) Devices will become intelligent, for example, cell phones will ask the landline phone

    what its telephone number is and will forward our calls to it.

    h) Refrigerators will be connected to the Internet so one could find out, via cell phone or

    PDA, what is in it while one is at the store. A refrigerator may even sense when it is

    low on milk and order more directly from the supplier or rather than this, the

    connection will enable the manufacturer to monitor the appliance directly to ensure

    that it is working correctly and inform the owner when it is not.

    i) Stoves will conspire with the refrigerators to decide what recipe makes the best use of

    the available ingredients, then guide us through preparation of the recipe with the aid

    of a network-connected food processor and blender. Or they will communicate to

    optimize the energy usage in our households.

    j) Cars will use the Internet to find an open parking space or the nearest vegetarian

    restaurant for their owners or to allow the manufacturer to diagnose problems before

    they happen, and either inform the owner of the needed service or automatically

    install the necessary (software) repair.

    6.2 Social implications

    The pervasion of technology in our lives can be expected to have, far-reaching social

    consequences. While earlier it was feared that new technology like the Internet wouldmake us more isolated; as communication devices become more ubiquitous and natural, it

    can be expected to actually bring us closer together, thus enriching our social lives. On

    the other hand, some people can be expected to show an aversion to what they may

    perceive as an invasion of their privacy or personal space.

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    As always, such resistance to anything new is natural and can be expected to

    decrease with time. Another aspect to this subject is that of cost. While this may not be

    such a critical factor in the developed world, cheaper ways to make the technology more

    accessible must be found to help it spread throughout the world.

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    7 CONCLUSION

    Pervasive Computingprovides an attractive vision for the future of computing.

    We will no longer be sitting down in front of a PC to get access to information. In this

    wireless world we will have instant access to the information and services that we will

    want to access with devices, such as Smart phones, PDAs, set-top boxes, embedded

    intelligence in your automobile and others, all linked to the network, allowing us to

    connect anytime, anywhere seamlessly, and very importantly, transparently.

    Computational power will be available everywhere through mobile and stationary devices

    that will dynamically connect and coordinate to smoothly help users in accomplishingtheir tasks. Some of the implications of this new revolution may seem far-fetched, but

    they really arent. Technology is rapidly finding its way into every aspect of our lives.

    Whether its how we shop, how we get from one place to another or how we

    communicate, technology is clearly woven into the way we live. Indeed, we are hurtling

    towards computing that pervades our realities, computing that is everywhere.

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    8 References

    1. Emerging Pervasive Technologies

    http://www.stylusinc.com/enhance/Interactive/PervasiveComputingTech.php

    2. M. Weiser, The Computer for the 21st Century, Scientific Am., Sept., 1991, pp. 94-

    104; reprinted inIEEE Pervasive Computing, Jan.-Mar. 2002, pp. 19-25.

    3. G. Banavar et al., Challenges: An Application Model for Pervasive Computing,

    Proc. 6th Ann. ACM/IEEE Intl Conf. Mobile Computing and Networking(Mobicom

    2000), ACM Press, 2000, pp. 266-274.

    4. M. Satyanarayanan, Pervasive Computing: Vision and Challenges,IEEE Personal

    Communication, Aug. 2001, pp. 10-17. http://www.fincher.org/tips/web/Pervasive.shtml