Introduction and Description

Ubiquitous computing, or ubicomp, is the future of computing. The concept behind ubicomp has been slowly developing since the mid to late 1980's. The details of the concept vary between different researchers and scientists; but in general, the idea is that computers will become as much a part of our world as electric motors or electricity. The part of the description that is not well-defined is the phrase "a part of our world." It is generally accepted that for ubicomp to be realized, computers will be everywhere and in everything to the extent that the people who interact with the computers will not realize they are interacting with a computer. In essence, the computers will become "invsible" to the users. How to achieve this goal is what researchers are working to discover. There are many metaphors that have been used to describe ubiquitous computing. One interesting idea, put forth by Mark Weiser, compares the future of computing to childhood: "Our computers should be like our childhood: an invisible foundation that is quickly forgotten but always with us, and effortlessly used throughout our lives."¹

Ubiquitous computing represents a paradigm shift in computing. A paradigm shift usually involves one person or a small group of people, and it presents an entirely new and previously unattempted approach to a known problem. Mark Weiser, the Father of Ubiquitous Computing, suggests that ubicomp is the third paradigm shift in computing. The mainframe computer deals with many users per computer, the PC deals with one user per computer, and ubicomp deals with many computers per user. An early version of ubiquitous computing was put forth by Nicholas Negroponte, founder and director of the MIT Media Lab. His view was slightly different from Weiser's view and did not include the actual phrase "ubiquitous computing", but some researchers credit Negroponte with being the true pioneer of ubicomp.

The major distinction between ubiquitous computing and other areas of computing, such as virtual reality, database management, or high-speed networking, is that those studies are concerned with building computers capable of performing some increasingly complex task where ubiquitous computing is more concerned with the social and cultural transition that must take place in order for ubicomp to be realized. Weiser refers to problems like virtual reality as "horse power problems" and to ubicomp as a problem of integrating several things both inside and outside of computing, such as human factors, computer science, and social science, to create an entirely new paradigm for computing.²

Technical Aspects

In order to successfully incorporate computers into our everyday lives, there are several technical issues which must be addressed. The main issues can be categorized in one of three ways: location information, scale of the technology, and technological capability. Each of these categories holds great import for ubiquitous computing. By simply providing location information to the hundreds of computers per room, many of the problems with creating artificial intelligence disappear. Additionally, the ability to have computing on different scales, depending on the goal of the computation, is critical to the success of ubicomp. It is understood that ubiquitous computing can not be achieved with the current computing technology. There will need to be developments in many areas of computing technology in order to facilitate this paradigm shift.⁷

• Location
  Location is a key aspect in any "smart" system. It is amazing how much more effective a computer can be if it simply knows it's location and the location of objects in its environment. Giving the computers this information will enable actions like opening doors automatically for certain people, loading the correct information on the screen for whoever is sitting at the terminal, or forwarding phone or electronic messages directly to the closest outlet to the recipient. The technical aspects of location information include using both indoor and outdoor positioning systems. The technology is under development to create and refine these systems to allow accurate position information in all situations. Current widely-used implementations of such positioning systems are the global positioning system (GPS) and the Active Badge system developed by Olivetti Research in Cambridge.

• Scale
  Scale is a major consideration in the ubicomp research at Xerox PARC. Weiser and his colleagues have developed devices that fall into three categories of scale: inch, foot, and yard. The inch-scale devices are the most numerous and are comparable to a pinned up note on the monitor or the refrigerator. The foot-scale computers are similar to laptops or pen-based computers that are commercially available now. These will represent "virtual paper" or real-world windows. The main difference between the inch-scale and foot-scale devices of ubiquitous computing and the portable computers currently available is that the ubicomp computers will be in every room, so there will be no need to port them anywhere. Though their size makes them easy to transport, their ubiquity makes it unnecessary to carry them out of the room. The last scale is the yard scale. These devices will be similar to current bulletin boards or blackboards. There will most likely be a small number of these in each room, perhaps only one or two. They will be used for meetings and presenting information to larger groups of people.

• Enabling Technology
  The enabling technology for ubicomp consists of three major components: hardware, software, and networking infrastructure. In order to have hundreds of computers in every room, each one must be low-cost and have low power consumption. They should also have high-resolution displays so that the information they present is easier for humans to perceive and understand quickly. There is also a great need for software that will allow ubiquitous applications. Current operating systems and window managing software are not applicable to the ubicomp paradigm. New ways of managing information must be developed before ubiquitous computing can go further. Finally, in order to have this massive amount of information connected and at the fingertips of people everywhere, there must be substantial progress made in networking capabilities. These small computers will need extremely fast wired connections accompanied by fairly high-speed wireless connections. These technologies are critical in the deployment of ubiquitous computing.

Social Aspects

In addition to the technical aspects of ubiquitous computing, there are many non-technical issues which are raised. One of the main aspects of this paradigm shift is that it focuses on a major change in social and cultural views. People are not used to having computers imbedded throughout their world. In order for ubicomp to be successful, people will have to learn to adjust to all of the added information. The main goal of ubicomp is to create an environment where computational power surrounds the user, but the user is not required to attend to the computer in order to perform a task. Some of the main social questions that ubicomp must address are discussed below.

• What about privacy and security?
  The biggest argument against putting computers everywhere is the risk of losing personal privacy and security. The thought of having hundreds of computers in every room that can track the actions of people can be very scary. For many users, this brings nightmares of Big Brother from George Orwell's book 1984, where the government is watching over everyone and controlling what they do. This is the single most important problem that ubiquitous computing must overcome before it is widely accepted.

• What if these things break down?
  We depend on technology to work flawlessly in our everyday lives. When refrigerators stop working or microwaves stop cooking, we generally have no idea how to fix them. If ubiquitous computing will ever be widely accepted by the general public, it must be as robust as other ubiquitous technolgies that are already in the home. Currently, computers require a lot of maintenance and technical support. For people to become comfortable with using ubiquitous computing in everything they do, these drawbacks of current computing technology will have to be remedied.

• How can computers become invisible?
  What exactly does it mean for a tool to be invisble? The tool is not going to be physically out of sight, so at what point is a device sufficiently invisible? Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown discuss in detail what it means to be "invisble." They see ubiquitous computing as moving computers into the user's periphery. Things in the periphery are not explicitly attended to by the user, but are still attuned to so that they can be moved into the user's attention rapidly. An effective ubicomp device will be able to move effortlessly and unobtrusively from the periphery to the center of attention and back. Weiser and Brown describe such devices as "calm technology" and claim that such behavior is one goal of ubiquitous computing.⁶

• How do we evaluate whether the computers are invisible or not?
  If the computers are truly invisible, then how can we effectively evaluate their invisibility? In order to effectively evaluate ubicomp systems, more qualitative approaches like ethnographic studies and "Invisibility Walkthroughs."³ Such techniques provide the designers with information about how the users feel or think about the system while using it. By knowing what the users think as they interact with the system, designers can determine just how "invisible" the technology is. If the users never mention the computer they are using, but instead talk about the task they are attempting, then the designers will know they have succeeded in creating invisible technology.

Applications of Ubiquitous Computing

Once the issues of ubiquitous computing have been solved, what can this new paradigm offer? Ubiquitous Computing will allow people to share information in a more effective and transparent manner. It will allow the capture and replay of rich multimedia information such as video and audio. It facilitates the integration and access of this information, as well as context aware computing. Additionally, ubiquitous software services, such as music servers and data analysis applications, will allow people to work more efficiently in a wider variety of environments.

Some researchers, like Joseph McCarthy from the Center for Strategic Technology Research at Andersen Consulting, are focusing more on applications for the workplace as opposed to applications for the home. Many of the applications apply to both. McCarthy's view is that all of the things people normally do with their desktop should be available in other settings away from the physical desk.

"Our overall philosophy with respect to ubiquitous computing is that a collection of many small applications of ubiquitous computing will yield a significant qualitative difference in our environments it will be their synergistic combination rather than the contribution of any single one that will demonstrate the importance of this new model of computing."⁸

References

1. Mark Weiser. "The world is not a desktop". Interactions; January 1994; pp. 7-8.
   
2. Mark Weiser. Ubiquitous Computing Home Page (Xerox PARC)
   
3. Gregory Abowd. A lecture on Ubiquitous Computing
   
4. Nightline, ABC News. "Revolution in a Box, Part 8: The Role of Computers"
   
5. Mark Weiser. Open House
   
6. Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown. The Coming Age of Calm Technology
   
7. Mark Weiser. "The Computer for the Twenty-First Century," Scientific American, pp. 933-40, September 1991
   
8. Joseph F. McCarthy. "Ubiquitous Computing and the Knowledge Worker"