Ubiquitous Computing

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Ubiquitous Computing

• A paradigm shift toward invisible interfaces

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Agenda

• Questions
• Reactions to Weiser
• The ubiquitous paradigm shift
• Technical issues
• location, scale, networking
• HCI issues

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For more information

• Monday
• Mynatt on ubicomp
• Spring 2000
• Starner, Mynatt ( Abowd) on ubicomp

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Marc Weiser

• Chief Technologist Xerox PARC
• Began Ubiquitous Computing Project in 1988

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Weiser on Ubicomp

• What did you learn?

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A new paradigm

• YES!!
• Others agree
• off the desktop, out of the box, pervasive,
  invisible, wearable, calm, anytime/anywhere/any
  place,

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What is the humans perception?

• Pervasive yet unobtrusive
• The most profound technologies are those that
  disappear.

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Ubicomp is ...

• Related to
• mobile computing
• wearable computing
• augmented reality
• In contrast with
• virtual reality (augmented virtuality)

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Critical Technical Issues

• Location
• knowledge of where substitutes for intelligence
• Scale
• one size does not fit all needs
• Networking
• constant connectivity, wired and wireless

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Location services

• Outdoor
• Global Positioning Satellites (GPS)
• wireless/cellular networks
• Indoor
• active badges, electronic tags
• vision
• motion detectors, keyboard activity

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Device scales

• Inch
• PDAs
• PARCTAB
• Voice Recorders
• smart phones

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Device scales

• Foot
• notebooks
• tablets
• digital paper

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Device scales

• Yard
• electronic whiteboards
• plasma displays
• smart bulletin boards

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Another take on scales

• Based on ownership and location
• body
• desk
• room
• building

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More on Scale (Applications)

• People
• Space
• Devices
• Time

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Networking

• Anytime / Anywhere / Any place
• Information at your fingertips
• All imply constant connectivity

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Varieties of networks

• Wired
• dial-up vs. cable modem (2-second rule)
• Wireless
• speed and capacity both an issue
• many varieties (see Web)

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How to achieve ubiquity?

• Instrument the person
• Instrument the physical surroundings

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HCI Challenges in Ubicomp

• Applications
• the essence of Ubicomp
• Natural interfaces
• Capture, integration and access
• Context-aware computing
• Everyday computing

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Evaluation

• Challenges of CSCW and more
• see Grudins list
• Abowds Rule Live it

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More challenges

• How to attain / demonstrate invisibility?
• invisibility walkthrough?
• Social issues
• security, privacy, dependency