Pervasive Computing

SNJ SAI KIRAN RACHAKONDAAPOORVA TEJA VANAMNAGA SIVA CHANDRA PRASAD PAMIDI

Overview.• What is Pervasive computing ?• Goals of pervasive computing.• Ultimate goal• Current Technology• Four Themes• Examples Projects• Pervasive Computer Problems • Security & Privacy• Management-nightmare• Management-the solution

Pervasive computing:

•An environment in which people interact with embedded (and mostly invisible) computers (processors) and in which networked devices are aware of their surroundings and peers and are able to provide services or use services from peers effectively

Technology View• Computers everywhere – embedded into fridges,

washing machines, door locks, cars, furniture, peopleintelligent environment-• Mobile portable computing devices• Wireless communication – seamless mobile/fixed

User View• Invisible – implicit interaction with your environment• Augmenting human abilities in context of tasks

Ubiquitous = mobile computing + intelligentEnvironment

Ultimate goal:▫Invisible technology▫Integration of virtual and physical worlds▫Throughout desks, rooms, buildings, and

life▫Take the data out of environment, leaving

behind just an enhanced ability to act

•Current Technology

pda mobile phone

Bluetooth headset

Four Themes

•Automated capture of experiences with easy access

•Context-aware/sensitive interactions and applications

•Ubiquitous services independent of devices/platforms

•Natural/Implicit interfaces

1. Automated Capture

•Motivation▫Record-taking is hard▫Multiple streams of information need to be

captured▫Machines are better at some of these

things than we are

Examples

•Meeting capture (scribe at Xerox PARC), Mark Weiser

•Classroom 2000

Live Board

Classroom 2000

Issues

•Stream integration -- At what level?▫Very finest level of actions or more coarse?

•Modifying a record after the fact▫Can student notes be added later?

•Networked interaction▫Why can’t your notes be put up on the

Liveboard?

2. Context-Aware Computing

•Computing services sense aspects of environment (location, user emotion,…) and tailor provided services

•Walk into conference room, my email is projected on a big screen there

Examples

•Active Badge & PARCTab•Shopping assistant•Cyberguide•Perception system for recognizing user

moods from their facial expressions•House where position is sensed and

temperature adjusted automatically

Augmented Reality

Issues

•How to integrate all the different aspects of context?

•What about the loss of privacy?

3. Ubiquitous Services

•Care about service, not application•Want to receive a message using

whatever device is handy nearby•Message is tailored to work according to

device

Issues

•What is software infrastructure for integration?

•Do we get it by just adopting some standard?

4. Natural/Implicit Interfaces

•Computer interfaces and devices are more natural interaction tools▫Pen input▫Speech▫Gesture▫Tangible interfaces

Putting Them Altogether•Progress in

▫computing speed▫communication

bandwidth▫material sciences▫sensor techniques▫computer science

concepts▫miniaturization▫energy and battery▫display technologies▫ ...

Enables new applications

“Post-PC era” business opportunities

Challenges for computer scientists, e.g., infrastructure

Some Examples:

Smart Clothing• Conductive textiles and inks

▫print electrically active patterns directly onto fabrics

• Sensors based on fabric▫e.g., monitor pulse, blood

pressure, body temperature• Invisible collar microphones• Kidswear

▫game console on the sleeve?▫ integrated GPS-driven

locators?▫ integrated small cameras (to

keep the parents calm)?

Smart Glasses

•By 2009, computers will disappear. Visual information will be written directly onto ourretinas by devices inour eyeglasses andcontact lenses-- Raymond Kurzweil

Radio Sensors• No external power supply

▫ energy from theactuation process

▫ piezoelectric andpyroelectric materialstransform changes inpressure or temperatureinto energy

• RF signal is transmitted via an antenna (20 m distance)

• Applications: temperature surveillance, remote control (e.g., wireless light switch),...

RFIDs (“Smart Labels”)• Identify objects from distance

▫small IC with RF-transponder

• Wireless energy supply▫~1m▫magnetic field (induction)

• ROM or EEPROM (writeable)▫~100 Byte

• Cost ~$0.1 ... $1▫consumable and disposable

• Flexible tags▫ laminated with paper

LegoMaking Lego Smart:Robot command Explorer (Hitachi H8 CPU, 32KB RAM, IR)

Lego Mindstorms

Example Projects

•ETH Zurich The Smart Its Project

•HP Cooltown project

•AT&T Sentient System

•Berkeley’s Wireless Sensor Network

•Intel Mote/RFID Project

Idea: Making Objects Smart

The Smart Its Project•Vision: make everyday objects

as smart, interconnectedinformation artifacts▫by attaching “Smart-Its”

•Smart labels▫Atmel microcontroller:

(ETH Zurich)4 MIPS, 128 kB flash

Magnifying Glass

•An object as a web link▫e.g., by displaying a dynamically generated

homepage▫Contents may depend

on circumstances, e.g.,context and privileges

▫possibly mediated bydifferent name resolvers

▫HP Cooltown project

Smart Environment, Dumb Object

•A context-sensitive cookbook with RFID

RFID

Can be Context-Aware•Properties of the ingredients

▫Check whether there is enough of an ingredient▫Prefer ingredients with earlier best-before date

•Properties of the kitchen▫Check whether required tools and spices are

available•Preferences and abilities of the cook

▫Prefers Asian dishes▫Expert in vegetarian dishes

Pervasive Computer Problems

•What means of communication Radio – spectrum shortage Light based – very directional

• Batteries would be impractical power source for 100K processors per person.

•Solar cells are not suitable for all environments.

•Power not speed is the key issue for future process or designs

Security• Interactions cross multiple organizational

boundaries• Specification, analysis and integration for heterogeneous OS, databases, firewalls, routers• Lessons from history:• Cell phones, IR garage doors, CATV decoders• Everything worth hacking gets hacked• Need for secure ‘out of the box’ set up• Identify friend or foe→ level of trust• Small communicators, with confidential data, are easily lost or stolen – biometric authentication• Necessary security technology exists

Privacy• Location service tracks movement to within

metres(cf mobile phones but pay-as-you-go can be

anonymous).• Clearly indicate you are being sensed or

recorded + user control tostop recording or control distribution of

information• You are now predictable• System can co-relate location, context and behaviour patterns

Cont…

• Do you want employer, colleagues or insurance company to know you carry a medical monitor?

• Tension between authentication and anonymity – business want to

authenticate you for financial transactions and to provide ‘personalized’

service cf web sites• Constant spam of context dependent

advertising

Management – the nightmare!

•Huge, complex systems▫Billions of processors▫Multiple organisations▫Managing physical world,▫controlling sensors, actuators▫Humans will be in the way

•Errors propagate to bring down complete regions

Cont..

•Hacker and virus paradise•System propagates false information

about individuals or organization•Complexity of software installation on a

workstation or server – how do you cope with billions?

Management Solutions• Intelligent agents, mobile agents, policy• QoS Management

▫ Fat pipes and large storage can convert media streams to short traffic bursts in core network but still needed for wireless links

• Adaptive self-management is the only answer▫ Partitioned domains of responsibility▫ Genetic algorithms may be suitable for long-

term strategy but need more deterministic solutions for short term decision making

• Remove human from the loop

References ▫http://www.redwoodhouse.com/

wearable/▫http://iswc.gatech.edu/archives.htm▫http://www.media.mit.edu/▫http://cooltown.hp.com/▫http://portolano.cs.washington.edu/▫http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/

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