Ubiquitous Computing: LE1

Ubiquitous Computing

"Ubiquitous Computing is fundamentally characterized by the connection of things in the world with computation“(Mark Weiser)

Terminology

• Ubiquitous– Swedish: “allestädes närvarande”

– www.m-w.com: existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered : widespread

– omnipresent, allover, universal, constantly available

– pervasive to the point of subconscious

Ubiquitous Computing

• Coined by Mark Weiser and researchers at Xerox Palo Alto in the late 80s.

• Computers as we know them will be replaced by a multitude of networked computing devices embedded in our environments, and these devices will be invisible in the sense of not being perceived as computers.

• Ubiquitous computing pushes the user interface away from the desktop and into our everyday environments.

Ubiquitous Computing

Mark Weiser’s vision (1991)

“The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it.” (Weiser)

Ubiquitous Computing

• In short about what happens when we become surrounded by IT-artefacts in our daily and working lives

• Distributed interactive computing permeating the world

• Perspectives– Computer Science– Sociological Science– Interaction Design

History of Interaction

• Era 1: Mainframes (past)Central, “powerful” and

expensive computer

Many users access a single computer from “dumb” terminals

Used for enterprise data processing

• Cobol, data bases, etc..

Computer not easily accessible

History of Interaction

• Era II: Personal computers (present)“Powerful” and relatively

inexpensive computersAt least one machine per userUsed for word processing,

personal productivity applications, video, audio etc

• Powerpoint, MS Word, Web browser etc..

Computer still not that accessible

History of Interaction

• Era III: Post-PC (future)Explosion in number and variety of

computing devicesA number of devices/machines share one

userDevices (inexpensive) vary in complexity

and functionUsed to make “our lives better”Computers become “invisible”

Three, or Four, Waves

• Mainframe computing (60’s-70’s)– massive computers to execute big data processing applications– very few computers in the world

• Desktop computing (80’s-90’s)– one computer at every desk to help in business-related activities– computers connected in intranets to a massive global network

(internet), all wired

• Ubiquitous computing (00’s-?)– tens/hundreds of computing devices in every room/person,

becoming “invisible” and part of the environment– WANs, LANs, PANs – networking in small spaces

• Cloud computing as a fourth wave, see Google Tech Talk.

Presence of IT-artefacts

Visions of the Future

• The Office of the Professional1981 - before the mouseOffice OfTheProfessional.wmv

• Weiser’s vision:UbiCompIntro.movUbiCompClose.mov

• Playful Interaction in recent visionsplayful_interaction.avi

Ubiquitous Computing

Invisible/Silent/Calm Interfaces

Wearable Computing

Tangible interfaces

Augmented Reality

Context sensitivity

Public Interactions

Ad hoc Networks

Mobile-Nomadic Computing

Software Agents

Mechatronics

Adaptive services

Embedded computers

UbiComp enabling technologies

• Processing– cheaper, faster, smaller, more energy efficient

• Storage– big and fast

• Networking– global, local, ad- hoc, low- power, high bandwidth, low latencies

• Displays– projection, flexible materials, power consumption

* Embedded sensor networks

• Sensors:

- in everyday environments

- on people

- on artefacts• Sensor fusion: combining different data and placements

to gather context

Embedded Computers

• Computers are becoming smaller and cheaper ->Everyday things will to a higher extent be “computerized”.

• Analogy: Electric motors used to be large, powering several appliances. They are nowadays embedded in the devices and invisible, so that the user sees a task-specific tool and not the technology of motors. Computers as well as motors are enablers and infrastructure. (Donald Norman)

• Smart-Its:– sensors: sound, light, acceleration (2d), pressure– core board: context-recognition, communication

interface (RF)

Defining Context

• Information used to characterize the situation of an entity

• Entity - person, place or object relevant to the interaction between a human and some computational service

Context and location Awareness

• What if your device knew from the time you approached or picked it up:– WHO you are (user aware).– WHERE you are (location aware).– WHAT is going on around you (environment

aware).

* Context-aware computing

• “computer-based devices [that] reach out into the real world through sensors” [Gellerson].

• “A system is context-aware if it uses context to provide relevant information and/or services to the user, where relevancy depends on the user’s task.” [Dey & Abowd, 1999].

Location-Aware Systems

• Computers that know where you are

• Examples– Help guide blind person through an area– Put location tracking on buses so you will know

when next one is coming– Attach reminders to places, like "Next time I am

near grocery store remind me to…“

Sample Context-Aware Apps ParcTabs and Active Badges

ParcTabsXerox PARC

Want, Schilit, et al

Active BadgeOlivetti / AT&T

Hopper, Harter, et al

Tangible interfaces

• Most HC interaction is done through– a big glass tube– pressing keys and moving a mouse

• Human-human interaction uses many more channels

* Tangible computing • Input, data, output and networking contained and

accessed within the same tangible artefact – Paper, cups, pens, umbrellas or specially designed

artefacts• Tangible objects as active entities that respond to the

environment, to user manipulation and people’s activities in general

• Building on the users’ cognitive abilities

• Allow users to “grasp and manipulate” bits by coupling the bits with everyday things

• Bridge cyberspace and physical space

• Bridge foreground and background of human activities

• Turn the physical world into the interface

Tangible Computing

• Bishop’s Marble Answering Machine– physical interaction with digital information

* Social computing • Incorporating understandings of the social world into

interactive systems– Social traces left by people on objects or places– Mobile social networks between co-located

acquaintances – enhancing user awareness by providing them

information about others and their activity

* Augmented reality

• Superimposing a digital world upon the real one – User experiences both as co-existing parts of the

same reality– User is able to interact with their combination in real

time• Interfaces:

– 3D computer graphics seen through transparent head-mounted displays or augmented glasses

– Spatialised audio cues heard through headphones

* Augmented reality

• “Virtual reality” cuts you off from real world• Augmented reality adds interaction on top of real world• Examples:

– superimposing street names on windshield while driving a car

• Mixed-reality: digital world not directly overlaid on the physical one but still presented as part of the same reality, f.ex. – with both realities displayed on the screen of hand-

held device)

MagicBook, U. of Washington

Augmented Reality

* Wearable computing

• Computing incorporated into clothing• Make use of body-related information or interaction

forms to control processes : - body movements- biometrics

• Embedded displays (e.g. glasses)

Calm Technology

• Encalms and Informs• The users remain serene and in control• Engages our peripheral attention

– Allows us to attune to more things– The user is largely unaware of interacting with a

computing or communication device.

• Moves easily from center to periphery and back– Recenter to take control– Ex: Car engine; when not OK we notice it

Dangling String

• By Natalie Jeremijenko, Xerox PARC– bridging physical and virtual– displays activity level on computer network– Vision, sound and touch

UC Issues

• How can we enhance [everyday] activities by connecting them to a computational infrastructure?

• How can we design IT-artefacts and IT-environments using computational technology as a material?

• What computational infrastructure do we need?

UC Issues• HCI

how to address many computers (without going insane)• Security & Privacy

Wireless data, overcoming surveillance

• Communications & NetworkingHome Networks, Personal Area Networks, Ad-hoc Networks

• Operating SystemsMust fit in small memories, energy aware

• Hardware DesignSmall size, low weight, low power, harsh environments

• Software DesignCope with large variation in hardware, partition the code to be easily customized in different environments

Open Research ChallengesPeople Issues

• Avoiding embarrassing situations– Active Badges + bathrooms– Inconvenient phone forwarding

• Avoiding dangerous situations– Need to take into consideration cost of mistake– Smoke alarms when cooking– Lights that turn off when you're still there– Woman locked in "smart toilet stall"

• Will adding more context really help here?

Recap

• Ubiquitous Computing concerns how computational technology becomes a natural part of our lives

• Involves both technology and interaction design

• Moves away from traditional desktop interaction

• Computation becomes embedded in the environment

Design PerspectiveToward a hybrid design

• Combine unique capabilities of computer technology with properties of physical environments

• Focus on foreground activity: how people interact with their designed environment – preserve familiarity and accustomed use

Interaction with Physical Artefacts / Environments

• Physical/Tangible Interaction

– Physical affordances: suggesting and guiding action

– Distributed interaction: actions across artefacts / space

• Spatial/ambient interaction

– Spatial organisation of action/communication

– Ambient interaction: “spatial attention model”

Technical PerspectiveComputers in the Background• Computers as secondary artefacts (embedded/situated)

– Embedded: (only a) part of some other artefact– Situated: meaningfully placed, designed for specific context

(“context-made” rather than “context-aware”)

The Environment is the Interface• Build upon affordances of the primary artefact or environments

– Don’t break with accustomed uses and familiar concepts• Physical I/O (sensors/actuators) to tie computers to entities in the

physical environment• Networking to enable coherent interaction

– Spatial interaction, proximate networking, etc– Allow for new interactions/relationships across parts of the environment