Smart Device - Ubiquitous Computing Properties

Ubiquitous Computing Properties

Weiser’s vision for ubiquitous computing can be summarized in terms of three core properties:

• Devices need to be networked, distributed and transparently accessible.
• Human Computer Interaction with devices is hidden to a degree from its users.
• Devices exhibit Context awareness of an environment in order to optimise their operation in that environment.

It is proposed that there are two additional core types of properties for UbiCom systems :

• Devices can operate to some extent autonomously, i.e., without human intervention, be self-governed.
• Devices can handle a multiplicity of dynamic actions and interactions, governed by intelligent decision-making and organisational interaction. This may entail some form of in order to:
  • handle incomplete and non-deterministic interactions
  • cooperation and competition between members of organisations
  • richer interaction through sharing of context, semantics and goals etc.

However, It is hard to fix a closed set of properties that define all ubiquitous computing devices because of the sheer range and variety of ubiquitous computing research and applications. Rather than to propose a single definition for ubiquitous computing, a taxonomy of properties for ubiquitous computing has been proposed, from which different kinds or flavours of ubiquitous systems and applications can be composed and described.