203CR – Designing for Usability 2
Studio 1 – Definitions and images of pervasive computingList of Definitions
Below is a list of definitions found from various sources across the Internet via the Google (http://www.google.co.uk/) search engine, along with the links to where the definitions were taken from.
Pervasive Computing – Refers to the use of computers in everyday life, including PDAs, smartphones and other mobile devices. It also refers to computers contained in commonplace objects such as cars and appliances and implies that people are unaware of their presence. One of the Holy Grails of this environment is that all these devices communicate with each other over wireless networks without any interaction required by the user. (http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=pervasive+computing&i=49146,00.asp)
The idea that technology is moving beyond the personal computer to everyday devices with embedded technology and connectivity as computing devices become progressively smaller and more powerful. Also called ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing is the result of computer technology advancing at exponential speeds -- a trend toward all man-made and some natural products having hardware and software. Pervasive computing goes beyond the realm of personal computers: it is the idea that almost any device, from clothing to tools to appliances to cars to homes to the human body to your coffee mug, can be imbedded with chips to connect the device to an infinite network of other devices. The goal of pervasive computing, which combines current network technologies with wireless computing, voice recognition, Internet capability and artificial intelligence, is to create an environment where the connectivity of devices is embedded in such a way that the connectivity is unobtrusive and always available. (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/pervasive_computing.html)
Pervasive computing is the trend towards increasingly ubiquitous (another name for the movement is ubiquitous computing), connected computing devices in the environment, a trend being brought about by a convergence of advanced electronic - and particularly, wireless - technologies and the Internet. Pervasive computing devices are not personal computers as we tend to think of them, but very tiny - even invisible - devices, either mobile or embedded in almost any type of object imaginable, including cars, tools, appliances, clothing and various consumer goods - all communicating through increasingly interconnected networks.
(http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci759337,00.html)
Analysis
All 3 of the definitions are very similar in the fact that they all state that Pervasive Computing is used in small devices. Also that Pervasive Computing can be embedded in almost anything that is man-made and whilst embedded it can be connected to a network or wireless device/network. All 3 definitions agree that this type of technology doesn’t require human interaction and that all pervasive computing devices can communicate with each other independently.
The definitions only differ from each other by interpreting the term Pervasive Computing in different ways. Pervasive Computing is generally agreed to be heavily in connection with ubiquitous computing, as all of the terms seem to trend toward one another. The above image explains a bit about pervasive computing by showing that a Human can keep track of personal things and information while ‘out and about’. The reason this is possible is because all the information tends to be embedded into many devices which interact with each other.
Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) is a post-desktop model of human-computer interaction in which information processing has been thoroughly integrated into everyday objects and activities. As opposed to the desktop paradigm, in which a single user consciously engages a single device for a specialized purpose, someone "using" ubiquitous computing engages many computational devices and systems simultaneously, in the course of ordinary activities, and may not necessarily even be aware that they are doing so. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubiquitous_computing)
Ubiquitous computing, or calm technology, is a paradigm shift where technology becomes virtually invisible in our lives. Instead of having a desk-top or lap-top machine, the technology we use will be embedded in our environment. From the ubiquitous computing page at Xerox PARC [UBPARC] we have the following description: imagine a world with hundreds of wireless computing devices of different sizes in the same room. In order to bring this type of computing out into the environment, among the things we need to rethink are user interfaces, displays, operating systems, networks, and wireless communications. (http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_fall/projects/say-cheese/marcia/mfinal.html)
Analysis
All 3 of the definitions for ubiquitous computing are very similar in the way they define how technology has become invisible to the Human everyday life. They all explain that ‘ubicomp’ a.k.a. ‘calm technology’ is making computer interaction available everywhere in physical environment but at the same time this technology is hardly noticeable.
The definitions don’t really tend to differ from each other, because all 3 have come to the same conclusion that ubiquitous computing is availability of many computers to a single user with the use of wireless communications. The only different approach to explaining the term ubiquitous computing is that we, as people need to rethink everything we use in computing to date in order to allow the full flow of ubiquitous computing within the environment. This image clearly shows a ubiquitous computing environment, while displaying how people would use a device in their everyday use without realising where the information is actually coming from, and how much they interact with each other.
- Construction, e.g. that new possibilities can be obtained by putting existing components together.
- Heterogeneity, e.g. that components should function in many fundamentally different contexts and configurations.
- Change, e.g. reflecting that the needs and the technologies are changing continuously.
- Scalability, e.g. that solutions that work with few users and in a limited context, should also work in almost unlimited contexts.
Analysis
This definition shows that Ambient Computing heavily interacts with ubiquitous computing by agreeing that the computing technology needs to be embedded in everyday objects whilst being invisible. The term Ambient Computing is very similar to all of the other terminologies, because they all agree about the future of computing is multi-tasking, multi-user and can function in any type of environment whilst being barrier-free.
This image is used to display how everything within our daily lives can be embedded with technology and linked to a network. All embedded devices would be ‘wirelessly’ connected to a network, with the ability of all devices communicating with each other – without the need to human-computer interaction.
Disappearing Computing – In the context of disappearing computing, the user is engaged in mobile interaction sessions, with wearable machinery, while the software should be able to dynamically utilize distributed remote I/O resources, for the purpose of interaction, that are engaged (I.e. come and go) "on-the-fly". The technical purpose of this work is to provide the development infrastructure for crafting interfaces that support such disappearing computing behaviour. More specifically, the results of this work concern: (a) an interaction style that is particularly suited to the mobile, distributed and wearable nature of interactive applications; (b) a systematic design method, enabling designers to formulate easily dialogues with concrete interface elements, assuming dynamic engagement through discovery, and optimal utilisation of I/O resources "on-the-fly"; c) an implementation library in the form of an interface toolkit, through which programmers can implement fully working interfaces, that hide all dynamic remote I/O resource management details; and d) a set of run-time utility components, such as an application manager, being the necessary accompanying run-time instrumentation for dynamic distributed I/O control supporting multiple concurrent applications. (http://www.ics.forth.gr/publications/technical-reports.jsp?raey=2002, Anthony Savidis, Constantine Stephanidis, ICS-FORTH Technical Report)
Analysis
Once again, we can see that all of the terminologies are heavily involved with each other, looking for the same outcome.
A final outcome that involves a computerised civilisation. Where that the average person can use technology without the need of always being in physical contact with a computerised device. For example: A user may enter their home and the house is embedded with devices that will know what lights to turn on in the house. The house may even know the location of the user’s pet cat.
This is the outcome that all of the terms are looking for, that we as users can interact with everything, while everything we come into contact with is interacting between themselves – without the need of a human touch.
This image shows an office environment where if you look closely, you can see no computers but in the background the wall is also a desktop. Also if you look at the desk on the right of the image you will see that the user is drawing onto desktop, embedded within the table.
Reading Week 1
- - Everyware
- - Not simply just computing everywhere but also computers, computing and components everywhere and in everything
- - computing without the computers
- - An augmented reality, body-area networking
- - Invisible computing but computing everywhere - "does not live on a personal device of any sort, but is in the woodwork"
- - desktop model to become obsolete leading to the reconfiguration of everyday life of people around them
- - The abililty to wear computers, "wearable computing" allowing a t-shirt, pair of jeans, shoes etc to be able to interact with various objects linking the user to their surroundings
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