Challenges in UbiComp Take 2

1. Challenges in UbiComp Take 2 Sushmita Subramanian

2. Readings • Beyond Prototypes: Challenges in Deploying Ubiquitous Systems by Nigel Davies and Hans-Werner Gellersen • Disappearing Hardware by Roy Want, Trevor Pering, Gaetano Borriello, Keith Farkas • Mega-Utilities Drive Invisible Technologies by Bill Schilit

3. Beyond Prototypes: Challenges in Deploying Ubiquitous Systems Overview • Ubiquitous Information and Communication • Problems: • No one system that can manage it all • Technical problems • Social/legal problems • Economic concerns • Experiments in the field • Results/requirements of ubiquitous computing

4. Ubiquitous Information and Communication • Ubiquitous computing systems are made more possible because of: • advances in technology • processing power/storage • GPS, smart cards, RFID • social developments • And particularly… • World Wide Web accessibility • Mobile communication popularity

5. World Wide Web • People have become accustomed to web portals reducing attachment to one device. • People use multiple devices in a single day to access info • Web encouraged us dealing with privacy issues.

6. Mobile Communications • 800 million subscribers to mobile phone services • 23 billion SMS, heading to 1 billion per day • Phones offer many capabilities and are now a commodity • SIM cards – approximate ubiquitous computing model, but users only have one and still have to make conscious effort.

7. A Broader SystemTechnical Challenges • Different technologies can make up ubiquitous systems • Might have to map between different systems (e.g. if cameras describe view using different location model than car’s navigational system) • Hard to predict user intent in software

8. Social and Legal Challenges • Intelligent systems might be gathering too much personal data • Can they discard personal information and only return the relevant information like parking space availability? • What about mistakes? • Privacy is two-way: • May communicate other people’s information to a user • Need to communicate user’s information to a server

9. Economic concerns • Since technologies are distinct, there are multiple service providers • What’s the business model for this? • How do you ensure fair competition?

10. Findings in Ubiquitous Computing • Need forums to discuss projects/results • Need actual deployment (not just demos) • Design open extensible systems • Need a management system • Figure out a business model • Systems need to interpret contextual info and adapt • User interface that allows users to interact and coordinate between multiple systems

11. Disappearing Hardware • Current computer experience is not enjoyable • Focus on task completion instead of interaction with the tools • Detect user goals/tasks • But hard to manage this complexity

12. Trend over last decade • Task-specific hardware improvements • E.g. spell checker, calculator, electronic translators • Specialized interface and ease of use • PC has become generalized machine that can perform multiple tasks – better value with added complexity

13. Progress since the 90s • People researched and attempted invisible computing, but technology wasn’t there yet. • Notable improvements: • Wireless networking • Processing capability • Storage capacity • High-quality displays • Current adoption rate of emerging technology

14. Current ubiquitous systems • Personal systems: • Mobile and wearable systems • Limited by computational ability and integration with other devices • Can be overly intrusive • Personal servers are useful and convenient • Infrastructure systems • Hard to deploy and manage • Power and environmental impact are still concerns • Too small, too numerous • Security issues – need to keep track of each node and who is listening to who.

15. Necessities for ubiquitous computing • Wireless needs to be fast and robust • Display needs to be high quality • Physical hardware determined likeability (size, weight, power consumption) • Technologies have to be better than pen and paper technology or provide some better functionality

16. Which interaction is appropriate? • Pen computing • Successful on PDA devices with accessible displays • Not good on systems with small/no displays • Speech/vision interfaces • Good when systems have good computation resources and static environment • Bad for mobile systems that need to operate in dynamic environments • Touch-based interfaces • Task-specific crafted for a specific application • Is a dynamic touch based system possible?

17. The Future Able to access personal information quickly and conveniently Integration of computation and real world without human intervention Proactive systems predicting user needs

18. Challenges • Size and weight • Hardest to accomplish because of battery size • Example: Itsy pocket computer • Reducing this can also decrease usability • Energy • Reduce power consumption • Find alternative/improved energy sources • User interface • Buttons, keyboards, mice, pointers, LCD panels, touch screens, microphones, and speakers – popular for high-rate info flow • ambientROOM explores low-latency, low importance info • Interaction Design • System has to distinguish and handle multiple users • Better and cheaper accuracy in location within few millimeters