CSCE 4/5013 - Wearable and Ubiquitous

Computing

Alexander Nelson

August 26, 2020

University of Arkansas - Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering

Warm-Up

Answer the following four questions:

• What is your preferred name?

• What is your UARK username?

• Why are you taking this course?

• What do you hope to get from this course?

1

Introduction

What is Ubiquitous Computing?

Definition:

Existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time

Omnipresent

Etymology – Latin: Ubique - “Everywhere”

2

The most profound technologies are those

that disappear. They weave themselves into

the fabric of everyday life until they are

indistinguishable from it.

2

Mark Weiser

Mark Weiser – Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)

Coined the term Ubiquitous Computing in 1988

3

Pads, Tabs, and Boards

Pads, Tabs, and Boards at PARC

4

Smartphone, Tablets, Smart TV

Pads, Tabs, and Boards?

5

Pervasive, Ubiquitous, Internet of Things

Definitions:

• Ubiquitous – Existing or being everywhere, especially at the

same time (positive connotation)

• Pervasive – Spreading widely throughout an area or a group of

people (negative connotation)

• Internet of Things – Interconnection via the Internet of

computing devices embedded in everyday objects

• Cyber-physical Systems – Engineered systems that are built

from, and depend upon, the seamless integration of

computational algorithms and physical components

6

Class Outline

Topic Week

Introduction and Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Technical Challenges & Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2–3

Systems & Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–5

Communications & Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6–7

Location and Context-Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8–9

Wearable Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10–12

User Experience outside of Graphical Interfaces . . . . . . . . 13–14

Domestic and Urban Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

7

Technical Challenges

Technical Challenges of Ubiquitous Computing:

• Communication

• Power

• Security (physical and cyber)

• Maintenance (physical and software)

• Evaluation

Infrastructure – Methods for overcoming these barriers

8

Systems and Devices

Examples of ubiquitous computing systems and devices

• Research Examples

• PARC Pads & Tabs

• ITRON

• Cooltown

• InfoPad

• Industry Examples

• Smart-Grid

• ATMs

• Chip-Enabled Debit/Credit cards

9

Communications and Networks

Type of communication depends on the environment

Types of communication:

• Physical (Ethernet, Fiber, Coax, etc..)

• Cellular (LTE, 3G, etc...)

• WLAN/WPAN (Bluetooth, WiFi, etc...)

• LPWAN (LoRaWAN, SigFox, etc...)

10

Communication

Communication Types (Power and Bit-Rate)

11

Location and Context-Awareness

Location is often important for computing tasks

Ex: Point of Sale Systems

Other contexts can be similarly important:

• Current user

• Time of day

• Last action of the system/user

• Mood of user?

12

Wearable Computing

Google Glass SmartwatchMost recognizable wearable technologies

13

User Experience outside of GUI

How do you communicate information to the user?

• Haptic/Vibration

• Auditory

• LEDs

• (Opposite) Augmented Reality

14

User Experience outside of GUI

How does your user communicate with the system?

• Voice

• Taps

• Gestures

• Context?

15

Domestic and Urban Computing

Examples:

• Ethnography – Study of peoples and cultures

• Wellness Monitoring – Unobtrusive monitoring of health and

wellness

• Smart City – Traffic monitoring, V2X, Air Quality

16