1 INTRODUCTION

A web of computing devices and sensors embedded in everyday objects ranging

from cars to house appliances. The last few years have seen a dramatic change in the role
of technology in our lives. We now use the tools of information technology in multiple
ways without even thinking about it. This phenomenal growth of the influence of
technology can be expected to continue at this same mind boggling rate, and evolve into a
form in which it is seamlessly integrated into our everyday lives. The advancement of
computing and communication technology on these lines can be expected to have a
profound effect similar to that which the discovery of electricity had in the development
of our civilization. Computing is no longer a discrete activity bound to a desktop;
network computing and mobile computing are fast becoming a part of everyday life and
so is the Internet. Rather than being an infrastructure for computers and their users alone,
it is now an infrastructure for everyone. The essence of Pervasive Computing is to create
saturated environments with computing and wireless communications capability, yet
gracefully integrated with human users. Many key building blocks needed for this vision
are now viable commercial technologies: wearable and handheld computers, high
bandwidth wireless communication, location sensing mechanisms, and so on .We expect
devices like PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), mobile phones, office PCs and even
home An entertainment system to access information and work together in one
integrated system and the challenge is to combine these technologies into a Seamless
whole and on the Internet. The aim of Pervasive Computing is for making computing
available wherever it's needed. It spreads intelligence and connectivity to more or less
everything. So conceptually, ships, aircrafts, cars, bridges, tunnels, machines,
refrigerators, door handles, lighting fixtures, shoes, hats, packaging clothing, tools,
appliances, homes and even things like our coffee mugs and even the human body will be
embedded with chips to connect to an infinite network of other devices and to create an
environment where the connectivity of devices is embedded in such a way that it is
unobtrusive and always available. Pervasive Computing, therefore, refers to the emerging
trend toward numerous, easily accessible computing devices connected to an increasingly

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ubiquitous network infrastructure. Pervasive Computing aims to make our lives simpler
through the use of tools that allow us to manage information easily. These "tools" are a
new class of intelligent, portable devices that allow the user to plug into Powerful
networks and gain direct, simple, and secure access to both relevant information and
services. 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; all communicating through increasingly interconnected
networks. Information instantly accessible anywhere and anytime is what Pervasive
Computing is all about!

1.1 Comparison with traditional networking:

Communication between various devices is a central component of pervasive
technology. However, in this it is different from traditional networking as there are no
individuals directly involved in the process of communication. Rather, the devices
intelligently figure out the information required and make the appropriate connections by
themselves, without user intervention. Thus these appliances communicate over networks
such that people do not directly monitor the communication between machines and
programs. The majority of these communications will occur in an end to- end structure
that does not include a human at any point. This automatic operation illustrates the
features of “smart” devices of the future. The number of machines connected to the
Internet has been increasing at an exponential rate and will continue to grow at this rate
as the existing networks of embedded computers, including those that already exist
within our automobiles, are connected to the larger, global network, and as new networks
of embedded devices are constructed in our homes and offices. The kinds of devices that
will be used to access the Internet are no longer confined to desktops and servers, but
include small devices with limited user interface facilities (such as cell phones and
PDAs); wireless devices with limited bandwidth, computing power, and electrical power;
and embedded processors with severe limitations on the amount of memory and
computing power available to them. Many of these devices are mobile, changing not only
geographic position, but also their place in the topology of the network. Unlike traditional

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Desktop Computers and existing networks, the new devices will have the following
characteristics:
• As described earlier, they will connect to other computing elements without the
direct intervention of users.
• The connections can be expected to be wireless in most cases.
• Many will have small, inexpensive processors with limited memory and little or
no persistent storage.
• The devices themselves will evolve very rapidly. Old technologies will fail and
newer ones will appear much more frequently than at present.
• They will act as terminals for receiving and sending information.

1.2 Advantages of pervasive computing:

The advantages of Pervasive Computing can be summarized as dramatically

increased automation without much obtrusive or visible use of computer infrastructure.
We increasingly rely on the electronic creation, storage, and transmittal of personal,
financial, and other confidential information, and demand the highest security for all
these transactions and require complete access to time-sensitive data, regardless of
physical location. We expect devices – personal digital assistants, mobile phones, office
PC and home entertainment systems -- to access that information and work together in
one seamless, integrated system.
Pervasive Computing gives us the tools to manage information quickly,
efficiently, and effortlessly. It will help people make effective use of computing tools
without requiring the knowledge of complex devices, by means of a new class of
intelligent and portable appliances or "smart devices" embedded with microprocessors
that allow users to plug into intelligent networks and gain direct, simple, and secure
access to both relevant information and services. It gives people convenient access to
relevant information stored on powerful networks, allowing them to easily take action
anywhere, anytime. Pervasive Computing simplifies life by combining open standards-
based applications with everyday activities. It removes the complexity of new

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technologies, enables us to be more efficient in our work and leaves us more leisure time
and thus Pervasive Computing is fast becoming a part of everyday life.

1.3 Evolution of Pervasive Computing

Pervasive Computing defines a major evolutionary step in work that began in the mid
1970s, when the PC first brought computers closer to people. In Weiser’s vision,
however, the idea of making a computer personal is technologically misplaced. In fact, it
keeps computing separate from our daily life. Although the PC has not delivered the full
potential of information technology to users, it certainly took a first step toward making
computers (if not computing) popular (if not pervasive). It was also an instrumental factor
in the phenomenal growth of hardware components and the development of graphical
user interfaces.

Figure 1.1 System view of pervasive computing. The mobile computing goal of “anytime anywhere”
connectivity is extended to “all the time everywhere” by integrating pervasiveness support technologies
such as interoperability, scalability, smartness, and invisibility.

1.3.1 Distributed computing

With the advent of networking, personal computing evolved to distributed

computing. As computers became connected, they began to share capabilities over the
network. Distributed computing marked the next step toward Pervasive Computing by
introducing seamless access to remote information resources and communication with
fault tolerance, high availability, and security. Although the World Wide Web was not
designed to be a distributed computing infrastructure, its networking ubiquity has made it

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an attractive choice for experimenting with distributed computing concepts. It has also
created a culture that is substantially more amenable to the deployment of Pervasive
Computing environments than the culture that existed when Weiser first articulated his
vision. The ad hoc nature of the Web’s growth has proved that we can distribute
computing capabilities in a big way without losing scalability. The simple mechanisms
for linking resources have provided a means for integrating distributed information bases
into a single structure.
Most importantly, the Web has pioneered the creation of a nearly ubiquitous information
and communications infrastructure. Many users now routinely refer to their point of
presence within the digital world—typically, their homepages, portals, or e-mail
addresses. The computer they use to access these “places” has become largely irrelevant.
Although the Web does not pervade the real world of physical entities, it is nevertheless a
potential starting point for Pervasive Computing.

1.3.2 Mobile computing

Mobile computing emerged from the integration of cellular technology with the
Web.4 Both the size and price of mobile devices are falling everyday and could
eventually support Weiser’s vision of pervasive inch-scale computing devices readily
available to users in any human environment. Cellular phone systems that separate the
handset from the subscriber identity module (SIM) card approximate this model of
operation. Subscribers can insert their SIM card and automatically use any handset,
placing and receiving calls as if it were their own phone. Users can already access the
same point in the Web from several different devices—office or home PC, cell phone,
personal digital assistant, and so forth. In this sense, for most users, what matters is the
view a particular machine provides of the digital world. SIM cards also demonstrate that
the end system is becoming less important than the access to the digital world. In this
sense, we are well on
the way to computers “disappearing,” freeing users to focus beyond them. The “anytime
anywhere” goal of mobile computing is essentially a reactive approach to information
access, but it prepares the way for Pervasive Computing proactive “all the time

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everywhere” goal. As Figure 1 shows, pervasive computing is a superset of mobile
computing. In addition to mobility, pervasive systems require support for interoperability,
scalability, smartness, and invisibility to ensure that users have seamless access to
computing whenever they need it.

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 2 PERVASIVE COMPUTING MODEL

2.1 Necessary technological advances

The technological advances necessary to build a Pervasive Computing environment fall

into four broad areas: devices, networking, middleware, and applications. Figure 2
illustrates their relationships.

Figure 2.1 Pervasive computing framework. Middleware mediates interactions with the networking kernel
on the user’s behalf and keeps users immersed in the pervasive computing space.

2.1.1 Devices

An intelligent environment is likely to contain many different device types:

a. Traditional input devices, such as mice or keyboards, and output devices, such as
speakers or light-emitting diodes;
b. Wireless mobile devices, such as pagers, per-sonal digital assistants, cell phones,
palmtops, and so on; and

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 c. Smart devices, such as intelligent appliances, floor tiles with embedded sensors,
and biosensors.
Ideally, Pervasive Computing should encompass every device worldwide that has
built-in active and passive intelligence. The University of Karlsruhe’s MediaCup project
is an experimental deployment of everyday objects activated in this sense. The project’s
guiding principle is to augment objects with a digital presence while preserving their
original appearance, purpose, and use.
Sensors that automatically gather information, transfer it, and take actions based
on it represent an important subset of pervasive devices. For example, sensors based on
the Global Positioning System provide location data that a device can translate into
an internal representation of latitude, longitude, and elevation. Stereo camera vision is
another effective sensor for tracking location and identity in a pervasive environment.
These fast-processing, two-lens digital cameras can record both background images and
background shapes. The results are much more robust for tracking motion such as
gestures.

2.1.2 Pervasive networking

The number of pervasive devices is expected to multiply rapidly over the next few
years. IDC, a market analysis firm, has predicted that, by the end of 2003, the number of
pervasive devices will exceed the estimated worldwide population of 6 billion people.
Specifically, there will be more than 300 million PDAs; two billion consumer electronic
devices, such as wireless phones, pagers, and set top boxes; and five billion additional
everyday devices, such as vending machines, refrigerators, and washing machines
embedded with chips and connected to a pervasive network.
As a consequence of this proliferation, many current technologies must be
revamped. In addition to extending the backbone infrastructure to meet the anticipated
demand, global networks like the Internet also must modify existing applications to
completely integrate these Pervasive Computing devices into existing social systems.

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2.1.3 Pervasive middleware

Like distributed computing and mobile computing, Pervasive Computing requires

a middleware “shell” to interface between the networking kernel and the end-user
applications running on pervasive devices. As Figure 2 shows, this pervasive middleware
will mediate interactions with the networking kernel on the user’s behalf and will keep
users immersed in the Pervasive Computing space. The middleware will consist mostly
of firmware and software bundles executing in either client-server or peer-to-peer mode.
User interfaces are another aspect of middleware. Standard Web browsers
represent the high end of interface sophistication. They use more color, graphics, and
controls than users typically expect on pervasive devices. Mobile computing has already
introduced microbrowsers. For example, phone.com’s UP.Browser is implemented on
several commercially available digital phones. “Middleware must mask heterogeneity to
make pervasive computing invisible to users.”

2.1.4 Pervasive applications

Pervasive Computing is more environment-centric than either Web-based or

mobile computing. This means that applications will guide the middleware and
networking issues to a large extent. Consider a heart patient wearing an implanted
monitor that communicates wirelessly with computers trained to detect and report
abnormalities. The monitor should know when to raise the alarm, based on its knowledge
about the environment. So this is much more than simple wireless communication.
EliteCare (www.elite-care.com) is an assisted living complex that applies similar
technologies to improve the quality of life for elderly residents.

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 3 ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

As a superset of mobile computing, Pervasive Computing subsumes mobile computing’s

research issues while opening up new ones unique to itself. In all cases, pervasive
applications should disappear into the environment.

3.1 Issues and challenges in Pervasive Computing

Issues and challenges in pervasive are as described below:

3.1.1 Scalability

Future Pervasive Computing environments will likely face a proliferation of

users, applications, networked devices, and their interactions on a scale never
experienced before. As environmental smartness grows, so will the number of devices
connected to the environment and the intensity of human machine interactions.
Traditional development requires recreating the application for each new device.
Even if an enterprise could generate new applications as fast as it adds new devices,
writing application logic only once—independent of devices—would have tremendous
value in solving the applications scalability problem. Furthermore, applications typically
are distributed and installed separately for each device class and processor family. As the
number of devices grows, explicitly distributing and installing applications for each class
and family will become unmanageable, especially across a wide geographic area.

3.1.2 Heterogeneity

Conversion from one domain to another is integral to computing and

communication. Assuming that uniform and compatible implementations of smart
environments are not achievable, Pervasive Computing must find ways to mask this
heterogeneity—or uneven conditioning, as it has been called—from users. For instance, a
sophisticated laboratory and a department store may always differ in their infrastructural
smartness. Pervasive Computing must fill this gap at some level, say middleware, to
smooth out “smartness jitter” in the user’s experience.

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 For networking, developers have faced protocol mismatch problems and learned
how to tackle the large dynamic range of architectural incompatibilities to ensure trans
network interoperability. Mobile computing has already achieved disconnected operation,
thereby hiding the absence of wireless coverage from the user. Middleware may borrow
similar concepts to dynamically compensate for less smart or dumb environments so that
the change is transparent to users.
But the real difficulty lies at the application front. Today, applications are
typically developed for specific device classes or system platforms, leading to separate
versions of the same application for handhelds, desktops, and cluster-based servers. As
heterogeneity increases, developing applications that run across all platforms will become
exceedingly difficult.

3.1.3 Integration

Though Pervasive Computing components are already deployed in many

environments, integrating them into a single platform is still a research problem. The
problem is similar to what researchers in distributed computing face, but the scale is
bigger. As the number of devices and applications increases, integration becomes more
complex. For example, servers must handle thousands of concurrent client connections,
and the influx of pervasive devices would quickly approach the host’s capacities. We
need a confederation of autonomous servers cooperating to provide user services.
Integrating Pervasive Computing components has severe reliability, quality of
service, invisibility, and security implications for pervasive networking. The need for
useful coordination between confederation components is obvious. This coordination
might range from traditional areas such as message routing or arbitrating screen usage to
new challenges such as deciding which application can use a room’s light intensity to
communicate with the user.

3.1.4 Invisibility

A system that requires minimal human intervention offers a reasonable

approximation of invisibility. Humans can intervene to tune smart environments when
they fail to meet user expectations automatically. Such intervention might also be part of

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a continuous learning cycle for the environment. To meet user expectations continuously,
however, the environment and the objects in it must be able to tune themselves without
distracting users at a conscious level.
A smart environment can implement tuning at different system levels. For
example, network-level devices will require auto configuration. Current manual
techniques for configuring a device with addresses, subnet masks, default gateways, and
so on are too cumbersome and time-consuming for Pervasive Computing. Automated
techniques to dynamically reconfigure the network when required are also crucial to
realizing the Pervasive Computing vision.

3.1.5 Perception: Context awareness

Most computing systems and devices today cannot sense their environments and
therefore cannot make timely, context-sensitive decisions Pervasive Computing,
however, requires systems and devices that perceive context. Mobile computing
addresses location- and mobility-management issues but in a reactive context—
responding to discrete events.
Pervasive Computing is more complex because it is proactive. Intelligent environments
are a prerequisite to Pervasive Computing.
Perception, or context-awareness, is an intrinsic characteristic of intelligent
environments. Implementing perception introduces significant complications: location
monitoring, uncertainty modeling, real-time information processing, and merging data
from multiple and possibly disagreeing sensors. The information that defines context
awareness must be accurate; otherwise, it can confuse or intrude on the user experience.
ComMotion, a location-aware computing environment that addresses these issues for
mobile users, is under development at the MIT Media Lab
(www.media.mit.edu/~nmarmas/comMotion.html). Microsoft Research is investigating
Radar, an in building location-aware system.

3.1.6 Smartness: Context management

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 Once a Pervasive Computing system can perceive the current context, it must
have the means of using its perceptions effectively. Richer interactions with users will
require a deeper understanding of the physical space.
Smartness involves accurate sensing (input) followed by intelligent control or
action (output) between two worlds, namely, machine and human. For example, a
Pervasive Computing system that automatically adjusts heating, cooling, and lighting
levels in a room depending on an occupant’s electronic profile must have some form of
perception to track the person and also some form of control to adjust the ventilation and
lighting systems. Pervasive Computing requires systems and devices that perceive
context.

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 4 SECURITY IN PERVASIVE COMPUTING
ENVIRONMENTS

As Computing devices are numerous and ubiquitous, the traditional authentication

including login schemes do not work well with so many devices. Proposed Solution is to
Use biometrics for authentication and at the same time, ensure security of biometric
templates in an open environment. User Interaction is with speech, gestures and
movements and the sensors and computing devices are ‘aware’ of the user and in the
ideal case are also aware of his ‘intent’.

4.1.1 Security and Privacy

a) Consequences of a pervasive network

b) Devices are numerous, ubiquitous and shared
c) The network shares the context and preferences of the user
d) Smart spaces are aware of the location and intent of the user

4.1.2 Security Concerns

a) Only authorized individuals need to be given access
b) Authentication should be minimally intrusive
c) Devices should be trustworthy

4.1.3 Privacy issues

a) User should be aware of when he is being observed
b) The user context should be protected within the network
c) Need to balance accessibility and security
d) Should be scalable with multiple users operating in the network

4.2 Solution: Biometrics

It is the science of verifying and establishing the identity of an individual through
physiological features or behavioral traits.

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4.2.1 Physical Biometrics

a) Fingerprint
b) Hand Geometry
c) Iris patterns

4.2.2 Behavioral Biometrics

a) Handwriting
b) Signature
c) Speech
d) Gait

4.2.3 Chemical/Biological Biometrics

a) Perspiration
b) Skin composition(spectroscopy)

Figure 4.3 Biometrics solutions

Biometrics offers a promising solution for reliable and uniform identification and
verification of an individual. Biometrics is the science of verifying and establishing the
identity of an individual through physiological features or behavioral traits. Physical
biometrics rely on physiological features such as fingerprints, hand geometry, iris pattern,
facial features etc. for identity verification. Behavioral biometrics depends upon
behavioral features such as speech patterns, handwriting, signature, walking gait etc. for
authentication. These traits are unique to an individual and hence cannot be misused, lost

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or stolen. Biometrics are based on established scientific principles as a basis for
authentication.

4.2.4 Advantages of biometrics

a) Uniqueness
b) No need to remember passwords or carry tokens
c) Biometrics cannot be lost, stolen or forgotten
d) Security has to be incorporated in the design stage
e) Traditional authentication and access control paradigms cannot scale to
numerous and ubiquitous devices

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 5 Emerging Pervasive Technologies

5.1 Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networking

Napster popularized the application of P2P (peer-to-peer networking) products and now
the same technology has begun to sing a business melody. The basic idea behind it being
the sharing of files and programs and communicating directly with people over the
Internet, without having to rely on a centralized server. What it does is to create private
workspaces for sharing files, exchanging information, creating databases and
communication instantly. Companies can now participate in B2B marketplaces, cut out
intermediaries and instead collaborate directly with suppliers. Peers on desktop PCs can
share files directly over a network. Renting computing power can solve resource
problems in smaller companies, thus improving the power of web applications.

5.2 Nano technology

We've seen science fiction flicks where miniature machines get into the human body and
track cell patterns and behavior like those of cancer cells and exterminate them. Molecule
sized computers can be manufactured to create new materials that can replace steel in all
its properties and even withstand temperatures of 6,500 degree Fahrenheit. It is predicted
that these materials will soon be used to build automobiles and office buildings. 'A la' - an
invisible infrastructure!

5.3 Chips and the Net

Net-ready chips are a low cost method of getting on to the Internet. They follow all the
necessary Internet Protocols and can be embedded in home appliances that can then be
easily connected to the Internet. They function as tags that possess comprehensive
information about the object that it is tagged on to and include details like the date and
place it was manufactured.

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5.4 Wireless technology

Wireless Internet connection helps access the Net through cellular phones, Personal
Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Wireless laptops and this technology proposes enormous
business opportunities. The sales force can avail real-time access to inventory records;
price lists, order and customer account status and can book a sale almost instantaneously.
Constant communication with wireless gadgets (that cost many degrees lesser than a
laptop) can ensure that there is a constant feedback loop thus ensuring a new way of
reaching customers.

5.5 Voice computing: Tell your computer to switch on!

Voice recognition software will soon allow users to switch on their computers by just
talking to them. Even documents can be edited through voice commands. We'll finally be
reaching out to the frontier where man will be able to talk to all his machines and
command them to do as he wishes.

5.6 IBM's pervasive computing lab

This is a futuristic playground where IBM tests and shows off technology that connects
devices in a seamless computing environment. The entire lab and all its rooms are a
prime example of a web site. The digital images on display in the picture frames on the
living room wall can be controlled remotely. Intelligent countertops in the kitchen
recognize bar code labeled stuff and react accordingly.

5.7 E-web

Embedded devices in cars, refrigerators, shop floors, hospital rooms extend the Internet's
role beyond content providers and shopping assistants to companion and advisors. The

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Next-Gen web will be more interactive with a swarm of specialized devices like sensors,
and other appliances, all with Internet access and the ability to communicate.
Basically easier computing that's available everywhere as needed, devices that are going
to be easy to use, as simple as calculators and telephones or ATMs. With an extensive
range like mobile commerce to home automation, and from the well-connected car to the
convenience of small devices, Pervasive Computing exemplifies a vision beyond the PC.
Agreed that some of the technologies behind these devices are in their infancy or
evolutionary stages, so it may just be a question of time before all that is promised is
achieved.

5.8 Uses of Pervasive Computing

Pervasive computing has many potential applications, from health and home care
to environmental monitoring and intelligent transport.

5.8.1 Some Business Uses of Pervasive Computing:

a) Healthcare:

i) records, lab order entry and results reporting (MRIs on the patient's TV)

ii) prescription writing (mistakes, loss of paper copy, forgeries)

iii) medications (what if every pill had a UPC code on it?)

iv) billing and costs (why do I have to file my records?)

b) personnel scheduling

i) Mall interviewing with semi-connected TabletPCs

ii) Vending: improved routing, re supply, ordering; price changes pushed to

machines

iii) Service Industry: "Cable guy will be at your home between 8am and noon." /
GPS

iv) MicroPayments: with cell phone for vending, train tickets.

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 v) Micro/Nano devices Hitachi's Mu Chip 0.4mm square, 128 bit ROM,
Interrogated at 2.45GHz, useful for documents, currency, shopping,
preventing "shrinkage"

vi) Military: Operation Anaconda

5.8.2 Some Personal Uses of Pervasive Computing

a) Personal Information: PDA with wireless connections to web, broker, child's

school, appointments, telephone numbers

b) Flight Schedules: Your phone rings. Its the computer at American Airlines. Your
flight departure is delayed by 20 minutes.

c) Networked coffee shop: Wi-Fi at StarBuck's and Schlosky's

d) Location: finding friends at the mall (or hiding from)

e) Home interaction: The networked coffee pot/an alarm clock sync'd with Outlook /
Electricity Peak Conservation/Thermostat/Hot Water Heater connected via
wireless network (security issues)

f) Car: schedule oil change seamlessly w/ garage; maps; traffic; kid movies
streamed to back seat ("Only if its quiet back there")

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 6 FUTURE SHAPE OF PERVASIVE COMPUTING

Today the uses of Internet are limited as its users look for read-mostly information. As
we move to a world where the Internet is used as an infrastructure for embedded
computing, all this will change.
“A COMPUTER on every desk and in every home.” This was Microsoft's mission
statement for many years, and it once sounded visionary and daring. But today it seems
lacking in ambition. What about a computer in every pocket? Sure enough, Microsoft has
recently amended its statement: its goal is now to “empower people through great
software, anytime, anyplace on any device”. Being chained to your desktop is out:
mobility is in !

Figure 6.1Future of pervasive computing

6.1 Exploiting pervasive computing

We can hypothesize that the individual utility of mobile communication, wireless

appliances and the respective mobile services - pervasive technologies in general - will be
exploited through a digital environment that is:
a) Aware of their presence.
b) Sensitive, adaptive and responsive to their needs, habits and emotions
c) Ubiquitously accessible via natural interaction. Increasingly, many of the chips
around us will sense their environment in rudimentary but effective ways.

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d) Some of the most profound benefits can be expected in the field of health and
medicine. Devices attached to our body, as wristwatches, for example, will
continuously monitor our biological processes, heart rate, blood sugar etc., and
immediately report an abnormality.
e) For the hearing impaired, Amplifiers will be implanted and used in the inner ear.
f) New machines that scan, probe, penetrate and enhance our bodies will be used,
turning us into partial “bionic men”.
g) Devices will become intelligent, for example, cell phones will ask the landline phone
what its telephone number is and will forward our calls to it.
h) Refrigerators will be connected to the Internet so one could find out, via cell phone or
PDA, what is in it while one is at the store. A refrigerator may even sense when it is
low on milk and order more directly from the supplier or rather than this, the
connection will enable the manufacturer to monitor the appliance directly to ensure
that it is working correctly and inform the owner when it is not.
i) Stoves will conspire with the refrigerators to decide what recipe makes the best use of
the available ingredients, then guide us through preparation of the recipe with the aid
of a network-connected food processor and blender. Or they will communicate to
optimize the energy usage in our households.
j) Cars will use the Internet to find an open parking space or the nearest vegetarian
restaurant for their owners or to allow the manufacturer to diagnose problems before
they happen, and either inform the owner of the needed service or automatically
install the necessary (software) repair.

6.2 Social implications

The pervasion of technology in our lives can be expected to have, far-reaching social
consequences. While earlier it was feared that new technology like the Internet would
make us more isolated; as communication devices become more ubiquitous and natural, it
can be expected to actually bring us closer together, thus enriching our social lives. On
the other hand, some people can be expected to show an aversion to what they may
perceive as an invasion of their privacy or personal space.

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 As always, such resistance to anything new is natural and can be expected to
decrease with time. Another aspect to this subject is that of cost. While this may not be
such a critical factor in the developed world, cheaper ways to make the technology more
accessible must be found to help it spread throughout the world.

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 7 CONCLUSION

Pervasive Computing provides an attractive vision for the future of computing.

We will no longer be sitting down in front of a PC to get access to information. In this
wireless world we will have instant access to the information and services that we will
want to access with devices, such as Smart phones, PDAs, set-top boxes, embedded
intelligence in your automobile and others, all linked to the network, allowing us to
connect anytime, anywhere seamlessly, and very importantly, transparently.
Computational power will be available everywhere through mobile and stationary devices
that will dynamically connect and coordinate to smoothly help users in accomplishing
their tasks. Some of the implications of this new revolution may seem far-fetched, but
they really aren’t. Technology is rapidly finding its way into every aspect of our lives.
Whether it’s how we shop, how we get from one place to another or how we
communicate, technology is clearly woven into the way we live. Indeed, we are hurtling
towards computing that pervades our realities, computing that is everywhere.

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 8 References

1. Emerging Pervasive Technologies

http://www.stylusinc.com/enhance/Interactive/PervasiveComputingTech.php

2. M. Weiser, “The Computer for the 21st Century,” Scientific Am., Sept., 1991, pp. 94-
104; reprinted in IEEE Pervasive Computing, Jan.-Mar. 2002, pp. 19-25.

3. G. Banavar et al., “Challenges: An Application Model for Pervasive Computing,”

Proc. 6th Ann. ACM/IEEE Int’l Conf. Mobile Computing and Networking (Mobicom
2000), ACM Press, 2000, pp. 266-274.

4. M. Satyanarayanan, “Pervasive Computing: Vision and Challenges,” IEEE Personal

Communication, Aug. 2001, pp. 10-17. http://www.fincher.org/tips/web/Pervasive.shtml

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