Intelligent satellites for interactive graphics

The spectrum of remote user stations with local processing ability, ranging from simple "smart" terminals to nearly self-sufficient intelligent systems called satellites, is considered. The emphasis is on the latter category, drawing on the authors' research on intelligent satellites for interactive graphics. The necessity of meeting a "critical intelligence threshold" criterion for the satellite is stressed, and some difficult problems and potential solutions in the division of labor between mainframe and satellite are briefly examined. It is hoped that many of the problems and solutions in satellite graphics apply to other areas such as network or satellite process control, experiment control, and signal processing.