Situated computing: bridging the gap between intention and action

Situated computing represents a new class of computing applications that bridges the gap between people's intentions and the actions they can take to achieve those intentions. These applications are contextually embedded in real-world situations, and are enabled by the proliferation of new kinds of computing devices, expanding communication capabilities and new kinds of digital content. Three types of discontinuities give rise to intention/action gaps and provide opportunities for situated computing applications: physical discontinuities, information discontinuities and and awareness discontinuities. Several examples of applications that overcome these discontinuities are presented.