IEEE Pervasive Computing

Nanotechnology helps make the pervasive aspect of pervasive computing possible. One obstacle to putting computers everywhere is size. You can put a desktop computer, well, on your desktop. But you can't put it in your bloodstream (such pervasive computing applications are indeed being explored). Shrinking computers makes it possible to put them almost anywhere. To envision nanotechnology's potenti... View full abstract»

A critical challenge facing the pervasive computing research community is the need to manage complex interactions among numerous interconnected computers and devices. In such a pervasive space, a given application's functionalities are partitioned and distributed across several computing devices that are spontaneously discovered and used. In recent years, researchers have devoted much attention to... View full abstract»

Radio frequency identification is a wireless communication technology that lets computers read the identity of inexpensive electronic tags from a distance without requiring a battery in the tags. As RFID technology matures, it will likely unleash a new wave of applications that will exploit inexpensive and highly available automatic identification. View full abstract»

In recent years, radio frequency identification technology has moved from obscurity into mainstream applications that help speed the handling of manufactured goods and materials. RFID enables identification from a distance, and unlike earlier bar-code technology, it does so without requiring a line of sight. In this paper, the author introduces the principles of RFID, discusses its primary technol... View full abstract»

Frankfurt airport's operating company, Fraport AG, integrated RFID and a mobile application with its asset management systems. The benefits include better planning, control, and documentation of technicians' work as well as improved process quality. This article summarizes not only the technology Fraport tested at Frankfurt airport but also the process-flow and facility-management changes it adopt... View full abstract»

As the vision of pervasive computing gradually becomes a reality, we are seeing an increasing number of services in our everyday environments. We don't just access them at desktop computers but everywhere our activities lead us-using mobile terminals and built-in technology. Although a positive phenomenon, this transition also introduces considerable challenges to discovering and selecting service... View full abstract»

We describe the design and implementation of a real-time localization solution that Infineon Technologies uses in its wafer fabrication facility in Villach, Austria. The system combines active RFID, passive RFID, and ultrasound sensors to track plastic wafer boxes and wafer cassettes in the company's chip-manufacturing process. View full abstract»

Emerging RFID technology lets us embed sensors into a very small chip, creating a wireless sensing device. So, we set out to develop such a single-chip versatile temperature sensor. We also wanted to be able to transfer our design to an implantable temperature sensor for an animal healthcare application with minimal structural modification. We discuss the implementation of temperature sensor. The ... View full abstract»

As RFID technology progresses, security and privacy threats also evolve. By examining RFID's history, we can learn from past mistakes, rediscover successful solutions, and inspire future research. View full abstract»

We show how modern mobile phones (Weiser's tabs) can interact with their environment, especially large situated displays (Weiser's boards). Smart phones' emerging capabilities are fueling a rise in the use of mobile phones as input devices to such resources as situated displays, vending machines, and home appliances. Mobile phones' prevalence gives them great potential to be the default physical i... View full abstract»

In this paper, we've made an initial attempt to explore the three dimensions of pervasive game play in the context of people's everyday life. Using an advanced prototype of SupaFly, a pervasive game developed by the former company It's Alive (now part of Daydream), we've evaluated how people perceive and play the game in normal, everyday settings. Our evaluation focused on how the players judged t... View full abstract»

Productivity in nursing care is a major concern in all residential facilities, as is improving the quality of care. Pervasive computing offers great promise in this area. In this paper we discuss requirements analysis, multiphase prototyping, and effective use of commercial off-the-shelf technologies to improve communication and situation awareness in nursing teams. We developed a wearable prototy... View full abstract»

In October 2005, the 9th Annual International Symposium on Wearable Computing was held in Osaka, Japan, the first to be held in Asia. As the largest primary conference for wearables researchers, ISWC provides a good snapshot of the state of the field. So, with the benefit of hindsight, this article presents highlights of how wearables research actually looked in 2005. View full abstract»