Ubiquitous Computing

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<h1>Ubiquitous Computing</h1>
<p>Ubiquitous computing is a new paradigm for distributed interactive systems, that moves computers into the background of people's attention while using them to support their activities and interactions in the workplace and beyond. The ubiquitous computing paradigm is underpinned by the development of devices small enough to be embedded in almost everything, of networks that provide dense inter-connection of very large numbers of components, and of sensing technologies that enable systems to become aware of their physical environment.</p>

<h2>Course Objectives</h2>
<p>At the end of the course students will:</p>
<ul>
<li>obtain an understanding of key technologies involved in the development of the next generation of computing systems, and gain insights into design challenges both from a systems view point and from a human-computer interaction perspective.</li>
<li>be exposed to technology trends and system design challenges that are expected to have a major impact across a wide range of application domains.</li>
</ul>
<p>This course will consider technology trends in devices, networks,physical interfacing and discuss challenges in system, software andinteraction design towards ubiquitous computing.</p>

<h2>Syllabus</h2>
<ul>
<li>Device trends: smart embedded devices, information appliances and wearable computers</li>
<li>Sensing and context acquisition in ubiquitous computing: location and identification technologies, wireless sensor platforms, and distributed machine perception</li>
<li>New trends in networking and communications, e.g. proximity-based networking and communication protocols for wireless sensor networks</li>
<li>Human interaction in ubiquitous computing environments: tangible user interfaces, ambient displays and augmented reality interfaces.</li>
<li>Privacy and security</li>
</ul>

<h2>Assessment</h2>
<p>Assessment is by coursework only (100%). The coursework consists of a presentation of a paper in class, participation in and documentation of a group design exercise, and writing of an essay reflecting on material covered in the module.</p>

<h2>Recommended Reading</h2>
<p>Students will be provided with selected papers on state of the art developments in Ubiquitous Computing for preparation of a presentation in class.</p>

<h2>Dates and Details</h2>
<p>Lecturers: Dr Hans Gellersen and Dr Mike Hazas</p>

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