Ubiquitous computing is a vision for the future in which users are surrounded by computers. Some of the computers are seen as taking different forms from a more traditional personal computer. Others of the computers will be embedded into things and places.
An experimental ubiquitous computing system included smart badges, sensors, and a central server. The smart badges were worn by users and emitted identification codes. The sensors, which were connected to the central server, noted the identification codes and the central server kept diaries of locations of the users along with three types of activities: Time spent alone, time spent with others (e.g., meetings), and time spent traveling between locations in the building. Each user's diary of the previous day was e-mailed to the user. It was hoped that the users would find their diaries helpful as a memory aid by indicating where they were on a specific day and at a specific time along with other users that were present.
Another experimental ubiquitous computing system replaced the smart badges with a device having a touch sensitive LCD screen. With this system, users could access their diaries via the touch sensitive screen. As with the previous system, this system provided users with personal diaries of whom they had encountered and where they had been. It was envisioned that a task reminder mechanism could be added to this system, in which a user would enter the task reminder and then at a particular time, upon reaching a particular place, or upon encountering a particular person, the device would issue a reminder. However, it was not envisioned that the system would issue the reminder only upon a lapse of human memory. Instead, the reminder would occur at the particular time, upon reaching the particular place, or upon encountering the particular person. Rather than supporting human memory, such a system would replace human memory. Further, a user attempting to make thorough use of such a system would receive a reminder even though that had not forgotten the task for which they had requested a reminder.
Such systems required static sensors to be connected by wire to a central computer system that collected data and sent alerts back to the wearable units. This made it difficult to deploy the system widely because of the cost of connecting each sensor to the central computer. In some cases it was impractical; for example, when desired to put a sensor in a car, or in a location where telecommunications costs would be prohibitively high. In the case of temporary deployment in the home, people didn't want to have their decor damaged by wires being installed, only to have the equipment removed sometime later leaving unsightly holes in the walls.
In a health care setting, some patients have difficulty with memory. For example, an Alzheimer's patient may fail to remember to occasionally have a drink of water or how to exit a bathroom. In such a setting, it would be advantageous for a caregiver to be given notice when the patient has a lapse of human memory.
What is needed is an improved, easily deployable pervasive computing system.