Opportunities and obligations for physical computing systems

TLDR

The convergence of embedded, real‑time, wireless, sensor, and networking technologies is creating a nascent infrastructure poised to drive a technical, economic, and social revolution comparable to the Internet, which the authors term physical computing systems. The authors argue that developers should prioritize the physical, real‑time, and embedded components of pervasive computing, creating both high‑level software and low‑level embedded solutions. The study examines three application domains—assisted living, disaster‑response systems, and national critical‑infrastructure protection—to illustrate how developers should build both high‑level software and low‑level embedded solutions for pervasive computing.

Abstract

The recent confluence of embedded and real-time systems with wireless, sensor, and networking technologies is creating a nascent infrastructure for a technical, economic, and social revolution. Based on the seamless integration of computing with the physical world via sensors and actuators, this revolution will accrue many benefits. Potentially, its impact could be similar to that of the current Internet. We believe developers must focus on the physical, real-time, and embedded aspects of pervasive computing. We refer to this domain as physical computing systems. For pervasive computing to achieve its promise, developers must create not only high-level system software and application solutions, but also low-level embedded systems solutions. To better understand physical computing's advantages, we consider three application areas: assisted living, emergency response systems for natural or man-made disasters, and protecting critical infrastructures at the national level.