Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp, or sometimes ubiqcomp) integrates computation into the environment, rather than having computers which are distinct objects. Another term for ubiquitous computing is pervasive computing. Promoters of this idea hope that embedding computation into the environment would enable people to move around and interact with computers more naturally than they currently do. One of the goals of ubiquitous computing is to enable devices to sense changes in their environment and to automatically adapt and act based on these changes based on user needs and preferences. Some simple examples of this type of behavior include GPS-equipped automobiles that give interactive driving directions and RFID store checkout systems.

The late Mark Weiser wrote what are considered some of the seminal papers in Ubiquitous Computing. Currently, the art is not as mature as Weiser hoped, but a considerable amount of development is taking place. Ubiquitous computing encompasses a wide range of research topics, including distributed computing, mobile computing, sensor networks, human-computer interaction, and artificial intelligence. Several research labs are taking interest in developing this field:

• Palo Alto Research Center
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Group for User Interface Research, University of California, Berkeley
• MIT Media Lab
• Stanford University Interactive Workspaces
• University of Karlsruhe Telecooperation Office (TecO)
• Laboratory for Communication Engineering, University of Cambridge
• e-World Lab, University of South Australia
• Computing Department, Lancaster University
• Pervasive Computing, Kepler University Linz Austria
• Institute for Pervasive Computing, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• CHICO Laboratory in Computer Human Interaction, University of Castilla - la Mancha, Spain
• Mobile Ubiquitous Services & Technologies Group, University of Technology, Sydney
• Intelligent Inhabited Environments Group, University of Essex

Some news sites are recording commercial and academic developments:

• eBiquity
• Ubiquitous Computing News - not being updated anymore
• ubiquitouscomputing.org Academic and industry research efforts

Notable conferences in the field include:

• International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing (Ubicomp)
• IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications (Percom)
• International Conference on Pervasive Computing (Pervasive)

See Also

• Sentient computing
• Mobile computing