Multi Agent Systems (MAS) are often used as a software substrate in creating smart spaces. Many of the solutions already developed within the MAS community are applicable in the domain of smart spaces. Others, however, need to be modified or re-developed. In particular, it has to be noted that many agents acting in a physical space domain are restricted in number and capability by the scarce physical hardware available. Those limitations need to be taken into account when coordinating agent activities in a MAS in a smart space. In this paper we present Rascal, a high-level resource management system for the Intelligent Room Project, that addresses physical resource scarcities. Rascal performs the service mapping and arbitration functions for the system. Rascal is an implemented tool and has been partially deployed for day-to-day use. 1

We present a framework for testing applications for mobile computing devices. When a device is moved into and attached to a new network, the proper functioning of applications running on the device often depends on the resources and services provided locally in the current network. This framework provides an application-level emulator for mobile computing devices to solve this problem. Since the emulator is constructed as a mobile agent, it can carry applications across networks on behalf of its target device and allow the applications to connect to local servers in its current network in the same way as if they had been moved with and executed on the device itself. This paper also demonstrates the utility of this framework by describing the development of typical network-dependent applications in mobile and ubiquitous computing settings.

In this paper we examine requirements for an infrastructure that supports implementation and deployment of smart things in the real world. We describe a case study (RFID Chef) where kitchen items and ingredients, equipped with remotely accessible electronic tags, drive an interactive context-aware recipe finder through the use of an event-based infrastructure.

The idea of ubiquitous computing and smart environments is no longer a dream and has long become a serious area of research and soon this technology will start entering our every day lives. There are two major obstacles that prevent this technology from spreading. First, di#erent smart spaces are equipped with very di#erent kinds of devices (e.g. a projector vs. a computer monitor, vs. a TV set). Second, multiple applications running in a space at the same time inevitably contend for those devices and other scarce resources. The underlying software in a smart space needs to provide tools for self-adaptivity in that it shields the rest of the software from the physical constraints of the space, and that it dynamically adjusts the allocation of scarce resources as the number and priorities of active tasks change.

In this paper we describe the Ektara architecture, a distributed computing architecture for building context-aware ubiquitous and wearable computing applications (UWC). We begin by describing the critical requirements for developing real context-aware UWC applications and relate these to a plausible user-centered scenario. We then present the functional components of the Ektara architecture and explain how they address the critical requirements. Examples of how these functional components interact to create real applications are given, and we discuss our progress in implementing a prototype system and several applications.

In this paper, we propose a new paradigm for local communication between devices in Ubiquitous Computing environments, assuming a multitude of computerized everyday appliances communicating with each other to solve tasks. This paradigm is based on the concept that the location of devices is central for the communication in such a scenario. Devices define their communication scope by spatial criteria. In our paradigm no explicit addressing or identification of communication partners is used. In comparison to traditional communication methods the approach eases routing and discovery problems and can be deployed in a highly dynamic environment without centralized services. We use the term local communication as inter-device communication in a physically restricted local area. This is well distinguish from the terms telecommunication as communication over distance where location information is explicitly hidden. The communication model (RAUM) introduced is based on the observ...

This paper presents a framework for building context-aware applications in ubiquitous and mobile computing settings. The framework provides people, places, and things with computational functionalities to support and annotate them. It is unique among existing systems because the functionalities are implemented by mobile agents. Using location-tracking systems, this framework can navigate mobile agents to stationary or mobile computers near the locations of the entities and places to which the agents are attached, even when the locations change. The framework provides a way for mobile agents to follow their users as they move about and to adhere to places as virtual Post-its. A prototype implementation of the framework has been built on a Java-based mobile agent system and tested with several practical applications, including follow-me applications and a user- navigation system.

Abstract—Jimminy is a wearable personal note-taking and note-archival application that automatically displays notes that might be relevant to the wearer in his current environment. The system selects old notes to show on a head-up display based on the wearer’s current location, people in the immediate area, and the subject-line and contents of any current notes being written. This paper describes an experiment that evaluates the usefulness of the wearer’s physical context (location and people in the area) for automatically finding useful archived information. The results suggest that, while physical context can be used to discover useful archived notes, the subject and text of notes currently being entered are a much better indicator of usefulness in the personal note-taking domain. Index Terms—Wearable computers, intelligent agents, information retrieval, context.

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In recent years, two innovative computing and communication technologies have emerged: wearable computers and wireless personal area networks. Wearable computers advance an innovative form of personal computing based on continuously worn, intelligent assistants that augment memory, intellect, communication, and physical senses. Wireless personal area networks (WPAN) are a new class of wireless networks that provide seamless ad hoc communication over short-range radio links. The convergence of these technologies creates new opportunities for technological support of social interactions and face-to-face communities. While past research has provided a partial understanding of the social potentials of wearable computers and wireless personal area networks, we know little about the iii software engineering aspects of such systems. This dissertation aims to remedy this situation by exploring software infrastructure and architectural support for co-present communities. In particular, the goal of this dissertation is to develop a generic wearable software platform that (1) enables spontaneous interactions in face-to-face settings,