As we may live – Real-world implications of ubiquitous computing Marc Langheinrich, Vlad Coroama, J ¨ urgen Bohn, and Michael Rohs Distributed Systems Group Institute of Information Systems Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich 8092 Zurich, Switzerland www.inf.ethz.ch/˜{langhein,coroama,bohn,rohs} Abstract. The young field of ubiquitous computing is steadily making progress and gaining attention in both academia and industry. While new gadgets and smart home appliances cannot appear fast enough for many technologists, such rapid introductions of new technologies often come with unexpected side-effects. Due to the unique scope of ubiquitous computing as a tool for our everyday life, these side-effects might have serious implications for the way we live in the fu- ture. This paper explores a number of effects that a large-scale deployment of ubiquitous computing technology in the real world may have. Its intention is to raise awareness for a technical design that takes the concerns of the average cit- izen into account, as well as to serve as point of departure for further interdisci- plinary research in the field. 1 A brave new world More than a decade ago, Xerox PARC researcher Mark Weiser coined the term and defined the field in his seminal work “The computer for the 21st century” [46]. After Vannevar Bush’s “As we may think” [7] set the tone for “a new relationship between thinking man and the sum of our knowledge,” Weiser’s ideas shifted the focus from Bush’s virtual world towards the relationship between our lives and the sum of our technology [13]. While such ideas seemed slightly utopian then, the availability of single-chip wire- less communication solutions (e.g., Bluetooth [5]), Java-enabled Smartcards [17], or radio-frequency-based identification systems (RFID-Tags) with a form factor of only a few micrometers [16] has allowed researchers around the world to start putting their ideas to work and creating a large variety of prototypes with ease [37]. Commercial interest has also been picking up. After the lackluster development of mobile commerce in many markets, industry is looking for better ways to turn its investments in telecommunication sectors into profit, and “smart devices” that provide “information at the user’s fingertips” might very well be the key to increase consumer acceptance. Consequently, research funding both in academia and industry is plenty and a wealth of prototypes and field tests appear in all parts of the world, heralding a new age of “in- visible computing” that Mark Weiser and his peers envisioned more than ten years ago.