17-11-2012, 01:28 PM
The X-Internet
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Abstract
In just 20 years, the Internet has fundamentally changed the way we live, learn, do business and entertain ourselves. What makes the Internet so revolutionary is that it provides a standard way for people to connect anywhere around the world. Now, the Internet is entering a new generation of Seamless Mobility, thanks to affordable mobile devices that take advantage of new options and increased coverage for wireless connectivity. Standards-based wireless technologies and infrastructure are growing at a rate that promises to completely remove all remaining barriers to truly seamless personal interaction and knowledge transfer. But even a ubiquitous wireless Internet isn’t the complete fulfilment of the Seamless Mobility revolution. Today’s Internet connects people to people, providing information in text, video, sound and other formats intended for use by people. The next step is to Internet-enable physical objects — connecting people with things and even things with things. The Extended Internet, or X-Internet, will enable connectivity not just between people and their computing devices, but between actual, everyday things like windows, highways, bananas, pets, appliances and more. By enabling connectivity for virtually any physical object that can potentially offer a message, the X-Internet will affect every aspect of life and business in ways that used to be the realm of fantasy — or even beyond fantasy.
INTRODUCING THE FUTURE:THE EXTENDED INTERNET
Twenty years ago, it was almost unimaginable how the brick-sized cell phone device that some top-level businesspeople were using would soon change our lives. A few years later, when e-mail was introduced, it was hard to imagine all the information, entertainment, convenience and communication that today’s Internet would bring. Similarly, the X-Internet can be difficult for people to “get” upon first hearing about it But, without a doubt, the X-Internet will transform lives and businesses in much more powerful ways than the PC or even today’s Internet itself. Today’s Internet connects people to people. Oftentimes it’s not a direct connection, but think about it: retail sites, databases, games, content, search engines and more are all ultimately created by people, using display formats that make sense to people, with the sole purpose of serving other people. The X-Internet goes much further: It adds connectivity for physical objects, creating a wealth of new opportunities for intelligent interaction between people and things, and even between things and other things.
TECHNOLOGIES ENABLING SEAMLESS MOBILITY IN THE INTERNET WORLD
The whole point of the X-Internet is to make every aspect of life easier, giving people and businesses full control over things and the way they interact with people, the environment
and each other. Insofar as possible, that control should happen automatically — in accordance with user needs and preferences, but without requiring explicit commands. From the end-user’s point of view, the X-Internet simplifies everything. But that means all the complexity is transferred from the user to the underlying technology.
. Energy Efficiency and Self-Generation of Power
New sensing, control and radio technologies need the ability to operate in the field for very long times while consuming very little power — or even scavenging all the power they need from the environment. Many X-Internet devices will still use battery or line power, but new types of nodes will be deployed by the thousands — often in extremely small packages and difficult locations — making it difficult or impossible to change batteries. New energy-scavenging technologies will enable nodes to operate indefinitely without
batteries. An emerging generation of photovoltaic technology will allow so-called “solar” cells to operate using the ambient light in your house — and the cells will be small enough to incorporate invisibly in windows and even paint. Other technologies will enable nodes to scavenge energy from thermal energy, kinetic motion and other environmental sources.
New Form Factors
Finally, new form factors will be required to enable nodes that can be deployed in virtually any environment. Today’s wireless security sensors that are typically placed adjacent to window and door frames will, in the future, be part of the frame itself. Sensors that can survive caustic environments and extreme temperatures will enable new kinds of applications for industrial control, agriculture, traffic management, homeland security, climate modeling and more.
Small, affordable sensors will be developed that can be embedded in commodity products — similar to RFID tags, but with additional capabilities that include intelligent sensing, control and connectivity. Sensors that can be injected subcutaneously or even ingested orally by animals and people will enable new methods of healthcare monitoring, emergency
response and other similar applications.
Advanced data interpretation
The X-Internet will require new models for data distribution and aggregation, data filtering and fusion, intelligence gathering and knowledge creation. With all the sensor data and control capabilities that will be available, applications will need the ability to extract meaningful information from the wealth of available data in order to come to new conclusions about the world and manage systems more efficiently.
Exception-based control
Ultimately, all the new knowledge gathered and synthesized by X-Internet applications must be put to use in ways that support a seamless experience, managing most of your life automatically while you do the rest by means of exception-based control. Human interaction with systems should be at the highest level possible, while the systems themselves take care of all the detail. Systems should make intelligent observations about the user’s behavior and surroundings, so that even exception-based control becomes less necessary over time.