Pervasive computing, also called ubiquitous computing, is the growing trend of embedding computational capability into everyday objects to make them effectively communicate and perform useful tasks in a way that minimizes the end user’s need to interact with computers as computers. Pervasive computing devices are network-connected and constantly available.

Unlike desktop computing, pervasive computing can occur with any device, at any time, in any place and in any data format across any network, and can hand tasks from one computer to another as, for example, a user moves from his car to his office. Thus, pervasive computing devices have evolved to include not only laptops, notebooks and smartphones, but also tablets, wearable devices, fleet management and pipeline components, lighting systems, appliances and sensors, and so on.

The goal of pervasive computing is to make devices “smart,” thus creating a sensor network capable of collecting, processing and sending data, and, ultimately, communicating as a means to adapt to the data’s context and activity; in essence, a network that can understand its surroundings and improve the human experience and quality of life.

This course gives an overview of Mobile Adaptive Computing and Pervasive Computing.