Ambient Intelligence with Microsystems: Augmented Materials and Smart Objects

This investigation of current approaches to developing networkable smart objects for ambient intelligence emphasizes the microsystems and nanoscale devices required to achieve effective smart systems. It reviews the current ongoing research on effectively embedding computing technology into the everyday objects and investigates the form that these microscale and hybrid systems technologies must take for these programs to be successfully realized. The book examines the issues required to ensure that hardware technologies become capable of being seamlessly integrated into everyday objects. This includes studies on the requirements for integrated computation with MEMs sensors and the role of electronics packaging technology platforms, such as system-in-a-package and multi-chip modules, in implementing new, fully embedded, internet-like heterogeneous systems. It also discusses current progress and future directions in realizing applications-oriented smart objects.

The Concepts.- An Overview of Pervasive Computing Systems.- Augmenting Materials to Build Cooperating Objects.- Device Technologies.- Overview of Component Level Devices.- Silicon Technologies for Microsystems, Microsensors and Nanoscale Devices.- Hardware Sub-Systems Technologies.- Distributed, Embedded Sensor and Actuator Platforms.- Embedded Microelectronic Subsystems.- Networking Technologies.- Embedded Wireless Networking: Principles, Protocols, and Standards.- Systems Technologies.- Context in Pervasive Environments.- Achieving Co-Operation and Developing Smart Behavior in Collections of Context-Aware Artifacts.- System-Level Challenges.- Power Management, Energy Conversion and Energy Scavenging for Smart Systems.- Challenges for Hardware Reliability in Networked Embedded Systems.- System Co-Design.- Co-Design: From Electronic Substrates to Smart Objects.- Co-Design for Context Awareness in Pervasive Systems.- User-Centered Systems.- User-Centred Design and Development of Future Smart Systems: Opportunities and Challenges.- Embedded Systems Research and Innovation Programmes for Industry.- Applied Systems.- Sensor Architectures for Interactive Environments.- Building Networkable Smart and Cooperating Objects.- Dedicated Networking Solutions for a Container Tracking System.