A number of different system concepts have become apparent in thebroader context of embedded systems over the past few years. Whilstthere are some differences between these, this book argues that infact there is much they share in common, particularly the importantnotions of control, heterogenity, wireless communication,dynamics/ad hoc nature and cost.The first part of the book covers cooperating objectapplications and the currently available application scenarios,such as control and automation, healthcare, and security andsurveillance. The second part discusses paradigms for algorithmsand interactions. The third part covers various types of verticalsystem functions, including data aggregation, resource managementand time synchronization. The fourth part outlines systemarchitecture and programming models, outlining all currentlyavailable architectural models and middleware approaches that canbe used to abstract the complexity of cooperating objecttechnology.Finally, the book concludes with a discussion of the trendsguiding current research and gives suggestions as to possiblefuture developments and how various shortcomings in the technologycan be overcome.