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Future Scope

 

Future Scope – The Post-PC Era

By Michael Redford, SAP AG – 11/21/2003

Discovering new ways to think about and approach SAP's own product development, as well as stimulating discussion and the active exchange of innovative ideas. These are the goals of a new SAP-internal lecture series called "Future Scope." This event series is a mix of presentations, demonstrations, and workshops designed to give SAP employees the opportunity to experience the compelling technology and business innovations currently being developed by prestigious global research institutes – and discover what these new ideas could mean for SAP, its product portfolio, and software tools of tomorrow.

At the last installment of Future Scope in 2003, Professor Max Mühlhäuser from the Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany outlined the possibilities of a post-PC era. In his lecture, "Talking Assistant: The Indispensable Ubiquitous Computing Device," he examined the steps to take so the PC stops being the central point of access to every IT infrastructure, making it possible for the PC to disappear, and user-centric computing to be available all the time. The event in the SAP University Audimax in St. Leon-Rot, Germany, also featured a demonstration of what a post-PC computer could look like.

Prof. Max Mühlhäuser

Figure 1: Prof. Mühlhäuser

Prof. Mühlhäuser is a full professor and head of the Telecooperation Division within the Computer Science Department, where one of his research areas is mobile/ubiquitous computing and commerce. The goal of ubiquitous computer is to create a computer and an infrastructure that enables users to have constant access to information technology.

Personal computers are everywhere, but "mobile computing" means carrying around a laptop, cell phone, PDA, smart cards, RDIF tags, SecurID cards, and so on. To use almost all of these devices, such as a laptop or private digital assistants (PDA), you need both your eyes and your hands, for example, to dial a phone, or type an e-mail. This explains in part the "paradox that cell phones are getting larger and thicker again, as more and more PDA functionalities are being added to larger appliances."

One reason for the size is that battery power hasn't kept up with the increasing demands of mobile users. Yet the size of electronic devices is no longer determined entirely by technical limitations. Rather, the screens and keys have be large enough so users can see and enter information, and human biology becomes the size limit, not the technology. "But why should I have to type and e-xbmail?" Professor Mühlhäuser asked. Speech recognition and speech synthesis have become good enough that language-controlled devices can be developed.

A demonstration of a Talking Assistant provided a look at how the concept is already being realized. The Talking Assistant is a headset that contains an embedded computer with a CPU, storage, audio input and output, as well wireless networking and location and head tracking. The Talking Assistant is more than just a new device, Professor Mühlhäuser emphasized, and refining the technology of the headset is important, but not the ultimate goal. "We don't need to worry about the new toys and gadgets. System integration is the issue we need to think about." And the main issue is how to integrate ubiquitous computing into existing networks. "SAP is number one in the world in terms of integrative solutions, and therefore SAP should play a leading role," the researcher noted.

Demonstration of the Talking Assistant

Figure 2: Demonstration of the Talking Assistant

Research carried out by Professor Mühlhäuser and Siemens revealed determining user's activities and trying to model those activities was the crucial starting point for creating an adaptable, ubiquitous computing environment. People are trying to carry out activities in places where a PC is difficult or impossible to use, but information technology should not be. Professor Mühlhäuser also discuss the potential for ubiquitous computing on the shop floor, in production and quality control.

See also Future Scope – Communication, Coordination, and Collaboration with Intelligent Agents, Future Scope – A Networked World, and Future Scope – Tangible Information

 

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