Roomware-moving toward ubiquitous computers

Collaboration between users and environments with multiple interconnected devices will determine, to a large degree, approaches to work and everyday activities. An example of this type of device is roomware, or computer-augmented objects resulting from the integration of room elements, such as walls, doors, and furniture, with computer-based information devices. The roomware components that we have developed at Fraunhofer IPSI support the vision of a future where our surroundings act as an information interface, and the computer as a device disappears from our perception. Three main observations influenced the creation of roomware components: the growing importance of information technology; the need to integrate information technology with the environment in which it is used; and the recognition that new work practices will emerge to cope with the increasing rate of the innovation.