Ubiquitous Computing
Enabling people to control and interact with information seamlessly integrated from their virtual and physical environments

With an interdisciplinary team that includes computer and social scientists, along with security and privacy experts, PARC is focused on simplifying people’s interactions with technology – while delivering solutions that uniquely incorporate users’ behavior and interests.

“The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it.” --Mark Weiser (1952-1999), Chief Technologist at PARC and inventor of ubiquitous computing

PARC Approach & Focus Areas

Our researchers are extending PARC's tradition of groundbreaking ubiquitous computing research by developing new applications and services that integrate information from both virtual and real aspects of one’s life. Our goal: seamless interaction – where people control and interact with information environments, as opposed to simply managing collections of networked components.

PARC researchers innovate across the product development spectrum: research, invention, prototyping, technology transfer, evaluation and more. Client engagements typically begin with ethnographic discovery and in-situ experience sampling, followed by pre-technology evaluations and user behavior modeling. PARC’s rapid system prototyping capability can then be targeted for more application-focused R&D.

• User Interaction & Control — Allowing users to interact with computing devices and applications without requiring focus and concentration
   
• Behavior Modeling — Using sensor and data inputs, along with inference algorithms, to identify and predict an individual’s current activity and interest in particular information
   
• Device Infrastructures — Enabling computing devices and applications to interoperate and exchange data, including various media formats, sensor information, and more