The Personal Node (PN)

A Personal Node (PN) is a small, wallet-sized device that integrates people into the Internet. A PN incorporates wireless communication, limited user I/O, and local environmental telemetry to catalyze the coordination of other smart space and network devices for the user's benefit. By themselves smart spaces are not aware of the people in them and people are not be aware of what is in a smart space. The PN allows the smart space to interact continuously with a person, and a person to interact continuously with the space, mediating the interaction with the help of other devices throughout the system. A PN is an individual's networking focal point. As the user roams about, a PN persistently maintains user presence on the internetwork. This represents the final and missing link in smart spaces, bringing the user in as a system resource and participant. In the near future buildings, rooms and vehicles are expected to evolve into smart spaces that contain varieties of wireless smart devices. As individuals and vehicles roam they will swim in a virtual sea of such devices. Those spaces must become aware of the individuals in them and vice versa. A Personal Network Node (PN, or Personal Node, for short) is a small device that is continuously carried by an individual, allowing the user to become a permanent part of the smart space, and allowing the infrastructure ongoing access to the user for feedback and commands. The PN is the network corollary of the PC; it is a network node for the 'rest of us'. A PN incorporates promiscuous wireless interfaces to allow it to act as a networking catalyst. PNs also include various telemetry sensors, such as location (GPS), temperature , and orientation. This allows a PN to be addressed by-interface, by-region, by-proximity or by-heading. The ability to form ad-hoc networks coupled with multiple addressing modalities offers considerable benefits for military , commercial and emergency services. Wireless technology allows us to create smart spaces and devices; key to its success will be its ease of use. People do not have the capability of directly interacting with smart spaces. We are deaf, dumb and blind as far as smart spaces are concerned, and won't be aware when we are in a smart space or know what's in one. Conversely, smart spaces won't be aware of our presence. This mutual lack of awareness must be overcome before smart spaces …