Embodied Technology and the Paradigm of Ubiquitous Computing

Since the human race began, human invents technology: technology invents humans. The characteristics that make us human will continue to be manifest in our relationship with technology. Shifting boundaries between computers and everyday world. The more we depend on technologies to carry out or mediate our everyday activities, the more we will need to trust than to do so. New technologies like, Ubiquitous Computing inspire new interface paradigms, while new interfaces utilizing these emerging technologies encourage their continued refinement by revealing aspects most useful in their application. Computer technology gives a new way to understand the world by virtue of having bodies. We can think of the body as a uniquely sensitive and manifold interface. The role of computer in the world has evolved from specialized computing machines to information devices that pervade our daily lives. In my essay, I shall try to explore the challenges of Invisible Computing and simplify them, to make them visible for the research in Ubiquitous Computing. First, I will discuss what ubiquitous computing is and what it is not. Then, I will attempt to refine some paramount issues of invisible computing: What are the impacts of this kind of computing in our society? What are the embedded computers and how are they of consequence to human beings? and how can these interactions be made understandable and usable for a wide spectrum of users, ranging from information specialists to novice users? What makes a good user experience? To deal with these questions, I shall apply the philosophy of body and technology approaches of Don Ihde and Robert Rosenberger.