Collaborative Work Approaches , Facilitated by Ubiquitous Computing , Will Shape Future Working Environments . Roomware Components Integrate Everyday

In the past, a central mainframe computer provided terminals for many users. In the current age of the personal desktop computer, there are one or more computers for each person. It’s only in rare cases that these computers work together to jointly provide functions. In the future, computational power will be ubiquitous. In such an environment, devices that support humans interacting with information at work and in everyday activities will complement the desktop computer. These devices will be closely interconnected and integrated with the environment and context in which people use them. They indeed will synchronously work together to support fluent collaboration. 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.