What is Ambient Computing?

Ambient computing is all about A.I. and making decisions without human involvement. Ambient computing is a broad term describing an environment of data, smart devices, A.I. decisions, and human activity that allows computer actions alongside daily life, without direct human interventions or commands.

This essentially means that computers quietly handle stuff in the background. Although the phrase was coined in the 1990s, it first became prominent in the mid-2010s. and even then, it wasn’t until 2018 that it became a buzzword extensively used by HP, Google, and other organizations throughout Silicon Valley. Thought leaders assumed that 2021 would be finally the big year for ambient computing.

However, things weren’t as simple. Ambient computing is currently experiencing its moment as both a growth factor in lots of business decisions and an accelerating force towards smart home branding. The harder you look, the more visible the signs that ambient computing is just about everywhere.

Ever since human beings were able to imagine the omniscient computer, we have increasingly become aware of the possibilities of ambient computing. Describing it might be a bit more difficult, but it’s a lot easier to think about its development instages:

Internet of Things: The internet of things is an ecosystem of smart devices that are equipped with sensors for collecting environmental data. The devices come equipped with the ability to communicate with each other and central hubs and can send data to the cloud for further processing.??

Machine Learning: A.I. software is mostly developed to analyze data, such as data collected on the Internet of Things domain to draw new conclusions. Machine learning systems based on human cognition are taught how to recognize bad and good data sets in increasingly complex ways. ?

Conditional rules: The combination of machine learning and the Internet of Things allows smart devices to act in certain ways under specific conditions. This can be very simple like automatically switching on the coffeemaker in the morning or alerting a homeowner when a security camera detects a human face.

Seamless integration: Lots of smart devices still need some form of human interaction, whether it’s to confirm an alert on your phone or asking Apple’s Siri about the traffic conditions. But true ambient computing only happens where the integration is seamless. For instance, new Ring Video doorbells come equipped with Alexa voice assistant and can detect the presence of a human or respond to a ringing doorbell, ask the visitor why they’re at the door, and give instructions on what to do with a package. All this is done without the need to involve the owner.

Examples of Ambient Computing

Ambient computing has lots of different applications in a variety of industries, and more are on the way. The following are some of the few common ways we see it being used in ourcworld:

Chatbots on social media platforms or websites can now imitate real-life customer representatives in real-time, showcase products, and even complete sales without interaction from the employees.

Advanced microphone software can now automatically detect conference room devices to connect video and audio to everyone’s devices

?Sensors in industrial equipment can monitor fuel, wear and tear, and other factors and automatically schedule maintenance based on this data

Electrical grids can detect changes in the demand and supply factors automatically?across the grid and optimize resources to balance the energy deployment

Newer freight cars and trains can monitor delivery time windows, weights, and warehouse activity to adjust speeds automatically and ensure that shipments arrive on time while saving on fuel.

?Additionally, self-driving cars that can drive within given parameters can drive passengers to a destination, avoid danger, and respond to traffic without intervention.

?Ambient computing at home

?You might already be using some form of ambient computing in your own home with the smart devices you’ve installed. For instance, the Nest Smart Thermostat can detect when people are active in their home using far- and near-range motion sensors, and even update their cooling and warming schedules automatically to match when people are moving around.

?Another example is AirPods – the newer versions of Apple’s wireless earphones usually use spatial audio and dynamic head tracking that allows it to adjust sound based on the user’s position without them needing to change any settings manually.

There’s even medical alert technology integrated into smartwatches like the Apple Watch, which uses embedded sensors to detect a fall or monitor vital signs for the elderly,, and even make calls to a loved one or an emergency number of choice if it senses something is wrong.

?Ambient computing and privacy

Smart devices already make lots of people uneasy due to the kind of data they collect and send to companies. Ambient computing raises this concern to a whole other level, as there are even fewer human interactions and oversight involved.

?One solution is only allowing ambient computing when a user specifically agrees to it and including a variety of private measures such as mic switches, camera shutters, as well as cloud data disposal. This can help to greatly limit ambient computing, though that decision is always up to the user. So far, this has been the popular approach for Alexa-enabled Echo devices and other similar offerings from Amazon.

Another solution is to improve the processing power and the storage of the smart devices to enable them to communicate with each other and make decisions independently without having to send any data to the cloud for storage, ideally keeping everything local. The main drawback with this approach is that the technology is far from there, and even if it was up to par, most companies would still want information collected in the cloud for analysis.

?Ultimately, privacy issues associated with ambient computing have not been resolved yet, and the coming decade will probably see this as a key issue for widespread adoption.

The future of ambient computing

?Smart devices have only started learning how to communicate with each other effectively and bridge software divides among brands. In the coming years, new smart communication protocols will be put into place to make universal compatibility easier, and in turn open the industry to new ambient computing possibilities.

?It’s quite difficult to predict how or what this will look like. But soon, things will probably get a lot quieter. Systems will be able to anticipate our demands and there will be less need for voice commands. Things may also get a lot faster. Since it eliminates the need for human intervention to authorize each step, smart devices will make faster decisions and complete tasks with greater efficiency.