Adaptive resource discovery for ubiquitous computing

The terms pervasive and ubiquitous computing are used to describe a smart space populated by hundreds of intelligent devices that are embedded in their surroundings. Characteristically, ubiquitous computing devices must blend into the background, unobtrusively collaborating to provide value-added services for users. Services are thus essential to the success of this technology and, as a result, both service discovery and service management will play a vital role in generating the revenue stream that is a prerequisite for sustainable ubiquitous deployment. On the one hand, the services provided should be evident by their richness and variety and on the other, the complexity inherent in the environment must be hidden from users. In this paper, we describe RUBI, a resource discovery framework for ubiquitous computing. RUBI represents a novel approach to resource discovery, because the primacy of the need for adaptive autonomic behaviour is established within its design.