“My impact will be not to have an impact,” says leading digital economy researcher Professor Tom Rodden. It may sound like a strange notion. But the world of ubiquitous computing is about seamlessly embedding digital technology into everyday life, allowing people to focus on the impacts it has rather than the technology itself. Rodden, a University of Nottingham professor, heads a number of EPSRC projects that blur the line between the physical and the digital worlds. “Thirty years ago, computers had a sort of awe about them. They were a focus of attention in themselves,” says Rodden. “But today, they are very mundane, everyday technology. Look around the room and see how many computers there are – they are embedded all around us. People no longer focus on computers but on the things they want to do with them.”
“Ultimately, ubiquitous computing allows for the provision of new services to aid and help people in their everyday lives,” says Rodden. These new services could transform everything from entertainment to education and healthcare to horticulture. Sensors monitor the behaviour patterns of elderly people within the home and relay that information to carers or relatives. Embedding wireless technology in woodland allows children carrying mobile devices to learn by exploring both the physical environment and the biological systems that support it simultaneously. Rodden is quick to emphasise that his work relies on the expertise of scientists, engineers and artists from all backgrounds. And that exploring, and avoiding, potential pitfalls (such as privacy and ethical considerations) is as much a part of the research as harnessing potential. But he cites the support of EPSRC as instrumental to success.
TOM RODDEN CREATING A SEAMLESS DIGITAL WORLD
“EPSRC ENCOURAGE ADVENTURE AND ALLOW YOU TO CROSS BOUNDARIES. THE FREEDOM TO BE ADVENTUROUS AND DO THE UNUSUAL CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED.”