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The physical and digital worlds are merging

19/02/2009

This involves intelligent interaction between people and IT devices which will change our activities, the way we use our time, and even our ways of thinking, according to Ailisto who presented VTT’s visions of the future in Oulu, Finland, this week.

Effects of the change will already be visible in 2015 but the actual change will take place in the period 2020-2025, and this is set to create significant business opportunities.

According to Ailisto, there are many different names for the development towards the convergence of the physical and digital, including ubicomp, pervasive computing, ambient intelligence, and the internet of things. All these terms describe the integration of the digital world with real things like cars, homes, machines and bus stops.

More and more everyday objects are armed with some ICT capacity. Examples include Near Field Communication where information about a place such as bus timetables or theatre programmes can be accessed by mobile phone.

At the moment there are about 20 integrated computers per person in the world which are found in cars, home appliances and mobile phones. In 10-15 years there will be hundreds or even a thousand, which would mean 7000 billion merged computers in the world, according to Ailisto.

The objective is to get from these 7000 billion computers those that are near the user to understand each other. VTT wants to develop the interaction between humans and IT equipment in a way that offers the user meaningful information and services about the surroundings in an easy and understandable way, enabling whole new ways of doing things. VTT is already cooperating with major actors in the sectors developing intelligent homes and cars.

However, VTT believes that that ICT transformation will not only offer opportunities to major manufacturers of home electronics or car factories. It will also create new opportunities for small innovative companies and traditional industry, services and farming because the merging of information technology with ordinary objects and processes affects absolutely everything.

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is an impartial expert organisation. Its objective is to develop new technologies, create innovations and value added, thus increasing its clients’ competitiveness. VTT produces research, development, testing and information services for the public sector, private companies, as well as international organisations.

Source: Digitoday