# Ubiquitous Computing Testbeds

## Introduction

One of the aims of the ANS project is to build a testbed ubiquitous computing environment so that ideas can be tested on real systems. At the moment two main classes of hardware are being considered for the testbed: small PC-based systems and microcontroller-based systems.

## Small PCs

We considered two classes of small PC: ones based on a PC/104 motherboard (a popular standard for industrial embedded systems), and ones based on the slightly larger but rather cheaper Mini-ITX motherboard standard. It has been decided to use a Mini-ITX system for our first PC testbed node.

- PC/104 cost breakdown
- Mini-ITX cost breakdown

## Microcontroller Systems

Microcontroller based testbed nodes are much cheaper than PC based nodes as well as being considerably smaller and lower power.

- Berkeley Motes
- TinyOS
  A component-based OS for networked sensors. Strongly linked to the Berkeley Motes project.
- Beasties
  For various reasons the Berkeley Motes aren’t suitable for the ANS project. The “Beasties” are simple devices, developed here at Imperial, based on Atmel AVR microcontrollers and with an emphasis on quick and easy expansion and modification.

## Scenarios and Concepts

Scenarios and lists of concepts describe plausible uses for our ubiquitous computing systems and help us decide which devices to implement.

- Healthcare-related ubiquitous computing concepts
- Jim, a cardiac patient
- Sheila’s evening: ubicomp and lifestyle

## Room 563

We’re hoping to use room 563 in Huxley as a ubiquitous computing testbed environment. This PDF shows our initial layout ideas and the scenarios we’re hoping to test.