The Value of Handhelds in Smart Environments 

Frank Siegemund, Christian Floerkemeier, and Harald Vogt 


Abstract 


The severe resource restrictions of computer-augmented everyday artifacts 
imply substantial problems for the design of applications in smart 
environments. Some of these problems can be overcome by exploiting the 
resources, I/O interfaces, and computing capabilities of nearby mobile devices 
in an ad hoc fashion. We identify the means by which smart objects can make 
use of handheld devices such as PDAs and mobile phones, and derive the 
following major roles of handhelds in smart environments: (1) mobile 
infrastructure access point, (2) user interface, (3) remote sensor, (4) mobile 
storage medium, (5) remote resource provider, and (6) weak user identifier. We 
present concrete applications that illustrate these roles, and describe how 
handhelds can serve as mobile mediators between computer-augmented everyday 
artifacts, their users, and background infrastructure services. The presented 
applications include a remote interaction scenario, a smart medicine cabinet, 
and an inventory monitoring application.