Pervasive computing: Past, present and future

The paradigm of pervasive computing describes ubiquitous computing environments that provide anytime and anywhere access to information services while making the presence of the system invisible to the user. Pervasive computing envisioned by Mark Weiser emerged at the conjunction of research and development in a number of areas which include embedded and devices and systems, wireless communications, and distributed, mobile and context-aware computing. This paper provides an overview of constituent components of pervasive computing and outlines the current progress made as a result of convergence of these areas of research.