Ubiquitous computing (
ubicomp) is a concept in
software engineering and
computer science where computing is made to appear anytime and everywhere. In contrast to desktop computing, ubiquitous computing can occur using any device, in any location, and in any format. A user interacts with the computer, which can exist in many different forms, including laptop computers, tablets and terminals in everyday objects such as a
fridge or
a pair of glasses. The underlying technologies to support ubiquitous computing include
Internet, advanced
middleware,
operating system,
mobile code, sensors, microprocessors, new
I/O and user interfaces, networks, mobile protocols, location and positioning and
new materials.