Here is some more background on ubiquitous computing, in particular, the role of context-aware systems.

Researchers have long dreamt of pervasive computing, which enables everyday objects to recognize our needs and react to them in an intelligent manner. The requisite hardware is already available. What’s needed now is new software and global standards.

As computing becomes pervasive, objects such as bulletin boards will be able to exhange information with mobile devices such as PDAs and phones

Signs that show the way to the nearest cinema; cars that automatically locate the next parking space; shirts that tell the washing machine what temperature they should be washed—in the future, according to Prof. Alois Ferscha, objects and people will be enveloped in their very own “digital auras.” This might sound esoteric, but Ferscha, who is the Director of the Institute of Pervasive Computing at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria has some very concrete ideas of what it might entail. “We create an artificial aura for people and objects by fitting them, as it were, with a digital cloak. Whenever two such auras come into contact, information flows.” In other words, coded preference profiles are exchanged and compared. For example, if your profile authorizes this, an electronic movie poster might transmit the trailer of the latest box office hit to your PDA; or your cell phone might inform you that the woman sitting at the next table in the cafe wants to sell her car.

The technology is already available. The Linz researchers have fitted various objects with so-called RFID tags—small chips that store relevant data. Communication takes place via the Bluetooth wireless radio standard. Initial demonstrations already exist in the fields of healthcare, the home, and traffic management. “The major challenges now are to write universally applicable digital auras for a huge number of people and things, to ensure that these auras can change over time, to transfer and compare them wirelessly, and, finally, to use washable microchips that can be integrated into clothing,” explains Ferscha. For the last three years, his institute has been working closely on the digital aura project with Dr. Lothar Borrmann and others at Siemens Corporate Technology’s Software Architecture department, a part of the Siemens Software & Engineering division.

No Keyboard, No Mouse. Pervasive Computing (PvC)—also known as Ubiquitous Computing (see Pictures of the Future, Fall 2002,  “Ubiquitous Computing”)—will usher in a new era. Instead of do-it-all computers, we will see the advent of simple, task-specific, miniaturized and intuitively operable processors that will be invisibly integrated in everyday objects. Similarly, traditional input devices such as keyboards and mice will not be required. Instead, the processors will be controlled by electronic, optical, acoustic or chemical sensors, and they will output via actuators such motors or other control units.

https://w1.siemens.com/innovation/en/publikationen/publications_pof/pof_fall_2004/software_articles/pervasive_computing.htm

Context awareness is regarded as an enabling technology for ubiquitous computing systems. Context awareness is used to design innovative user interfaces, and is often used as a part of ubiquitous and wearable computing. It is also beginning to be felt in the internet with the advent of hybrid search engines. Schmidt, Beigl & Gellersen ^[8] define human factors and physical environment as two important aspects relating to computer science.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_awareness

Context-aware computing refers to a general class of mobile systems that can sense their physical environment, i.e., their context of use, and adapt their behavior accordingly. Such systems are a component of a ubiquitous computing or pervasive computing environment. Three important aspects of context are: (1) where you are; (2) who you are with; and (3) what resources are nearby. Although location is a primary capability, location-aware does not necessarily capture things of interest that are mobile or changing. Context-aware in contrast is used more generally to include nearby people, devices, lighting, noise level, network availability, and even the social situation; e.g., whether you are with your family or a friend from school.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context-aware_pervasive_systems

Pervasive Computing is a term that signifies several new elements of computing. One element involves pervasive computation - computers and sensors “everywhere” in devices, appliances, equipment, in homes, workplaces and factories, and in clothing. Another element involves pervasive communication – a high degree of communication among devices and sensors through a ubiquitous and secure network infrastructure with a wired core and wireless adjuncts that communicate with the core. Because computation will become so integrated into our lives and activities, natural forms of human-computer interaction, such as spoken dialogue with computers, will become more important.

http://www.itl.nist.gov/pervasivecomputing.html

Context-Aware Pervasive Systems: Architectures for a New Breed of Applications (2006):

The concept of aware systems is among the most exciting trends in computing today, fueled by recent developments in pervasive computing, including new computers worn by users, embedded devices, smart appliances, sensors, and varieties of wireless networking technology. Context-Aware Pervasive Systems: The Architecture of a New Breed of Applications introduces a diverse set of application areas and provides blueprints for building context-aware behavior into applications.Reviewing the anatomy of context-aware pervasive applications, this resource covers abstract architecture. It examines mobile services, appliances, smart devices, software agents, electronic communication, sensor networks, security frameworks, and intelligent software agents. The book also discusses the use of context awareness for communication among people, devices, and software agents and how sensors can be aware of their own situations. Exploring the use of physical context for controlling and enhancing security in pervasive computing environments, this guide addresses mirror worlds and elucidates design perspectives based on a declarative programming language paradigm.This carefully paced volume presents a timely and relevant introduction to the emergence of context-aware systems and brings together architectures and principles of context-aware computing in one source.

http://books.google.com/books?id=6Mfwd6xSuk0C&source=gbs_navlinks_s

The First International Conference on Acoustic Computing for Ambient Intelligent Applications (ACAIA09):

Although, much is known regarding the design of context-aware assistive systems using video, voice, temperature sensing, gas detection, etc. We argue for ways to harness Sounds and Noises, as they are underused in modern ICT and particularly to provide valuable information for assisting humans. In the XXI century, and given the importance that humans give to both normal and rare sounds in their living/working open/close environments, it is incredible to notice that information coming from acoustic signals is often underused in modern ICT.

http://acaia.org/content/acaia09-conference

The ambient intelligence paradigm builds upon ubiquitous computing, profiling practices and human-centric computer interaction design and is characterized by systems and technologies that are (Zelkha & Epstein 1998; Aarts, Harwig & Schuurmans 2001):

• embedded: many networked devices are integrated into the environment
• context aware: these devices can recognize you and your situational context
• personalized: they can be tailored to your needs
• adaptive: they can change in response to you
• anticipatory: they can anticipate your desires without conscious mediation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambient_intelligence