Tagline
- “Organizing the world’s information and creating interfaces with Physical Objects so that Objects can use information with the goal of making life better for humans.”
- “Make the physical world come alive!”
Academic Disciplines
- Computer Science
- Engineering & Applied Physics
Driving forces
- Cheap computing power and storage.
- Ubiquitous Network.
- Cheap sensors.
- Flexible Electronics.
- Advanced Artificial Intelligence. Machine Learning. Big Data.
- DIY tools. Open source software. Open hardware platforms.
What is it like
- All devices would contain microprocessors with network connection.
- Adaptable. flexible systems.
- Putting intelligence into everything.
- Automation.
- Objects aware of their Physical World utilizing information from the Digital World.
- Objects communicating with each other through Network for getting things done.
Application Areas
- Manufacturing
- 3D Printing
- Tissue Printing
- Fab Lab
- Automation
- Drones
- MEMS & NEMS
- Automobile Software. Self Driving Car.
- Internet Of Things
- Smart Homes (e.g., Nest devices)
- Smart Cities. Smart efficient infrastructures.
- Sensor Networks
- Robotics. Automation.
- Smart Phones & Apps
- Wearable Computing (e.g., Google Glass, Smart Watches)
- Open platforms: Raspberry Pi, Arduino
- Bio-sensors
- Diagnostic systems
Some other early movers with focus on Physical Digital Integration
- General Electric – Industrial Internet
- IBM – Smarter Planet
- Cisco – Internet Of Things
- Siemens – Digital Manufacturing
- Scanadu – Mobile Diagnostics
- Rethink Robotics – Manufacturing with Robotics
- 3d Systems – 3D Printing
Challenges
- New Communication Protocols.
- Knowledge Representations that Objects can process and understand.
- Security.
- More intuitive interfaces.
Notable People
Institutes
Books
- Fab: The Coming Revolution on Your Desktop–from Personal Computers to Personal Fabrication
- When Things Start to Think
At its limit
- Nano / Molecular computing
- Quantum Computing
- Programmable Matter
- Optogenetics
