The
proliferation of mobile computing devices including laptops, personal digital
assistants (PDAs),and wearable computers has created a demand for wireless personal
area networks (PANs).PANs allow proximal devices to share information and resources.The
mobile nature of these devices places unique requirements on PANs,such as low
power consumption, frequent make-and-break connections, resource discovery and
utilization, and international regulations. This paper examines wireless technologies
appropriate for PANs and reviews promising research in resource discovery and
service utilization. We recognize the need for PDAs to be as manageable as mobile
phones and also the restrictive screen area and input area in mobile phone. Thus
the need for a new breed of computing devices to fit the bill for a PAN. The above
devices become especially relevant for mobile users such as surgeons and jet plane
mechanics who need both hands free and thus would need to have "wearable"
computers.This paper first examines the technology
used for wireless communication. Putting a radio in a digital device provides
physical connectivity;however,to make the device useful in a larger context a
networking infrastructure is required.
The infrastructure allows devices o share
data,applications,and resources such as printers, mass storage, and computation
power. Defining a radio standard is a tractable problem as demonstrated by the
solutions presented in this paper. Designing a network infrastructure is much
more complex. The second half of the paper describes several research projects
that try to address components of the networking infrastructure. Finally there
are the questions that go beyond the scope of this paper, yet will have he greatest
effect on the direction,capabilities,and future of this paradigm. Will these networking
strategies be incompatible, like he various cellular phone systems in the United
States, or will there be a standard upon which manufacturers and developers agree,
like the GSM (global system for mobile communication)cellular phones in Europe?
Communication demands compatibility, which is challenging in a heterogeneous marketplace.
Yet by establishing and implementing compatible systems, manufacturers can offer
more powerful and useful devices to their customers. Since these are, after all,
digital devices living in a programmed digital world, compatibility and interoperation
are possible.