Using Semantic Transformers to Enable Interoperability between Media Devices in a Ubiquitous Computing Environment

One of the aims of ubiquitous computing is to enable "serendipitous interoperability"; i.e., to make devices that were not necessarily designed to work together interoperate with one another. It also promises to make technologies disappear, by weaving themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it. In order to reach this goal, self-configuration of the various devices and technologies in ubicomp environments is essential. Whether automated and initiated by context-aware entities, or initiated by users by creating semantic connections between devices, the actual configuration of the various components (based on their capabilities) should be performed automatically by the system. In this paper we introduce semantic transformers that can be employed to enable interoperability through self-configuration mechanisms.