The Clifford Paterson Lecture, 1999. Sentient computing

Sentient computing is the proposition that applications can be made more responsive and useful by observing and reacting to the physical world. It is particularly attractive in a world of mobile users and computers. The paper presents a classification and quantification of sensor information together with a description of a method for altering the behaviour of arbitrary terminal devices. It also presents a framework for ‘programming with space’ which can associate space–related events with actions. Consideration is given to the applications made possible by such systems.