Fujitsu
and PARC Launch Joint Research on Ubiquitous
Computing
Aim to Establish a New Era of Ubiquitous Networking
TOKYO, December 14, 2004--Fujitsu Limited and
the Palo Alto Research Center Inc. (PARC),
a subsidiary of Xerox Corporation, announced
that they have signed a multi-year joint
research agreement in the field of ubiquitous
computing. Working together, the companies
will establish and facilitate a new vision
of ubiquitous computing that goes well beyond
2010, aiming to make peoples' lives safer,
simpler, more efficient, and more comfortable.
Networking and computing systems have permeated
our daily lives. Yet integrating these
systems unobtrusively and seamlessly
into everyday life will require sophisticated
technologies and a broad understanding
of the social implications of information
technology. With the signing of the joint
research agreement, Fujitsu and PARC
are
forging a new partnership to advance
the realization of a ubiquitous network
society.
"Fujitsu has highly regarded PARC's
long-term research perspective and its ability
to create visionary concepts, such as ubiquitous
computing, that incorporate social science
insights," said Takashi Aoki, corporate
vice president of Fujitsu Limited. "By
partnering with PARC to develop new information
technology concepts, Fujitsu will also gain
access to many of PARC's unique technologies
for use in our own products and services,
helping to raise Fujitsu's competitive strength
on a global scale as a leader in solutions
for the ubiquitous networking era."
"Fujitsu's expertise in highly reliable
computing platforms, services and software,
electronic devices, as well as the ability
to provide comprehensive IT solutions makes
them an exceptional partner for PARC," commented
Mark Bernstein, President and Center Director
of PARC. "Taking advantage of these
strengths, we will be able to make our cutting-edge
technology concepts and visions a reality.
Beyond the broad commercial potential, we
are excited that working to support Fujitsu's
international customer base will fuel new
ideas about the potential for PARC research."
Joint Research in Ubiquitous Computing
The penetration of information technology
into different aspects of daily life creates
new benefits and new business opportunities,
both at the business-to-business and business-to-customer
levels. Plans to develop secure and simple
technologies are expected to involve several
areas of research:
- Healthcare services
in ubiquitous environments:
Safeguarding and
securing personal information in global electronic
healthcare systems.
- Local disaster-response systems: Creating
more robust infrastructure networks by making
it possible for data networks to
reorganize and locally adapt to changes in
available sensing, networking and computational
resources.
- Personalized consumer services: Tying
businesses and consumers together with a
flow of personalized information services,
opening the field of "ubiquitous customer
relationship management."
- Advanced Intelligent Transportation Systems:
Networked transportation with a focus on
standardization.
To realize the above systems, Fujitsu and
PARC plan to focus on the following research
areas, with product results appearing as
early as 2006. These topics reflect the partners'
shared vision and are expected to expand.
- Simpler and more secure wireless networking
- Obje(TM) software architecture for interoperability
- Ad-hoc sensor network technology
- Technologies to protect privacy and simplify
security
- Advanced information visualization technologies
The partners anticipate that other opportunities
for collaboration will unfold as computational
and human-science researchers work closely
with Fujitsu's research, services and solutions
organizations.
About Fujitsu
Fujitsu is a leading provider of customer-focused
IT and communications solutions for the global
marketplace. Pace-setting technologies, highly
reliable computing and communications platforms,
and a worldwide corps of systems and services
experts uniquely position Fujitsu to deliver
comprehensive solutions that open up infinite
possibilities for its customers' success.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:
6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.7
trillion yen (US$45 billion) for the fiscal
year ended March 31, 2004. For more information,
please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/
About PARC
The Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), a
subsidiary of Xerox Corporation, conducts
pioneering interdisciplinary research in
physical, computational, and social sciences.
Building on our three-decade tradition of
innovation, PARC works with Xerox and other
strategic partners to commercialize technologies
created by our renowned scientists. As the
birthplace of technologies such as laser
printing, Ethernet, the graphical user interface,
and ubiquitous computing, PARC has an established
track record for transforming industries
and creating commercial value. For more information,
please see: http://www.parc.com.
|
