NIST Pervasive Computing Conference Adds Health Care Track

Business Wire, Sept 9, 2002

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 2002

With the use of mobile devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) becoming more widespread, pervasive computing - the convergence of computers, wireless systems, sensors that "see" and "hear," and the Internet so that people use their machines in a natural, unobtrusive way - is finding greater application in the workplace and the home. Software is becoming increasingly adept at handling device and service discovery, while mobility middleware is becoming more sophisticated. The upcoming Pervasive Computing 2002, the third annual conference in a series hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will provide researchers, developers and users with a forum to discuss "state-of-the-art" in the field.

Scheduled for October 1-2, 2002, the conference will cover a wide variety of technical topics, with presentations on PDAs, computing platforms, security, standards and smartcards by technology experts from industry and academia. This year's program adds a special health care track designed to facilitate an exchange between medical practitioners and technology developers. As a way of cutting costs and increasing operating efficiencies, the health care community has begun to take advantage of the advances in pervasive computing. These technologies also are increasingly being applied to medical diagnosis and treatment.

The conference will be held at NIST's headquarters in Gaithersburg, MD. Go to http://www.nist.gov/pc2002 for more information.