High-Speed Networking and Embedded Gerontechnologies William D

University of South Florida Scholar Commons Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Faculty Publications 2007 High-Speed Networking and Embedded Gerontechnologies William D. Kearns University of South Florida, [email protected] James L. Fozard University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/mhs_facpub Scholar Commons Citation Kearns, William D. and Fozard, James L., "High-Speed Networking and Embedded Gerontechnologies" (2007). Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Faculty Publications. 59. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/mhs_facpub/59 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. R e v i e w High-speed networking and embedded gerontechnologies William D. Kearns PhD Internet2 University Executive Liaison, Department of Aging and Mental Health, Louis De La Parte, Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612-3807, USA E: [email protected] James L. Fozard PhD School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida Tampa, FL 33612, USA W.D. Kearns, J.L. Fozard, High-speed networking and embedded gerontechnologies. Gerontechnology 2007; 6(3):135-146. Information and communications technologies (ICT) have undergone extraordinary advances in the past 5 years. Two aspects of these developments are described along with their implications for gerontechnology. First, international high speed Internet networks serving the July 2007, Vol 6, No 3 academic community are reviewed, acknowledging that today’s academic networks are poised to inform the public’s computer networks of tomorrow. Second, computational systems that increasingly penetrate every facet of the built environment, for instance, clothing, furnishings, personal items, transportation and home environmental control and security are described. Over time such embedded 135 systems are integrated into large wired and wireless networks of devices which may extend over international boundaries. High bandwidth networked applications in development include multipoint videoconferencing using multicast IPv6 protocols, telepresence, virtual reality simulations and remote sensing for gather- ing data in built environments. Examples of how these developments create new applications for all four of the goals of gerontechnology - prevention, compen- sation, care and enhancement of quality of life - are provided. Enhanced tech- nological services for the elderly will develop, including nutritional monitoring, safety and security, mental health and healthcare, environmental control, and communications. International networks promise more uniform care standards for the elderly, increase the opportunity for collaboration among researchers and educators tackling the difficult problems associated with aging, including demen- tia, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Networks have the promise of enhancing outcomes by maximizing economies of scale by collecting research observations from multiple international venues. New educational approaches addressing the challenges of aging include virtual reality applications which simulate the impact of aging for young individuals. Monitoring individuals in their homes using ICT and computer networks can impose significant ethical responsibilities upon gov- erning agencies. Keywords: Internet evolution, embedded ICT, gerontechnology services www.gerontechjournal.net In this paper we review the rapid escala- personal items, and appliances. Separate- tion in speed and bandwidth of the inter- ly and in combination, the implications of net, two developments that have resulted these developments for a broad range of in very high speed worldwide computer gerontechnology applications and devel- networks. We also review the parallel, opment are discussed. rapid evolution of computational devices which allow information transfer amongst EVOLUTION OF THE INTERNET people and embedded systems in the The inception of the internet may be traced built environment, for instance, clothing, to October 29th, 1969 when Dr. Leonard G6(3)Review-Kears-Fozard-v3.indd135 135 10-7-2007 18:18:07 High-speed networking Kleinrock, then an Associate Professor of specific applications and modifying soft- Engineering at the University of California ware by hand to meet the specific needs at Los Angeles, created the first networked of their research. computer connection between a computer in his laboratory and a computer at In 1991, the privatization of the internet the Stanford Research Institute (SRI)1. The allowed citizens direct access to the net- experiment, consisting of two computers work and they began to communicate was technically a failure, resulting in the with others across great distances. How- SRI machine crashing before the login step ever, in 1993 a world-shaking event hap- was completed. Undaunted, these scien- pened with the release of the first graphical tists redoubled their efforts and eventu- web browser, ‘Mosaic’ from the National ally succeeded in creating the first local Center for Supercomputer Applications2 and then wide area networks (LANs and and CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Re- WANs). Continued funding by the US De- cherche Nucléaire: the European Organi- partment of Defense’s Defense Advanced zation for Nuclear Research). Mosaic inte- Projects Administration (DARPA) created grated difficult to use technologies, such ARPANET, which was heavily used dur- as ‘Telnet (an openly accessible public ing the Cold War period for atomic en- packet data service that allows a compu- July 2007, Vol 6, ergyNo 3 research among DOD sponsored ter operator at a terminal or PC to log onto research centers at universities, giving rise a remote computer and run a program)’, to NSFNET (the National Science Founda- and ‘FTP’ (File Transfer Protocol), and an tion Network), a peacetime application increasing array of other tools, in a simple 136 of computer networking to scientific re- interface that enabled even the most un- search and applications. sophisticated user to surf the internet with comparative ease. The coincident privati- ICT (information and communications zation of the internet meant anyone could technology) is an umbrella term that in- create a World Wide Web site capable cludes any communication device or ap- of providing services to visitors, leading plication encompassing radio, television, to a proliferation of sites now numbering cellular phones, computer and network in the millions. Local connection speeds, hardware and software, satellite systems however, were slow, averaging only a few and so on, as well as the various services hundred bits per second (baud). Coinci- and applications associated with them, dent with website proliferation was the such as videoconferencing and distance proliferation of headaches in the forms of learning. This civilian use of ICT is widely viruses, worms, Trojan horses, phishing accepted as the point in time where the scams, identity fraud, and other problems internet was created, because scientific characteristic of illicit communication ac- research was already being facilitated by tivities in general. international computer networks span- www.gerontechjournal.netning the globe; indeed, e-mail began to Mosaic’s creators retired from academe be regularly transmitted among scientists and started Netscape, Inc. Home net- in 1972. The general public was denied work speeds increased from 300 baud access to this costly network and appro- to 54.000 baud over telephone modems, priate use policies were strict. The scientif- and 750.000 baud access over digital sub- ic applications running on these networks scriber lines (DSL), and 10.000.000 baud were often complex, custom written pro- over cable modems to the home. These grams, which took significant time and ef- technologies are currently being supplant- fort to learn and use. Software develop- ed by 30 Mbit/sec fiber optic network ment was more of a cottage industry with service to the home. With each major in- programmers laboriously writing code for crement in speed, new classes of applica- G6(3)Review-Kears-Fozard-v3.indd136 136 10-7-2007 18:18:08 High-speed networking tions have become available. High defini- example, Internet2’s ‘Abilene’5 network tion digital video is the ‘gold standard’ du forbade corporate use except for non- jour but will likely be short-lived as newer commercial research purposes with a technologies are brought to market. university affiliate. Abilene’s replacement, ‘NewNet’6, will replace Abilene in Sep- HIGH SPeeD COMPUTER NETWORK DEVELOPMENT tember 2007, and will allow participants Universities were crucial to the creation to use it commercially; meaning universi- of the internet. Stanford’s pioneering work ties will gain a financial incentive to cre- enabled the creation of DARPANET, NS- ate applications and may invite corporate FNET, and the internet. Universities have participation. This policy change is antici- continued to be major driving forces in pated to stimulate Internet2 development internet development since the internet’s and encourage other networks to adopt privatization. In 1996, 34 American uni- similar policies favorable towards free versities joined together to create the enterprise. University Corporation

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