Japppan’s Perspective on IoT and Ubiquitous Computing International Experience Session. The Internet of Things Europe 2010 Ken Sakamura Professor, the University of Tokyo Director/CEO of YRP Ubiquitous Networking Laboratory Chair, TT--EngineEngine Forum, and uID Center TRON Project (since 1984) ■“…most machines in our surrounding environment including pieces of furniture will use computers. It is conceivable that 100 computers for a man will exist.” … ● Ken Sakamura: “The Objectives of the TRON Project”, in TRON Project 1987, Springer-Verlag, 1987, pp. 3-16. 2 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 1 Year 2000: IoT or Ubiquitous Computing ■A sudden surge of interest in IoT, or Ubiquitous Computing around the year 2000 in Japan. ■Why? ● New generation of very small passive RFID tags. ━Internet had become popular. ━Small, powerful embedded computer systems used in mobile phones, sensors, etc.. ● The expectation of new application area using new devices. 3 New Generation of Passive RFID Chips ■ RFID technology has been around for a long time. ● But they had been large hardware. ━ Card-like shape. ━ Bulky tag like UHF tag. ■ Hitachi‘s mu-chip tag (2.45 GHz) changed the perception. ━ Small (0 .4mm ×04mm0.4mm) ━ Inexpensive (now 10-20 cents / unit). ■ People began to think really seriously about putting these tag chips to objects like individual goods finally. 4 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 2 How to Use the New RFID Chips? ■Very s mall amou nt o f me mo ry. A doze n bytes or so at most. ■The concept of “uID Architecture” using Ubiquitous Communicator. ● Store only the short identifier inside the tag chip. ● The information associated with the ID is stored on remote servers on the network, and is fetched by applications when they need it. 5 ■Is such approach tenable? ● Supporting Technology ━The network : The Internet had become popular. ━The mobile user device: powerful mobile phones had become popular in Japan. We can embed R/W is such a device. 6 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 3 The Vision of Ubiquitous Communicator Terminal ■“UC” for short ■A mobile communication terminal with reader/writer device of RFID tag and networking capability. 7 uID architecture as General Framework for Many Applications ■Everyyybody circa the y ear 2000 claimed that RID tag chips were too expensive. ■In order to lower the cost, we needed an application architecture that is ● as general as possible ● TbTo be use did in many appli litications. ■This also led to the development of uID architecture as a simple and general architecture applicable to many applications. 8 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 4 uID Architecture uID Architecture: Principle of Operations 10 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 5 Features of uID Architecture ■ A Computer Application Framework ■ Major features ● Tag-agnostics : any tags can be used (including barcode, passive RFID tags, etc.) ● Tags carry only an identifier, ucode, a simple number. ● Objects and places are marked with tags for identification. ● Information about objects and places are stored in remote servers, and are fetched from remote servers after “Resolution”. ● Simple ■ A bridge between the real world (tagged objects and places) and the virtual world (information about the objects and locations). 11 Some Merits of uID Architecture ■ucode, the identifier is 128 bits (only 16 octets). IitbdtthiInexpensive tags can be used store this identifier. ■uID architecture doesn’t impose any meaning to the bit fields of ucode. ucode is a plain number without any meaning. (Non-semantic code) ■It is easy to embed existing legacy product code systems within ucode since there is no a priori meaning to the bit-fields, and 128bits are wide enough. 12 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 6 Ubiquitous Networking: One Assumption behind uID Architecture ■The use of network is mandatory for the resolution process in uID architecture. ■Comment ● In 2010, network access is ubiquitous. 3G, WiFi, Wi-Max, and other broadband network technology. ● Not storing information inside tags, and storing it in the information server has an advantage: less powerful tags can be used, and network security practice to control access to information can be employed. 13 Open Architecture ■uID Architecture is “Open” ● Technical specifications will be made freely available to the public. ● Technology for social infrastructure should be under the control of the masses. ● It should not be under the control of single or a few parties. ■Thus the “Open Architecture” 14 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 7 YRP UNL an d its R&D Agenda Back to the history from 2000 15 Establishing YRP UNL to Codify Well- understood Application Practices ■People began asking then how and for what the uID architecture can be used ■YRP Ubiquitous Networking Laboratory (UNL for short). ■I serve as the director/CEO since its inception in FY 2001. ■A laboratory for R&D on Ubiquitous Computing (IoT in other words) with researchers from both industry and academia. 16 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 8 UNL’s Goals: New Applications ■We set out to codify how uID architecture can be applied to various application issues. ■We eventually found two important classes of applications of uID architecture . ● Applications for Objects ● Applications for Places 17 Application for Objects ■Ttthdt“Objt”Tags are attached to “Objects”. ● Traceability (Food, Medical Drug, etc.) ● Maintenance ● Inventory Control ■Observ ation: ● In Japan, SCM is shadowed by maintenance and inventory control (in warehouses, and such) in terms of interest shown. 18 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 9 Food Traceability Systems ■ Food packaged are marked for identifi cat ion by tags, barcodes, etc. ■ People with suitable terminal can identify the packages and learn ● When the package was made, ● By whom , ● Where, and ● And other info such as before which date the package should be consumed. ■ Application of tags on objects 19 Examples of Application for Objects 20 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 10 Application for Places ■There a re ma ny feas ib ility study experiments conducted all over Japan. ■We assign ucode to places, and embed ucode tags (passive and active RFID tags, infrared markers,,)p etc.) in places. ■Users obtain location-based (i.e., location- specific) information such as route guidance, public facility help, etc. 21 uID-based IoT Applications in Japan Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 11 Privacy and Security ■Alreadyyjp a major topic ● CASPIAN formed in 1999. ■Major issues had been already identified and discussed by the time UNL was established. ■We set out to evaluate various issues in the real-world feasibility experiments. ● Also, looked for oversights or unexpected issues in uID architecture framework. 23 ■Public (or government) ilinvolvemen ttt to identification issues of individuals is mandatory. ■When identification of individuals are beneficial ((punder a watchful public scrutiny!). ● Accident victims who can’t speak for themselves. ● Disaster refugees in the case of earthquakes. Disaster Relief 24 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 12 Wide Deployment in Japan ■Many deployment examples based on uID architecture. ■These are led by ● Private Industry ● Government (regional and national) ● Our Laboratory (YRP UNL) itself. 25 Concluding Remarks (1) ■Why we designed uID architecture. ● To use low-cost tags with limited amount of memory. ━Optical barcode (such as two-D code can be used.) ■The basic principle of uID architecture ● Network Access Control ━Security and Privacy: With uID architecture, the network security practice is applicable to the protection of data related to objects and places. 26 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 13 Concluding Remarks (2) ■Application of uID architecture in Japan. ● Many feasibility study experiments which paved the way for useful future services in Japan. ● Many government offices (local and national) and commercial entities are interested in using the uID architecture in the future in Japan. ■What about the use of uID architecture in fooegreign cou coutntries? ● What is the governance of uID architecture? ● “Who issues ucodes?” ● “Do we have to get in contact with Japan's uID center each time we need ucodes?” ● Please don’t worry because … 27 Governance of uID Architecture ■Distributed Governance ● Such an arrangement is necessary and a minimum requirement to satisfy international user needs. ■Our policy: set up regional uID centers and let them handle local issue of ucodes. ● Large ucode subspaces is handed over to these regional uID centers to manage the issuance for the users nearby. ● Issuance to each regional customer doesn't have to be reported back to Japan's uID center. ■We hope to see a uID center in EU region which services users nearby. 28 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 14 Development Outside Japan ■ CASAGRAS-2 (EU FP7) ● YRP UNL is a member and plans to contribute to resolution concept and design. ■ uID Center / Taipei ■ T-Engine Forum China ● a nickname of a government office ● Supported by ━ Institute of Computing Technology (ICT) of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) ━ China Household Electric Appliance Research Institute (CHEARI) ■ Other activies in other places, too. ■ You are welcome to join the activities! 29 Than k you. http://www.t-engine.org http://www.uidcenter.org 30 Copyright © 2010 by Ken Sakamura 15.