A testbed for evaluating human interaction with ubiquitous computing environments

Core to ubiquitous computing environments are adaptive software systems that adapt their behavior to the context in which the user is attempting the task the system aims to support. This context is strongly linked with the physical environment in which the task is being performed. The efficacy of such adaptive systems is thus highly dependent on the human perception of the provided system behavior within the context represented by that particular physical environment and social situation. However, effective evaluation of human interaction with adaptive ubiquitous computing technologies has been hindered by the cost and logistics of accurately controlling such environmental context. This paper describes TATUS, a ubiquitous computing simulator aimed at overcoming these cost and logistical issues. Based on a 3D games engine, the simulator has been designed to maximize usability and flexibility in the experimentation of adaptive ubiquitous computing systems. We also describe how this simulator is interfaced with a testbed for wireless communication domain simulation.