Next-Generation Mobile Computing

This issue of IEEE Software discusses where the mobile computing has brought us today and where it could be taking us in the future. It provides a glimpse into the near future of mobile computing by focusing on proximate software challenges coupled with promising techniques, infrastructure, and research from academia, government, and industry. The first Web extra at http://youtu.be/iLnNHwp-H8E is a video demonstration of the Group Autonomy for Mobile Systems (GAMS) project, which is an extension of a research project called Self-governing Mobile Adhocs with Sensors and Handhelds (SMASH) that investigated human-in-the-loop autonomy at Carnegie Mellon University. The project created Android interfaces to a drone swarm that tried to autonomously search for survivors in a disaster scenario using the Parrot AR.Drone and custom GPS and thermal sensors. The second Web extra at http://youtu.be/lW1dqsrdRHU is a video demonstration of HD4AR mobile augmented reality technology that was commercialized through PAR Works. The third Web extra at http://youtu.be/M4w5oPqrMRo is an audio interview in which James Edmondson talks with Suzanne Miller about autonomous systems, specifically as they relate to robotic systems. In particular, Edmondson\´s research focuses on partial autonomy with an aim of complementing human users and extending their reach and capabilities in mission-critical environments. From the SEI Podcast Series "Conversations in Software Engineering."