All the world's a computer

Ken Sakamura has been talking pervasive computing since before the term was invented. The University of Tokyo professor, easily the most famous computer architect in Japan, first proposed the idea of networked, ubiquitous computing back in 1984, when he devised the open architecture known as TRON (The Real-time Operating System Nucleus). Since then, Sakamura has led the TRON project and several spin-offs in developing core technologies for an environment in which every object incorporates a computer and is linked to a network. The T-Engine Forum, for example, was established in 2002 to promote embedded development around TRON. A year later came the Ubiquitous ID Center, which aims to promulgate RFID technology around Sakamura's "ucode." Designed as the infrastructure for ubiquitous computing, ucode can tag anything from a can of peas on a supermarket shelf to the Empire State Building with its own unique code.

When he met recently with EE Times, Sakamura showed off his latest invention — the Micro Ubiquitous Communicator, a personal identification device the size of a matchbox that works as a door key, electronic money and PC authentication.

EE Times: What led you to develop TRON in the 1980s?

Ken Sakamura: At that time, the United States was advanced in information systems, such as PCs and workstations, and Japan's forte was consumer electronics. So I was interested in embedded computing for consumer products. I was quite sure that in the future, software would define all the functions of consumer electronics products. I thought it was mandatory to prepare an operating system that would enable the development of high-performance software with high efficiency.

Since the operating system would be the infrastructure for embedded systems, it should be open, so that people could share it. It is not good for something that works as an infrastructure to belong to someone. Based on this conviction, I've been working on building an open platform for embedded systems for about 20 years.