Mobile Computing & Communications (CSE 40814)

Course Overview

Mobile devices have become ubiquitous due to the increased Internet accessibility, rapid growth in computing power, increased energy-efficiency of computing devices, advances in human-computer interfaces, and low cost of hardware. Further, devices that used to provide very specific (and limited) services have become general-purpose computing devices that can now be programmed by anyone (e.g., the transition from traditional phones to smartphones and tablets). This course discusses fundamental concepts behind mobile computing and wireless communication systems, including topics such as mobile and wearable technologies, mobile operating systems and software, geolocation, mobile security, cloud integration, mobile sensing and crowdsensing, wireless network technologies (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RFID), resource management on mobile devices, etc. The course will also discuss application areas of mobile computing such as found in healthcare, Internet-of-Things, smart cities and transportation, etc.

The course will offer significant hands-on experience, i.e., students will have the opportunity to explore various features of mobile devices such as geotracking, sensing, social networking, and multimedia as part of a semester-long development project. While first focusing on some fundamental mobile development concepts and mobile app features, students can then propose their own project ideas or select one of several topics provided by the instructor. Appropriate projects for this course include smartphone/tablet solutions for various applications (healthcare, security, entertainment, education, multimedia, etc.), wearable solutions (Google Glass, smart watches, etc.), embedded computing systems (sensor networks, in-vehicle computing, robotics), and many other topics. Resources available for project development include smartphones, tablets, Google Glass, smart watches, embedded development boards (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Intel Galileo), robots, UAVs, sensors, etc.

The course will combine lectures, projects, student presentations, and in-class exercises. For some lectures, students are expected to read lecture materials beforehand, to provide written answers to questions, or to develop code that will be then discussed in class.

Note that class lectures will be recorded automatically and made available via Sakai.