English: "Pervasive computing systems must be continuously aware of the environment, the people nearby and the activities in which they’re engaged. Because of the need for such systems to be “always on,” saving power whenever possible is crucial," said Dieter Fox, University of Washington associate professor of computer science and engineering.

See more: Will Internet of Things Demand Perpetual Power? Researchers working to harvest energy from ambient sources to power computer and sensor systems that run indefinitely.

In the future, computers will sense what we are doing, where we are going and the very context of lives. However, the promise of the so-called Internet of Things won't become reality without a new generation of pervasive computing systems that use "perpetual power" to keep running indefinitely.

Dieter Fox, University of Washington associate professor of computer science and engineering, and other researchers are now working to develop "perpetual power" techniques that harvest energy from ambient sources and could allow computer and sensor systems to run ad infinitum.