UCF Smart Mailbox: Reinforcing Communications in the Neighborhoods

Abstract

Commonplace objects are being redesigned with digital functionality. Near invisible networks of radio frequency identification tags (RFID) are being deployed on almost every type of consumer product, and the "Ambient intelligence" promises to form a global network of physical objects as ubiquitous as the worldwide web itself. This diverse global network, "the internet of things" (IoT), provides digital connectivity on top of existing infrastructure and items. Nascent "smart object" developments like the presented "UCF Smart Mailbox," not only reformulate our relationship with the objects themselves, but they can also support social relationships that contribute to the sustainability of the society. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.