January 12, 2006

Purdue student finalist in contest that looks to future of wireless information and communication

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue College of Technology student is a finalist in a national competition that focuses on the future of information and wireless technology.

Andrew Davidson, a master's student from Crawfordsville, Ind., is one of 10 finalists in the national MOTOFWRD College Competition. His entry titled "Hey, That Would be Nice!" is a movie that explains the possibilities of emerging seamless mobility technology.

Seamless mobility refers to interconnection of all of a person's information and communication devices, allowing devices – from cell phones and laptop computers to automobiles and home heating systems – to automatically share information and accomplish tasks based on that information.

For example, with seamless mobility technology, a person could schedule a picnic on his PDA, the device could check the weather and tell him that rain is expected, and suggest movies to attend instead, said Davidson. Or, a car could recognize that it is getting close to the driver's home and send a signal that would open her garage door and turn on lights in her house.

"The possibilities are really limitless in terms of what can be accomplished," Davidson said. "All of the technology represented in my movie has been developed, and as the technologies become integrated, they will have a tremendous impact on people's lives."

Davidson's movie is available online. At the site, visitors also can see the other finalists' entries and vote for their favorite. The finalist with the most votes will receive a $2,500 scholarship and a selection of Motorola products.

Davidson said in addition to showing the potential positive impact of seamless mobility, he also wanted to address concerns some people have about the technological developments.

"As the technology becomes available, some people are going to be concerned because it will be so ubiquitous," Davidson said. "It will be important that people will have the ability to control when they are part of the networks and when they are not. In the video, I tried to address some of those concerns as well as the benefits the technology will provide."

The 10 finalists were chosen from more than 500 submissions representing more than 200 universities. The grand prizewinner will receive $10,000, a new car enabled with Bluetooth technology, a selection of Motorola seamless mobility products, and a summer apprenticeship at Motorola's Chief Technology Office.

Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu

Source: Andrew Davidson, (765) 430-2342, awdavids@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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