It seems like a paradox but it will soon become reality: The rate at which computers disappear will be matched by the rate at which information technology will increasingly permeate our environment and our lives [5]. Computers are increasingly becoming an important part of our day-to-day activities and determine many physical and social contexts of our life. The availability of computers is one step, soon to be followed by the integration of information, communication and sensing technology into everyday objects resulting in "smart artefacts".
I will present and critically comment the associated visions and resulting challenges for the design of future smart environments [6]. This is grounded in an approach that exploits the affordances of real objects augmenting their physical properties with the potential of computer-based enrichment. Combining the best of both worlds requires an integration of real and virtual worlds resulting in hybrid worlds [3]. In this approach, the computer "disappears" and is almost "invisible" but its functionality is ubiquitously available and provides new forms of interacting with information [2, 5]. I will also comment on related issues that cause a change from designing primarily interaction with information to designing experiences by being exposed to ambient displays and/or immersed in smart environments [4].
In order to demonstrate what is possible already today, I will present several examples of prototypical developments. One example is the so called Roomware