Magazine - IEEE Pervasive Computing
IEEE Pervasive Computing explores the intersection of the digital and physical worlds—where computation, communication, and sensing technologies merge seamlessly into our everyday environments. The magazine provides a forum for the global community of researchers, practitioners, and educators who design, build, and deploy technologies that bring intelligence and interactivity into the physical world.Our mission is to advance understanding of how computing pervades physical spaces, objects, and experiences, and how data and machine intelligence derived from these environments can enhance human life, social systems, and industrial processes. The magazine publishes rigorously peer-reviewed articles that translate fundamental research into real-world impact—bridging theory, engineering, and application.Scope and TopicsWe invite original research articles and comprehensive survey papers that advance the state of the art in pervasive and ubiquitous computing, data-driven intelligence, and human-centred systems. Contributions must clearly demonstrate a core connection to computing in the physical world and may span (but are not limited to) the following five pillars of focus:Hardware Embedded and wearable sensing platforms Energy-efficient and miniaturised computing architectures Novel materials and fabrication for pervasive devices Edge computing and hardware-AI integration Software Software infrastructures and middleware for distributed and context-aware systems Scalable cloud-edge orchestration and federated intelligence Pervasive operating systems, runtime optimisation, and cross-device coordination Physical Interaction Real-world sensing, perception, and context modelling Human–environment interfaces and embodied interaction Spatial computing, augmented and mixed reality Multimodal interaction across vision, sound, and touch The Human Experience Human–computer interaction (HCI) and user experience (UX) in everyday contexts Behavioural modelling, cognition-aware systems, and wellbeing technologies Trust, ethics, privacy, and societal implications of pervasive intelligence Systems and Intelligence Distributed and mobile systems for pervasive environments Data science and on-device machine learning for contextual intelligence Adaptive, self-learning, and self-healing systems Integration of sensing, data, and AI for real-time decision-making and prediction Types of ContributionsRegular Research Articles — Present original…
Magazine - IEEE Pervasive Computing
Important Dates Title and abstracts due: Jan 25, 2026 (email to pvc4-2026@computer.org) Full Manuscripts due: Feb 1, 2026 (via submission site) Publication: Oct-Dec 2026 Call for Papers Mission-critical systems—those whose failure could result in loss of life, significant property damage, or catastrophic disruption—are foundational to modern society. These include domains such as healthcare, emergency response, industrial automation, aerospace, defense, and critical infrastructure. The reliability, responsiveness, and resilience of such systems are paramount, and their evolution increasingly depends on intelligent sensing, real-time decision-making, and context-aware operation. Pervasive computing, with its emphasis on embedded intelligence, contextual responsiveness, and seamless integration with physical environments, offers compelling opportunities to strengthen the capabilities and robustness of mission-critical systems. Through distributed sensing, edge computing, secure communication, and adaptive interfaces, pervasive systems can support continuous monitoring, predictive maintenance, situational awareness, and rapid human-machine collaboration under high-stakes conditions. At the same time, introducing pervasive computing into mission-critical environments raises new challenges in system dependability, real-time performance, safety certification, and trust. The integration of these technologies must contend with constraints such as latency, security, fault tolerance, and operational autonomy—often under extreme environmental or regulatory conditions. This special issue invites contributions that examine the intersection of pervasive computing and mission-critical systems—including both technical innovations and critical evaluations. We seek work that explores how pervasive approaches can enhance the performance, resilience, and safety of mission-critical operations, while also confronting the unique constraints they impose. We invite original and high-quality submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following topics: Sensing and Context-Awareness for Safety-Critical Scenarios: Real-time monitoring and inference in high-risk domains such as emergency medicine, battlefield environments, aviation, or nuclear facilities. Edge Intelligence and Real-Time Decision Making: Deployment of on-device or local AI in latency-sensitive and bandwidth-constrained mission-critical contexts. Redundancy, Fault Tolerance, and Fail-Safe Design: Pervasive system architectures that ensure continuous…
Submissions Due: 1 Feb 2026
Magazine - IEEE Pervasive Computing
Important Dates Title and abstracts due: August 25, 2025 (email to pvc2-2026@computer.org) Full Manuscripts due: October 1, 2025 (via submission site) Publication: Apr-Jun 2026 Call for Papers The convergence of pervasive computing and foundation models—spanning large language models, multimodal architectures, and AI agents—represents a paradigm shift in intelligent systems design. As foundation models evolve from text processors to sophisticated reasoning engines capable of planning, tool use, and multi-step problem solving, their integration with pervasive computing creates new possibilities for ambient intelligence that can perceive, reason, and act autonomously in everyday environments. Recent advances in model optimization and specialized architectures have made it feasible to deploy capable foundation models on edge devices and resource-constrained systems. Simultaneously, the emergence of AI agents introduces new interaction paradigms where systems maintain long-term memory, coordinate across modalities, and adapt behavior based on environmental context. However, this convergence also challenges fundamental assumptions about evaluation, safety, and human oversight, as traditional metrics prove inadequate for assessing emergent behavior and goal alignment in open-world deployments. This special issue seeks contributions advancing our understanding of foundation models and AI agents in pervasive computing, with attention to the unique challenges of ambient, always-on deployments where probabilistic behaviors and emergent capabilities reshape human-computer interaction. We invite original submissions addressing—but not limited to—the following topics: Edge Deployment and Optimization: Architectures, quantization techniques, and specialized foundation models for resource-constrained pervasive systems; dynamic model selection and energy-efficient inference strategies like test-time compute and scaling. AI Agents in Ambient Environments: Design patterns for embodied agents in smart environments; multi-agent coordination; tool use and API integration; long-term memory and persistent reasoning. Multimodal Foundation Models: Cross-modal reasoning architectures for vision, audio, haptics, and sensor data; real-time multimodal processing pipelines; context-aware model adaptation; methods for scalable data curation and mixing for pre-training. Evaluation Beyond Traditional Metrics: Frameworks for…
Submissions Due: 1 October 2025
Magazine - IEEE Pervasive Computing
Important Dates Title and abstracts due: October 25, 2025 (email to pvc3-2026@computer.org) Full Manuscripts due: November 1, 2025 (via submission site) Publication: July-Sep 2026 Call for Papers The intensifying global climate crisis presents one of the most urgent and complex challenges of our time, demanding coordinated action across scientific, technological, and policy domains. In this context, pervasive computing—with its ability to embed intelligent systems seamlessly into physical, social, and ecological environments—holds unique potential to support mitigation, adaptation, and resilience strategies at scale. From distributed sensing and intelligent infrastructure to real-time behavioral feedback and edge analytics, pervasive systems are increasingly positioned to shape environmental decision-making and foster sustainable practices across diverse sectors. Recent advances in mobile, wearable, embedded, and ambient computing platforms have created unprecedented opportunities for scalable, in situ climate data collection, energy-aware system operation, low-power AI, and citizen engagement. At the same time, these advances raise pressing questions about environmental cost, sustainability-by-design, and the carbon footprint of pervasive technologies themselves. As the discipline evolves, it must critically examine its own role—not only in measuring and modeling the effects of climate change, but also in actively shaping socio-technical systems that support environmental responsibility. This special issue invites contributions that explore the intersection of pervasive computing and climate challenges, including both applied innovations and reflective critiques. We seek work that addresses the design, deployment, and evaluation of pervasive systems in climate-relevant contexts, as well as studies that analyze the environmental implications of pervasive technology itself. We invite original and high-quality submissions on topics including, but not limited to: Environmental Sensing and Monitoring: Pervasive systems for air, water, soil, biodiversity, and climate data collection, especially in under-instrumented or remote areas. Sustainable Urban and Infrastructure Systems: Use of pervasive computing in smart cities, transportation, and energy systems to optimize resource use and reduce…
Submissions Due: 1 November 2025
Magazine - IEEE Pervasive Computing
Important Dates Title and Abstracts Due: 18 December 2024 (to pvc4-2025@computer.org) Full Manuscripts Due: 15 January 2025 (via submission site) Publication date: Oct-Dec 2025 Fifteen years ago, IEEE Pervasive Computing published a groundbreaking special issue on “Cross-Reality Environments.” This concept, a fusion of ubiquitous sensor/actuator networks and immersive virtual worlds, envisioned a seamless electronic “nervous system” that connects physical and virtual realities. Since then, we have witnessed exponential growth in pervasive computing technologies, virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR), and the generalization of the digital twin concept from devices to humans and further to virtual worlds. The recent advances break ground for a New Cross Reality that enhances human perception and interaction across real and virtual spaces. The New Cross Reality considers a unified space, where VR/AR/MR technologies act as the key connectors of sensor data, artificial intelligence, and physical experiences. Despite significant progress, key challenges remain in creating integrated systems that offer seamless interaction and rich user experiences. Similarly, realistic digital twin representations from individual human functions to detailed worlds and their application are open scientific problems with groundbreaking potential. This special issue seeks to revisit and expand upon the original vision, exploring recent developments, current research, and future directions in cross-reality systems. Relevant topics of this special issue include but are not limited to the following: Spatial computing and its role in cross-reality systems Integration of machine learning, AI, and LLM in cross-reality applications Integration of digital twins and virtual worlds with pervasive computing Middleware, frameworks, and system support for cross-reality applications Interaction design for immersive cross-reality applications Case studies and applications of cross-reality in various domains (e.g., healthcare, education, entertainment) Development and deployment of cross-reality environments User experience and usability studies in cross-reality environments Hardware and software innovation for cross-reality implementation Social computing within cross-reality environments Privacy,…
Submissions Due: 15 January 2025
Magazine - IEEE Pervasive Computing
Title and Abstracts Due: 17 June 2024 (to pvc2-2025@computer.org) Full Manuscripts Due: 1 July 2024 (via submission site) Publication Date: April/June 2025 Digital technology holds great promise in making education adaptive, personalized, customizable, and ubiquitously available. To enable it, a new set of technologies based on Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, and Natural Language Processing, and new infrastructure platforms, such as satellite-based Internet, virtual and augmented reality, and blockchain, are being created, tested, and deployed enabling a new generation of pervasive applications and systems in education. This special issue of IEEE Pervasive Computing provides a forum for papers investigating those new technologies, interaction modalities, and platforms that enhance and extend human and societal possibilities and experiences in various educational contexts and scenarios. We invite original and high-quality submissions addressing: Theoretical and methodological papers focused on the use of pervasive technologies in education, including high-quality, comprehensive surveys; Explorations of novel uses of pervasive technologies in education; Evolutions and improvements in pervasive technologies used in educational contexts; Applications of AI technologies, including Large Language Models, Image Generators, and similar techniques, in pervasive education applications and scenarios; Technologies and experiences of the use of new delivery platforms such as satellite Internet, blockchain, and VR/AR in all kinds of educational scenarios; Testing and evaluation of students and teachers using pervasive technologies; Experiences, use cases, and studies about pervasive technologies in education during the COVID-19 pandemic and similar crisis scenarios; Research and work that explores fairness and inclusive aspects of the use of pervasive technologies in education, including vulnerable communities, minorities, and people with accessibility constraints. Submission Guidelines Submissions tackling any aspect of this field are welcomed with a clear and essential connection to pervasive computing. Review or summary articles—for example, critical evaluations of the state of the art, or an insightful analysis of established and…
Submissions Due: 1 July 2024
Magazine - IEEE Pervasive Computing
IEEE Pervasive Computing is launching a new "Research Brief" format to provide an accessible avenue for highlighting important results and perspectives based on new and published work. IEEE Pervasive Computing welcomes submissions that cover the role of computing in the physical world— as characterized by visions such as the Internet of Things and ubiquitous computing. Topics of interest include hardware design, sensor networks, mobile systems, human–computer interaction, industrial design, machine learning, and data science, as well as societal issues, including privacy and ethics. The objectives of this track are to: Create an approachable format to summarize key contributions and takeaways from full research papers, especially for early career researchers and newcomers to the field. Accelerate the dissemination of impactful ideas and diverse viewpoints by enabling concise reflections on existing publications. Inspire science communication through ultra-compact papers. As shown by the 2-page paper that introduced the DNA in 1953, ground-breaking concepts can be conveyed in a few pages. Submission Guidelines Papers should be 1000 words maximum, including 1 display item (figure/table) and up to 3 references. Submissions should reflect on a recent or original paper and highlight key results, limitations, or future directions. Position/perspective papers on significant matters are also welcome. Research Brief papers will be evaluated on clarity, correctness, significance, and relevance to the journal topics. All submissions will be peer-reviewed following standard magazine practices. We welcome Research Brief submissions on any topic relevant to pervasive computing on the following categories: Highlighting a significant result in an academic or industrial setting. Critiquing a published study. Summarizing important findings from a previous paper. A call to action or new perspective on a significant issue. Please submit your 1,000-word Research Brief here. Accepted Research Briefs will be published in the next quarterly issue of IEEE Pervasive Computing. All Research Brief papers will…
Magazine - IEEE Pervasive Computing
Important Dates Title and Abstracts Due: 17 September 2024 (to pvc3-2025@computer.org) Full Manuscripts Due: 18 October 2024 (via submission site) Publication date: Jul-Sep 2025 Biosensors measure biological elements. Biosensing refers to the use of analytical devices capable of converting a biological response into a measurable signal, often an electrical one, to measure complex biological phenomena. Biosensing has the potential to play a pivotal role in healthcare technologies, by providing superior diagnostic methods as well as more advanced monitoring and therapeutic techniques. Apart from medical diagnostics, biosensing also has wide applications in environmental monitoring, food safety and industrial process control. There are a wide range of biosensing technologies, including optical, electrochemical, and immunological in a variety of contraptions such as bandaids, contact lenses, and wearables. This special issue invites original research on topics related to biosensing technologies and related areas such as novel designs and ways of sensing, intelligent sensing and communication approaches, as well as innovative analysis methods such as signal processing, and deep learning approaches. Relevant topics of this special issue include but are not limited to the following: Biosensors and Biosensing platforms Biomedical sensors and novel ways of sensing Implantable devices Transformative biomedical sensors Bioelectronics Advanced biosensing technologies with artificial intelligence integration Novel biosensing applications in areas such as agri-tech, health, security, and food safety Understanding signal interactions and measurement in biosensing applications Bridging the gap between research and practice in biosensing technologies Economic and social impact of biosensing technologies Submission Guidelines Submissions tackling any aspect of this field are welcomed, as long as the connection to pervasive computing is clear and central to the paper. Review or summary articles—for example, critical evaluations of the state of the art, or an insightful analysis of established and upcoming technologies—may be accepted if they demonstrate academic rigor and relevance. Articles…
Submissions Due: 18 October 2024
