In this paper, we present an integrated system concept for the living assistance domain based on ambient intelligence technology and discuss the resulting challenges for the software engineering discipline. Automated living assistance systems represent a promising approach for the prolongation of an independent and self-conducted life of handicapped and elderly people thereby, enhancing their quality of life and minimizing the need for manual social/medical care. It is demonstrated that living assistance systems must realize flexibility and adaptability at the algorithmic, architectural and human interface level to an extent unknown in present systems. The construction of robust, trustworthy living assistance systems is an extremely challenging task and requires novel approaches for dependable self-adapting software architectures, resource efficiency, and self-adapting multi-modal human-computer interfaces. The resulting consequences and challenges for the discipline of software engineering are outlined in this paper.

This paper gives an overview of the INCAS (INCremental Architecture for distributed Systems) multicomputer project, which aims at the development of a comprehensive methodology for the design and implementation of locally distributed systems. A structuring concept for distributed operating systems has been developed and integrated into the system implementation language LADY. The concurrent high-level programming language CSSA, based on the actor model, has been designed for the implementation of distributed applications. A substantial effort in the INCAS project is directed towards the development of a distributed test methodology. An experimental system has been implemented on a network of ten MC68000 microcomputers. Preliminary experience with the methodology has been gained from a small number of prototype applications.

Abstract The formulation of concurrency and synchronization has been recognized as a matter of growing importance in system programming languages in order to achieve well‐structured, reliable and easy to understand system software such as operating systems. Unfortunately, only experimental languages, such as Concurrent Pascal or MODULA, contain adequate linguistic constructs for support of such concepts as processes and monitors. The compilers for those languages are available only on a few machines and are devoted primarily to education. In this paper a simple method of extending a PL/I‐like programming language by concurrency features is described which is based on the usage of an existing compiler. The method has proven to be a cost effective way of adopting recent research results in existing software engineering tools, thus avoiding the need of switching over to a completely new programming environment.