stem consists of a global web of personal handheld devices; stationary devices in offices, homes, and vehicles; and a dynamically configurable network. A related project seeks to design a new type of microchip that can be automatically reprogrammed for different tasks: this chip would power Oxygen devices. MIT's role in Project Oxygen is to unite engineers, software developers, and other global computer experts to create a pervasive computer environment. "We find ourselves in the junction of two interrelated challenges: Going after the best, most exciting forefront technology; and ensuring that it truly serves human needs," wrote Dertouzos in a mission paper, shortly before his death. Project Oxygen officially got underway in June 2000, when MIT formed a five-year, $50 million Project Oxygen Alliance with the Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and several leading technology companies. Hewlett-Packard, Japan's Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, Finland's Nokia, the Netherland's Philips, and Taiwan's Acer and Delta Electronics are all working on key parts of the project Oxygen infra- structure. The companies will contribute $30 million by 2005, with the rest of the budget coming from DARPA. Two MIT labs are sharing responsibility for Project Oxygen: the Lab for Computer Science and the Artificial Intelligence 2.6.2 Goals To succeed, Project Oxygen must meet four distinct goals, each a critical piece in the venture's overall structure. Once achieved, the goals will fulfill Project Oxygen's mission of bringing abundant and intuitive computation and com- munication tools to users. The first goal, and the one perhaps most important, is pervasive computing and communication. The Oxygen system must be everywhere, with every portal reaching into the same information base. No longer will technologies, service providers, or geopolitical borders segregate users. The project's next goal is to develop hardware and software tools that are embedded into users' daily lives. The researchers maintai