The Promise of Spiking Neural Networks for Ubiquitous Computing: A Survey and New Perspectives

TL;DR

This paper surveys the potential of spiking neural networks (SNNs) for ubiquitous computing, highlighting their advantages, reviewing existing studies, tools, and hardware, and proposing future research directions for energy-efficient sensing.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive survey of SNN applications in ubiquitous computing, including models, training, software, hardware, and future challenges.

Findings

SNNs are promising for low-power, real-time sensor data processing.

Current tools and hardware vary in capabilities, affecting application choices.

Identified key challenges and future directions for SNN adoption in ubiquitous systems.

Abstract

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) have emerged as a class of bio -inspired networks that leverage sparse, event-driven signaling to achieve low-power computation while inherently modeling temporal dynamics. Such characteristics align closely with the demands of ubiquitous computing systems, which often operate on resource-constrained devices while continuously monitoring and processing time-series sensor data. Despite their unique and promising features, SNNs have received limited attention and remain underexplored (or at least, under-adopted) within the ubiquitous computing community. To address this gap, this paper first introduces the core components of SNNs, both in terms of models and training mechanisms. It then presents a systematic survey of 76 SNN-based studies focused on time-series data analysis, categorizing them into six key application domains. For each domain, we summarize relevant works and subsequent advancements, distill core insights, and highlight key takeaways for researchers and practitioners. To facilitate hands-on experimentation, we also provide a comprehensive review of current software frameworks and neuromorphic hardware platforms, detailing their capabilities and specifications, and then offering tailored recommendations for selecting development tools based on specific application needs. Finally, we identify prevailing challenges within each application domain and propose future research directions that need be explored in ubiquitous community. Our survey highlights the transformative potential of SNNs in enabling energy-efficient ubiquitous sensing across diverse application domains, while also serving as an essential introduction for researchers looking to enter this emerging field.