Book excerpt: This is volume 73 of Advances in Computers. This series, which began publication in 1960, is the oldest continuously published anthology that chronicles the ever- changing information technology field. In these volumes we publish from 5 to 7 chapters, three times per year, that cover the latest changes to the design, development, use and implications of computer technology on society today. In this current volume, subtitled "Emerging Technologies, we discuss several new advances in computer software generation as well as describe new applications of those computers.The first chapter gives an overview of various software development technologies that have been applied during the past 40 years with the goal of improving the software development process. This includes various methods such as structured development methods, reviews, object-oriented methods and rapid development technologies. Chapter 2 explores implications of UML as an emerging design notation for software.Chapter 3 looks at the emerging concept of pervasive computing and its impact on resource management and security. The authors discuss how the goal of transparency of computers affects efficiency of the system as well as security concerns.Chapter 4 discusses RFID, or radio frequency identification. This is the technology that cheaply tags products with unique identifiers that only need to pass near a reading device rather than specifically being read by a scanner. With this technology, products can be traced through the supply chain from manufacture to use easily.In the final chapter, the authors discuss the use of robot technology in medicine, specifically computer-integrated interventional medicine (CIIM) in which robotic control takes over some or all of the aspects of surgery.