USB

(abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus) is a serial interface from the PC sector.
USB was developed by a group of computer and telecommunications companies and introduced in version 1.0 in 1995. The advantages of USB technology are as follows:

Peripheral devices can be plugged and unplugged while the computer is running (“hot-plug”; and “hot-unplug”;).
Five volts of supply voltage are available on the bus (“bus power”). Many USB devices therefore do not require a separate power supply. You only have one cable, the USB cable.

Properties of USB 2.0:

max. 480 MBit/s (high-speed mode) for large data volumes, e.g. for video, HD and CD
Integrated power supply up to 500 mA per port
USB hubs and corresponding cascading allow up to 127 devices to be connected.
Protocols for error detection and error handling
Maximum cable length of five meters (repeaters can be used to bridge up to 25 meters).

Source: logipedia / Fraunhofer IML