Cognitive Computing: 5 Future Technology Innovations from IBM
In about five years, you may be able to feel the touch of a fabric or tastes your soup through your smartphone screen before buying it online.
That will change in the next five years, says IBM. Computers at that time will be much more aware of the world around them, and be able to understand it. The company’s annual “5 in 5” list, in which IBM predicts the five trends in computing that will arrive in five years’ time, reads exactly like a list of the five human senses — predicting computers with sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.
Touch: You will be able to reach out and touch through your phone
Sight: A pixel will be worth a thousand words
Hearing: Computers will hear what matters
Taste: Digital taste buds will help you to eat healthier
Smell: Computers will have a sense of smell
IBM said its scientists are developing applications for the retail, healthcare and other sectors using haptic, infrared and pressure sensitive technologies to simulate touch, such as the texture and weave of a fabric.
Using the vibration capabilities of the phone, every object will have a unique set of vibration patterns that represents the touch experience, helping differentiate silk from linen or cotton, it said.
“At IBM, we are continuously working towards advancing computing in a variety of fields. We have already witnessed the benefits of cognitive systems for advancing numerous aspects of the human experience – from agriculture and healthcare to utility management and weather forecasting. We envision a day when computers make sense of the world around them just like human brain relies on interacting with the world using multiple senses,” said Ramesh Gopinath, Director – India Research Lab and Chief Technology Officer, IBM India and South Asia.
Another innovation is built around sound. A distributed system of clever sensors will detect elements of sound like sound pressure, vibrations and sound waves at different frequencies. These inputs can then be interpreted to predict, for example when trees will fall in a forest or when a landslide may occur.
“Such a system will ‘listen’ to our surroundings and measure movements, or the stress in a material, to warn us if danger lies ahead,” the company statement said.
Also, by learning about emotion and being able to sense mood will help improve customer call center interactions or allow seamless interacting between different cultures.
IBM said its researchers are also developing a computing system that actually experiences flavour, to be used with chefs to create the most tasty and novel recipes, it said.
During the next five years, tiny sensors embedded in computer or cell phone will be able to detect if one is coming down with a cold or other illness.
“By analyzing odors, bio markers and thousands of molecules in someone’s breath, doctors will have help diagnosing and monitoring the onset of ailments such as liver and kidney disorders and asthma by detecting which odors are normal and which are not,” it said.
Is IBM on to something with PCs that can taste, smell, touch, hear and see? How would you use the technology? Share your thoughts in the comments.