Imagine a world in which computers were not simply programmed to process data, but could develop cognitive capacities, including the ability to sense things -- or something very analogous to it, anyway.
That's right, I'm talking about the five human senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. A computer that was highly intelligent, with machine learning capabilities, but could also interact with the sensory environment: That would be a trip beyond Watson, right?
That's just what IBM's "5 in 5" (five innovations that will change our world in five years) is predicting.
We're talking about precisely these possibilities in our new Web Wise World tutorial, in which Paul Bloom, IBM's CTO for Telcom Research, takes you on a journey through each of the five senses, showing how cognitive computing will soon be able to reproduce versions of them, together with the implications some of these developments will have for commerce.
For example, take touch. Cognitive computing, together with haptic technology, will employ vibrations to deliver the precise tactile textures of remote products -- a silk shirt, say, or a pair of gloves you've found while shopping on your smartphone.
Cognitive computing will be able to use smell to analyse the thousands of potential biomarkers we expel each time we inhale, and use this as a healthcare diagnostic tool.
The possibilities are limitless, as are the potential business applications. With computers no longer restricted to deductive reasoning, but able to emulate inductive reasoning by making contextual observations, they will increasingly be able to understand, and act to enhance, human experiences. Enterprises will benefit by being able to better understand customers' needs and develop better products.
A telecom industry veteran, Paul Bloom helped develop telco applications for the Watson Deep Q&A technology. He's a great guide to this new era of computing. Enjoy his videos, and don't forget to ask him a question -- and take our Web Wise World Poll -- here.
"Cognitive computing will be able to use smell to analyse the thousands of potential biomarkers we expel each time we inhale, and use this as a healthcare diagnostic tool."
Imagine if you are being laggard some day and want a day off and ask your boss for it by saying that "I am having a severe flu today" and suddenly your boss' desktop alarmed your boss
@Scott I like your bacon scent idea! I would like my fridge to both tell me when food goes bad AND toss it out. That would be fantastic. I already buy the disposable storage dishes so I don't have to wash containers found growing in the back...
Often I see things a little differently from many others here. Rather than seeing a business opportunity in this current new technology, I see the possibility of help for those who have lost or never had one or more of the standard human senses. Of course, that could be quite a large potential market, but that's not my motivation.
There have already been experiments with bringing vision and hearing to those whose natural sensors are damaged. Being able to detect such things as smell and touch can only be a precursor to being able to deliver those senses to someone who doesn't have them. It is my hope that in the not too distant future we can replace the senses we have lost due to age or accident. Wouldn't that be an exiting achievement?
My nose is not all that sensitive. Which can be a good thing, at times, but can lead to embarrassment at others. My 'sniff test' to see if a shirt is clean enough to wear might not be up to the standards of those with more sensitive sniffers. Back when we had way too many pet rats, I discovered that my aroma resembled theirs, but it was only when someone had the guts to tell me that I found out. I wasn't too happy about it.
So, please, bring on the technology that can detect smells. We can all breathe easier...
I remember reading an article over ten years ago about the reverse of these kinds of devices.
It wasn't about computers that could sense, but about computer that communicated to us using the five senses. One example was that the machine could indicate a problem by emitting a particular scent -- so if a printer was out of toner, one might smell lavender.
Obviously an issue for people allergic to perfumes, but an interesting concept. One that would surely become more interesting if it goes two ways.
Imagine a machine that nudges you to get your attention. You nudge it back to tell it to shut up. Or if one's phone emitted the smell of frying bacon or fresh bread to let you know that yes, you just got paid.
Better yet, imagine a fridge that could let you know "The chicken is now bad", or alert you that the milk is probably about 1 day from going sour.
Heck, I know animals use their advanced senses to determine health. Imagine machines that could do the same?
I usually take predictions with a grain of salt, but I think I feel good about this one.
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Catch up on the week with one simple serving of Friday File. We've pieced together 10 interesting news bites you may have missed and put them together in bite-size morsels.
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Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
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