[LINK] The IBM Five in Five

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

The IBM 5 in 5

"Innovations that will change our lives in the next five years"

 By IBM's Chief Innovation Officer


In the era of cognitive computing, systems learn, instead of passively 
relying on programming. 

As a result, emerging technologies will continue to push the boundaries 
of human limitations to enhance and augment our senses with machine 
learning, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced speech recognition and 
more. No need to call for Superman when we have super senses at hand.

This year IBM presents The 5 in 5 in five sensory categories, through 
innovations that will touch our lives and see us into the future.


1. Touch: You will be able to touch through your phone.

In the 1970s, when a telephone company encouraged us to "reach out and 
touch someone," it had no idea that a few decades later that could be 
more than a metaphor. Infrared and haptic technologies will enable a 
smart phone's touchscreen technology and vibration capabilities to 
simulate the physical sensation of touching something. So you could 
experience the silkiness of that catalog's Egyptian cotton sheets instead 
of just relying on some copywriter to convince you. 

By Robyn Schwartz. Associate Director, IBM Research, Retail Analytics


2. Sight: A pixel will be worth a thousand words.

Recognition systems can pinpoint a face in a crowd. In the future, 
computer vision might save a life by analyzing patterns to make sense of 
visuals in the context of big data. In industries as varied as 
healthcare, retail and agriculture, a system could gather information and 
detect anomalies specific to the task—such as spotting a tiny area of 
diseased tissue in an MRI and applying it to the patient's medical 
history for faster, more accurate diagnosis and treatment.

By John Smith. Senior Manager, Intelligent Information Management


3. Hearing: Computers will hear what matters.

Before the tree fell in the forest, did anyone hear it? Sensors that pick 
up sound patterns and frequency changes will be able to predict weakness 
in a bridge before it buckles, the deeper meaning of your baby's cry or, 
yes, a tree breaking down internally before it falls. By analyzing verbal 
traits and including multi-sensory information, machine hearing and 
speech recognition could even be sensitive enough to advance dialogue 
across languages and cultures.

By Dimitri Kanevsky. IBM Research Scientist


4. Taste: Digital taste buds will help you eat smarter.

The challenge of providing food—whether it's for impoverished 
populations, people on restricted diets or picky kids—is in finding a way 
to meet both nutritional needs and personal preferences. In the works: a 
way to compute "perfect" meals using an algorithmic recipe of favorite 
flavors and optimal nutrition. No more need for substitute foods when you 
can have a personalized menu that satisfies both the calorie count and 
the palate. 

By Lav Varshney. IBM Research Scientist


5. Smell: Computers will have a sense of smell.

When you call a friend to say how you're doing, your phone will know on 
the full story. Soon, sensors will detect and distinguish odors: a 
chemical, a biomarker, even molecules in the breath that affect personal 
health. The same smell technology, combined with deep learning systems, 
could troubleshoot operating-room hygiene, crops' soil conditions or a 
city's sanitation system before the human nose knows there's a problem.

By Hendrik Hamann. Research Manager, Physical Analytics

http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/ibm_predictions_for_future/ideas/

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Cheers,
Stephen