DIGITAL,SENSES

　　IBM
　　recently released a list of innovations that have the potential to change the way people work, live and interact in the next five years. The list, based on market and societal trends and emerging technologies from IBM’s R&D labs, says using the five senses—touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell—to improve interaction with machines is the next big thing in computing.
　　“We have already seen the benefits of cognitive systems for advancing numerous aspects of the human experience, from healthcare to weather forecasting. We envision a day when computers make sense of the world around them just like a human brain interacts with the world using multiple senses,”says Ramesh Gopinath, Director, India Research Lab and Chief Technology Officer, IBM India/South Asia.
　　We take a look at what IBM and others are doing to bring cognitive senses to your computer or phone. Almost all of these technologies are at advanced stages of testing.
　　So, while IBM says they will be available for consumers by 2017, don’t be surprised if some of these are available in devices that will be up for sale in the next couple of years. Here is how the senses are finding their way into our digital lives:
　　 SIGHT
　　By the end of this decade, computers will not only be able to recognise content of visual data (say a picture), but will also make sense of the pixels just like a human sees and interprets a photograph. For example, future computers will know that a red light means stop and can interpret road signage.
　　A precursor to this is the Google Goggles app that recognises products from photographs and gives you information on it. IBM says that these capabilities will be put to work in healthcare in five years to analyse massive volumes of medical information. For instance, computers will be able to differentiate healthy tissue from a diseased one.
　　Another use could be the use of cameras as ‘body scanners’, to identify which outfit would fit a person. The apparel industry is already experimenting with this technology with an eye on how it could be used to bring in more online buyers.
　　 TOUCH
　　Scientists have been trying to replicate touch and feel on mechanical devices for decades. Success is very close. We could have mobile devices that allow you to touch and feel products, thus redefining retail businesses. IBM says its scientists are developing applications for retail and healthcare sectors, among others, using haptic (tactile feedback), infrared and pressure-sensitive technologies to simulate touch, such as the texture and weave of a fabric. This technology will use vibration capabilities of a phone, assigning a unique set of vibration patterns that recreate the texture of each article.

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