Imagine sitting in an important business meeting. You’ve
been introduced to several new customers and are in the middle of making your
presentation. Suddenly, the person on your left asks a critical question
outside the scope of your expertise. Answering it correctly could mean a big
sale for your company.
With help from the Accenture Personal Awareness Assistant—a
wearable computing device—you simply draw upon the knowledge of your extended
team, all of whom are listening as the meeting unfolds, but working in various
locations around the globe. Via wireless networking and a microphone earpiece,
one of your colleagues provides you with the answer. You respond smoothly to
the client and continue with your presentation.
The Evolution of Wearable Computing This form of collective intelligence is one of the many
possibilities emerging from the Personal Awareness Assistant, a wearable
information collection prototype from Accenture Technology Labs. Wearable
computing is already beginning to evolve from large headpieces with equipment
laden belt packs to sleek, high-powered, easy-to-use companions. In fact,
commercially viable options already are making an appearance in business for
everything from package delivery and warehouse management to airline curbside
check-in. Industry analyst Gartner reports that 40 percent of adults will be
using some form of wearable computing within the next decade.
Supplementing the Human Memory Bank Using a speech recognition engine, two small microphones, an
inconspicuous camera and a scrolling audio buffer, the Personal Awareness
Assistant is always on, passively listening to what a user says. What catapults
the Assistant past a simple recording device is its ability to respond to
particular contexts and situations. For example, when a user is introduced to
someone new, the Assistant recognizes the phrase, “It’s nice to meet you,”
records the name of the person as she introduces herself and takes a
low-resolution picture. All this takes place without any specific command from
the user.
Once the device captures the data, it automatically
categorizes the information into a designated domain—in this case a
sophisticated address book complete with audio, digital image, date/time stamp
and location. Because the data is stored contextually, information retrieval is
straightforward. A simple inquiry, such as “Who was that person I met at lunch
last Thursday?” brings up the appropriate information. Using the Global Positioning
System, the Assistant also can determine where the user is located, such
as the office or visiting clients, to further fine tune and categorize a
response.
While the Assistant is meant to be unobtrusive, Accenture
researchers recognize that people may initially feel that being recorded
disturbs their privacy. In response, the Assistant will have a built-in light
that blinks when it records, for the sole purpose of alerting the person who is
being recorded. Eventually, Accenture believes that wearable computing devices
will become socially acceptable as people gain appreciation for their value.
Innovative Applications In addition to collecting predictable data such as phone
numbers or important dates on behalf of its user, the Assistant can help a
consumer buy a desired item from any location and at any time. Imagine a user
hears about a new book on the radio while driving. The user can create a
shopping list simply by speaking a reminder to buy the book into his Assistant.
Then he can send the book list to a preferred Internet vendor for fulfillment,
or wait until he travels near a bookstore or accesses to the Internet, where
the Assistant will recognize his location and remind him to purchase the book.
One of the most advanced and promising applications of the
Assistant is collective intelligence—the ability to share knowledge and
experiences with a group. Accenture researchers believe this type of technology
could be particularly valuable as a real-time strategy tool, as described above
in the important client presentation, or as a way to gather intelligence from
co-workers by reviewing an instant replay of their experiences, whether from a
meeting with a client or from a service call in the field.
uCommerce Accenture believes that as successive waves of economic and
technological change (such as Silent Commerce and wireless) converge, truly
ubiquitous commerce or uCommerce is becoming a reality—a new, always on, always
aware, always active business environment. Accenture Technology Labs developed
the Personal Awareness Assistant and other prototypes to demonstrate and
explore business opportunities made possible by uCommerce.
Talk to someone about this topic To Top |