How your phone could be able to smell, hear and taste by 2018: IBM reveals its vision for the future of technology



Computer giant claims future gadgets will even include haptic feedback technology - allowing you to virtually feel clothes before buying them

firm claims machines will be able to mimic and augment our senses

Systems

If you've only just got used to talking to your phone, get ready for a major change.

IBM has revealed its predictions for the computer we will all be using in 2018 - and it believes they will have all five senses, and will communicate with us in radically different ways.



'Infrared and haptic technologies will enable a smart phone's touchscreen technology and vibration capabilities to simulate the physical sensation of touching something,' the firm said.

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IBM's vision for the future of touch - it claims that in five years we will be able to touch objects through our phones

'So you could experience the silkiness of that catalog's Egyptian cotton sheets instead of just relying on some copywriter to convince you.

'It’s amazing when you look back over the 60+ years of the computing revolution and see how far we have come in such a relatively short time,' said IBM's Bernard Meyerso.

'The first electronic programmable computers, built in the 1940s, were essentially really fast electronic calculators.

Then came the mainframe, the PC, the Internet and social networking.



Today, we’re entering the era of cognitive computing–machines that help us think.'

'One of the most intriguing aspects of this shift is our ability to give machines some of the capabilities of the right side of the human brain.



'New technologies make it possible for machines to mimic and augment the senses. '

Today, we see the beginnings of sensing machines in self-parking cars and biometric security–and the future is wide open.

The firm claims in five years machines will be able to see, and understand, images

'These five predictions show how cognitive technologies can improve our lives, and they’re windows into a much bigger landscape –the coming era of cognitive systems.

'But the point isn’t to replicate human brains.



We humans are no slouches when it comes to procreation.



'And this isn’t about replacing human thinking with machine thinking.



'Once again; not necessary.



'Rather, in the era of cognitive systems, humans and machines will collaborate to produce better results–each bringing their own superior skills to the partnership.



'The machines will be more rational and analytic. We’ll provide the judgment, empathy, morale compass and creativity.'

IBM also says machines will be able to hear in five years and know when we are talking to them

Computers will also be able to taste - and even predict what food we like based on out eating habits.

Computers will also be able to smell - and have sensitive enough noses to be able to detect infections on our breath and tell us if the food we are about to eat has bacteria in

IBM'S VISION OF THE FUTURE

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. Robyn Schwartz

Associate Director, IBM Research, Retail Analytics

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. John Smith

Senior Manager, Intelligent Information Management



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. Dimitri Kanevsky

IBM Research Scientist

Smell: Computers will have a sense of smell



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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 Lav Varshney

IBM Research Scientist



