Exam 3

You've likely heard the phrase

"Internet of Things" — or IoT — at some point, but you might also be scratching your head figuring out what it is or what it means.

12 hot augmented reality ideas for your business

1) AR Dating Services 2) Sports Apps 3) Marketing 4) Shopping 5) Medicine 6) Landscaping 7) Maps and Tourism 8) Painting Apps 9) Teleconference Apps 10) Data Visualization 11) Education 12) Collaboration

What are some use cases for a digital workspace?

1) Remote and mobile workers 2) Knowledge workers 3) Contractors and contingent workers

A unified, secure, and intelligent digital workspace includes:

- App and desktop virtualization - File sharing and content collaboration - Unified endpoint management of all mobile devices - Secure access to SaaS apps/secure browsing - Single sign-on (SSO) - Guided and automated workflows via machine learning

Pros of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy

- Savings for the company on purchasing and replacing technology - No learning curve for employees - Potential improvement of employee morale - More up-to-date tech due to personal upgrades

What is an Internet of Things device?

Any stand-alone internet-connected device that can be monitored and/or controlled from a remote location is considered an IoT device. With more smaller, more powerful chips, almost all products can be an Internet of Things devices.

Industries that will be affected by both AR and VR

CONSTRUCTION The $10 trillion global construction industry has been operating with much the same technology for the past century. AR and VR are helping to change that with a variety of applications that allow project managers to track progress and builders to work through jobs and spot time and money drains before the foundation is ever poured. The technology is still emerging, but some companies to watch in this arena are: OpenSpace, which gives project managers a Google Street View-like time machine to walk through projects at various stages of completeness; Skycatch, whose drones are being used to create on-site VR simulations of projects; and DAQRI, which makes a smart helmet that's used in AR applications to deliver site-specific information to builders in real-time. K-12 EDUCATION Not long ago, futurists predicted that virtual reality would change the face of education. Adoption of VR in education has happened far slower than many hoped, and for the time being it looks like the hype was just that. Nevertheless, many K-12 programs are finding uses for headsets from Oculus and HTC, as well as cheaper Google Cardboard, such as sending students on virtual field trips, tours of the solar system, and walks through the Jurassic period. The hype pendulum has now swung toward augmented reality in education. Text books are being printed on "clickable paper" and students in primary school are creating their own AR experiences with Metaverse. Augmented field trips can easily turn into scavenger hunts, and digital puzzle boxes are challenging students to problem solve their way out of prickly situations, all while sitting in the comfort of the classroom. HEALTHCARE From therapies for those with autism to restoring low vision, virtual reality is being used as an effective treatment in a wide variety of healthcare applications. VR is also becoming an effective teaching tool in healthcare. Students can now watch VR surgeries and dissect VR cadavers, for example. Healthcare is also primed for AR adoption precisely because its a field that requires individuals to make important decisions on the fly with available information. Just as surgeons have adopted robots to enhance the uncanny dexterity of humans, the industry is looking at novel uses of heads up displays and wearables to enhance the decision-making capabilities of people that are often under stress and under the gun. A few big players are Microsoft, which is exploring applications for its HoloLens as an AR tool to help doctors visualize challenging procedures during surgeries, and AccuVein, which helps doctors and nurses locate patients' veins more easily. ENTERPRISE TRAINING The enterprise VR training market could be worth more than $12.6 billion by 2025. Pilots have been training on VR simulators for generations, but now workers in many high-risk fields, such as oil and gas and other utilities and heavy industries, are getting the chance to take their licks in the virtual world as opposed to on the job, where the risk of injury or costly mistakes is far higher. Augmented reality is also making a splash in enterprise training, particularly in the realm of technical training. Honeywell recently announced a mixed-reality simulation tool to train its industrial employees using Microsoft's HoloLens, and it's easy to envision workers in a wide variety of industries getting visual assistance as they learn the ropes on service calls, for instance. Caterpillar and BP are two major companies embracing AR to train and guide technicians in the field. REAL ESTATE The real estate industry, which relies so heavily on customers visualizing themselves in a new environment, seems particularly excited about the prospects of AR/VR technology. It's now possible to take a virtual tour of high-end properties in many parts of the country thanks to companies like Matterport. Sotheby's now has an AR home staging app, which allows users to put the virtual furniture of their choice in properties they may be interested in.

entity

Includes businesses, governments, and consumers.

Benefits of NFC for Business

Near field communication technology isn't just for individuals or customers. Businesses can benefit from this technology as well. Managers can communicate quickly with employees and a business, whether big or small, can improve customer satisfaction through contactless payment and information systems.

network layer

Responsible for transmitting the data collected by the physical layer to different devices.

analytics

Software systems that analyze the data generated by IoT devices. The analysis can be used for a variety of scenarios, such as predictive maintenance.

stories

Stories are relatable, which is why they make up nearly 2/3 of our daily conversations.

Be more persuasive

Studies confirm the persuasive power of stories. People are more likely to relate and react to your message when you engage them on a human level. Creating an emotional connection can have a big impact.

About Panasonic Smart Factory Solutions Co., Ltd.

The five key business areas for Panasonic Smart Factory Solutions Co., Ltd. are "Retail & Logistics," "Entertainment," "Public," "Avionics," and "Manufacturing." The company will create synergy between its mounting/welding and other focus technologies like IoT to develop new solutions for a diverse range of industry customers including manufacturers and propose new value to customers' entire manufacturing process. This demonstration experiment was made possible by the know-how and advice provided by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the kind cooperation offered by the companies listed below: 4U Applications / Daiwa Computer Co., Ltd. / Denso Wave Incorporated / Eftect Co., Ltd., KHWAYZ Co., Ltd. / Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. / Osaka Sealing Printing Co., Ltd. / SATO Corporation(in alphabetical order)

physical layer

The hardware that makes an IoT device, including sensors and networking gear.

we think of it as ambient computing but really tracking people and objects in space

face recognition as security. making sure an employee does not get hit by a forklift. safety scenario

notion of autonomous systems

self management. process automation.

data storage

where data fro IoT devices is stored

AR Dating Services

Dating is one of the fastest growing segments of the internet - every day millions of people look for their soulmates and just people to hang out with. This trend made it into mobile apps too, with extremely successful examples like Badoo or Tinder - they are simple yet effective. However, augmented reality is a new thing to dating, so you have every chance to use it creatively to help people find each other.

dashboard

Displays information about the IoT ecosystem to users and enables them to control their IoT ecosystem. It is generally housed on a remote.

remotes

Enable entities that utilize IoT devices to connect with and control them using a dashboard, such as a mobile application. They include smartphones, tablets, PCs, smartwatches, connected TVs, and nontraditional remotes.

About Trial Company, Inc.

"Transforming distribution with IT" - this idea is the origin of Trial Company. Since being founded in 1980, the company has anticipated the development of the retail market in Japan and thus strategically focused on IT for the retail and distribution industry. Using IT technology, the company has grown to become a retail operator with stores nationwide that offers products at low prices.

Cons of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy

- More complex IT support for disparate devices and operating systems - Higher security risks - Potential loss of employee and company privacy - Some employees may not have their own devices

What are the top 3 benefits of a digital workspace?

1) A better employee experience 2) Enhanced security and data breach protection 3) Flexibility to choose any technology your organization needs

The benefits of RFID in retail

1) Asset Tracking Asset tracking is one of the major ways that businesses use RFID. It can be used to prevent theft and track assets that are frequently moved and often misplaced. In retail stores that use trolleys, for example, it can be used to track when they leave and enter the store. This not only helps with finding out where trolleys have been left but can also help with their management. RFID can tell if too few trolleys are available for customers so that someone can go and collect them from the car park. 2) Supply Chain Management RFID supply chain applications can use item-level tagging to help improve product visibility. These applications can let retailers know exactly where goods are in individual pallets and containers, giving increased control over the supply chain process. Retailers can also use readers installed at the entrance and exit of their warehouse to read tags on shipped items and delivery vehicles. This can help make many warehousing processes much quicker and easier to undertake. 3) Stock Management RFID enables retailers to have real-time stock information at their fingertips. It can do this through automated scanning of items in the warehouse and logging those which pass through checkout. Not only does this enable retailers to have better control of stock and offer improved customer service, it also reduces labour costs as there is no need for employees to physically check items. 4) Interactive Advertising Retailers can use RFID for both external and in-store advertising. Tags can be placed on external advertising or in-store POS materials which interested persons can access by swiping their mobile phones above them. This can send the person information about the product they have seen advertised or open up a web page on their browser. It can be used to send detailed product specs, stock availability info, or give them a discount voucher to use in store. 5) Cashless Payments By utilising payment wallets on mobile phones, retailers can use RFID to shorten queues and speed up the checkout process. At the same time, you can eradicate losses which arise because of handling cash and dispense with tallying up cash payments. 6) Automated Checkouts One of the most exciting applications of RFID is the automated checkout process. By tagging products with NFC stickers, like those from Universal Smart Cards, customers can log their purchase by swiping the item using an app on their mobile phone. Instead of needing to pay at the checkout, they can pay automatically on their phone via their payment wallet (e.g. Google Wallet or Apple Pay). Another alternative is to use tunnel readers. Using this method, when the shopper gets to the checkout, all the items in the basket are scanned instantly when the basket passes through the checkout tunnel. To pay, they simply need to swipe their card or mobile phone on the checkout reader. What's more, customers who are part of a loyalty programme can still pick up points as they purchase and redeem vouchers or discount codes. 7) Security RFID can be used for two security purposes: access control and protection against theft. For access control, RFID devices such as smart cards, fobs and wristbands can be used as electronic keys. As each individual can be given access to different areas, it means that you can control not only who can enter but also where different employees may and may not go. In cases of emergency, these tags can also be used to locate members of staff who are in the building so that emergency services know where to find them. With regards to theft, both stock and company equipment can be tagged. This means that if anyone takes an item out of the building without permission or which is not paid for, scanners on the exits can set off an alarm.

Adapting to Tablets in the Workplace

1) Improve Productivity 2) Manage Time and Attendance 3) Assist With Benefits Enrollment 4) Empower Employees

visual

90% of the information we take in comes to us through our eyes.

Conclusions About BYOD Policies

A BYOD policy may work well for smaller companies. However, it's wise not to make the decision based purely on the convenience and cost factors. Think about how a BYOD policy will have an impact on your business and think about what your employees want. Look to the future and make decisions about how to handle the devices when an employee leaves your organization.

What is digital workspace?

A digital workspace is an integrated technology framework designed to deliver and manage app, data, and desktop delivery. It allows employees to access their apps and data real-time - on any device, from any location regardless of whether the information is stored through cloud services or in the data center. For a digital workspace solution to be successful, it must provide a unified, contextual, and secure experience for IT and end users.

Remote and mobile workers

A digital workspace lets these workers use everything from legacy company applications to cloud-based apps like Office 365, which must have business policies applied for creating and using sensitive data. If they work remotely for a regulated call center, for example, a digital workspace can help enforce the rigors of PCI DSS. Or if they travel for business, a digital workspace lets them work on an airplane, in hotels, and at foreign destinations but only with apps and content that are risk-appropriate to each situation. And if they work in healthcare, clinicians and doctors who roam across facilities have instant, secure access to the most sensitive information from wherever they need to be.

Flexibility to choose any technology your organization needs

A digital workspace makes it easy for organizations to embrace new technologies and the cloud without worrying about security or a compromised user experience. A digital workspace offers one place for people to access any app, whether SaaS, web, mobile or virtual. And IT can manage it all in one unified console on the back end. Advanced security controls for SaaS and web apps mean IT can let people use the apps they know and love but in a controlled environment.

Intranets are used to cement brand identity

A quality intranet will offer a bespoke look and feel that is unique to the business purchasing it. Ideally when a user logs on the intranet home page will have a design that reinforces the brand identity and is written to the organization's style guidelines. This will act as a continual reminder to employees about the ethos, language and quality they should be working with or towards. For real-life examples of how a Unily intranet has changed businesses for the better, take a look at our case studies page.

Industries that will be most affected by AR

AUTOMOTIVE Head-Up Displays (HUDs) were one of the first deployments of AR in the marketplace. HUDs now adorn models from BMW, Volvo, Chevy, Lexus, and many others. There's also a thriving aftermarket offering HUDs that interface with a car's OBD-II port to display vital information like speed and gas mileage without requiring drivers to take their eyes off the road. Expect to start seeing these in economy cars, not just luxury models. If you prefer two wheels, you'll be happy to know the concept has even made its way into motorcycle helmets. MOBILE Headsets still haven't taken off in a compelling way, which means smartphones will be the AR vehicle of choice for the next few years. That's good news for smartphone manufacturers, which have seen life cycles for their products rise from 18 months to three years. As AR penetration grows, it's kicking off a new arms race among suppliers to create better-equipped phones and inject new life into an industry that's starting to plateau. GROCERY SHOPPING You're about to be using your phone a lot more to buy food. A company called Dent Reality has been working on an app that allows customers to see real-time information about products in grocery stores. It uses computer vision and in-store tracking to help customers find food that fits their dietary needs. It's likely more of these apps are on the horizon. For manufacturers, that means new promotional opportunities and perhaps a new twist on the old game of big brands paying for shelf position. ADVERTISING One of AR's biggest deployments has been in advertising. In April 2018, Facebook began letting developers build AR apps that contain location-triggered elements. Google has made a similar move. There are lots of potential applications, but you can be sure the first and most prolific will involve marketing to users in the real world. (Facebook tested the concept in promotions for the movie Ready Player One.) It may not be long before every restaurant and shop we walk by triggers a floating billboard or a sale offer. ONLINE SHOPPING The Achilles' heel of online retail has always been the inability to try things on. But what if you could virtually try on clothes before you buy? That's the promise of apps that act as virtual fitting rooms, allowing shoppers to try on clothing virtually before they buy it. The technology may soon solve a vexing problem with online shopping: How to ensure a good fit when you only have model photos to go on. MARKET OUTLOOK According to IDC, AR and VR products and services will be worth $20.4 billion in 2019, which marks a roughly 90% increase over 2017. Broadly speaking, the enterprise market for AR and VR will be worth roughly $56 billion by 2022, while the consumer market could be worth $53 billion. For the technologies to fulfill that lofty promise, developers will have to push AR and VR out of the novelty phase and past the hype. There's enough action right now across a variety of industries to suggest we're well on our way.

Empower Employees

Another underrated advantage of using tablets in the workplace is their ability to empower employees to access personal information on the go. With a work-issued tablet, employees can easily look up information such as pay, benefits elections, time off and other sensitive or private data that they might need. Tablets can deliver the best combination of confidentiality and mobility. Tablets in the workplace are likely to be an area of continued interest for finance leaders who are looking for new efficiencies in managing their workforce. These devices can offer significant opportunities for organizations to improve communication with employees and realize gains in productivity.

Intranets are used to improve communication

Ask anyone, do a Google search, look in a trade magazine and the top reason for getting an intranet will always be to enhance internal communications. Integrating video, voice, instant messaging, email and social, an intranet will certainly get colleagues communicating better with each other. Also, easy to use content management systems and publishing applications mean that updates and news can more easily and quickly shared.

Marketing

Augmented reality opens lots of possibilities for marketing, and if used creatively, it can bring more engagement and loyalty for brands and their products. Imagine walking around the shop with a smartphone in your hands, and seeing the price and characteristics of the products, along with special offers and discounts for them. With AR marketing can become more effective and fun for customers. AR marketing for kids has even more interesting options, turning the mall into an amusement park where they'll be able to complete tasks to win something and interact with virtual characters.

Which will be bigger, AR, or VR?

Augmented reality will have a bigger impact on the market and our daily lives than virtual reality -- and by a long shot. That's the consensus of just about every informed commentator on the subject. The reason is that VR environments by nature demand a user's full attention, which make the technology poorly suited to real-life social interaction outside a digital world. AR, on the other hand, has the potential to act as an on-call co-pilot to everyday life, seamlessly integrating into daily real-world interactions. This will become increasingly true with the development of the AR Cloud. THE AR CLOUD Described by some as the world's digital twin, the AR Cloud is essentially a digital copy of the real world that can be accessed by any user at any time. For example, it won't be long before whatever device I have on me at a given time (a smartphone or wearable, for example) will be equipped to tell me all I need to know about a building just by training a camera at it (GPS is operating as a poor-man's AR Cloud at the moment). What the internet is for textual information, the AR Cloud will be for the visible world. Whether it will be open source or controlled by a company like Google is a hotly contested issue.

What are the 3 key elements of any digital workspace?

Because they're meant to organize essential data, tasks, and tools so employees can focus fully on their work, digital workspaces must always be: 1) Unified 2) Secure 3) Intelligient

Enhanced security and data breach protection

Both business and IT leaders alike want to allow employees to access what they need from anywhere work needs to get done, whether that's on the road, at a client site, or at home. But with employees conducting as much as 60% of their work away from desks, the potential for compromised accounts is everywhere.3 That's one reason why a digital workspace offers single sign-on (SSO) to every app and file, from any device. Fewer passwords means less risk to the business — and fewer calls to the IT help desk. A digital workspace also improves security by giving IT a complete view into network traffic, users, files, and endpoints, making it easier than ever to stay ahead of both internal and external threats. Machine learning and artificial intelligence built into the digital workspace protect company data from hacks, malware, and end-user mistakes — long before they happen. And you can decide who gets access to what based on job role, location, device, or activity.

A BYOD Policy Is Often a Good Choice for Smaller Companies

Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies are set by companies to allow employees to use their personal smartphones, laptops, and tablets for work. A BYOD policy can help set a business up for success—especially a small company—but there are definite downsides to consider. If you're thinking about implementing a BYOD policy, it's a good idea to review some of the pros and cons before making a decision.

Intranets are used for training and information sharing

Businesses perform better when everyone knows how to best do the tasks assigned to them. Improved communications and document control, mean that best practice and training can be more effectively shared with those that need to know it, through written documents or even audio or video files. Important updates and news can be more easily and rapidly disseminated to colleagues via a quality intranet's simple-to-use content management system and publishing tools.

3. Personalizing the customer experience

Chatbots excel at collecting customer data from support interactions. After all, it's the computer that's doing the work. The advantage is that live support agents can use this information to personalize their interactions with customers. Devine says chatbots serve as virtual assistants that can feed customer data to the agent in real time, so the agent can give the customer good information and solutions based on current needs as well as past interactions with the company.

I love infographics. As an information designer, I've worked with all sorts of data over the past 25 years. I have a few insights to share, but first: a little history.

Communication is the encoding, transmission and decoding of information. Breakthroughs in communication mark turning points in human culture. Oracy, literacy and numeracy were great developments in communication. They allow us to encode ideas into words and quantities into numbers. Without communication, we'd still be stuck in the Stone Ages. Although humans have been around for a quarter million years, it was only 8,000 years ago that proto-writings began to surface. Nearly 3,000 years later, the first proper writing systems took shape.

Cons of a BYOD Policy

Complex IT support: If every employee has a standard issue computer, tablet, and phone, it's easier for the IT department to support and fix the devices. If everyone has their own device, it can become much more complex to keep the electronics functioning. If you need to install custom software, will it work on everyone's devices? What if Jane isn't willing to update her laptop? What if John wants to run Linux while everyone else is running Windows? Higher security risks: What type of data does your organization generate and use? It's easy to make rules about how employees should use company devices, but it's not quite so easy to tell your employees that they can't let their 13-year-old write a school paper on their own laptop. What are you going to do to make sure that your company information is kept secure? Also, when employees leave the company, you'll want to remove any confidential information from any employee device. But, you don't want to delete their personal information. No one is happy if you say, "IT needs to wipe all of your photos and documents from the computer to make sure that you don't take any confidential information." Potential loss of privacy: You'll need to determine how you'll secure your company's confidential informationbefore an employee agrees to use his equipment for work. Make sure that you state clearly, from the beginning, what you will do with classified information on the device or you'll have problems when an employee leaves. If Jane is a salesperson who uses her personal phone number for work purposes when she quits and moves to your competitor, all of her clients still have her phone number in their records. When they call, she'll answer, and Jane will have a much easier time to move those clients to her new company. Even if Jane signed a non-compete agreement, if the customers come to Jane, you can't legally stop them. As long as Jane isn't pursuing the customers, she's in the clear.

How are digital workspaces evolving?

While the concept of a digital workspace began with providing unified access to apps and data, that alone is no longer enough to meet the needs and expectations of the modern-day worker. Almost 70% of workers toggle between apps up to 10 times per hour, causing 38% of them lose their train of thought. The digital workspace of the future must use machine learning and artificial intelligence to guide and focus work so people can spend less time context switching and more time tending to the job they were hired to do. Virtual assistance, automation of routine tasks, personalized insights, and prioritization of top actions are just some of the ways digital workspace intelligence helps people work smarter and faster.

Intranets are used to better control documents

With more people working on the same documents, there could be confusion as to what the latest version is, who wrote or edited it, or even where it is. Most intranets provide users with access to document storage and version control apps as standard. The most effective solutions integrate these seamlessly with other collaborative tools to help employees know exactly at what stage of drafting the document is at, who has been working on it or needs to, as well as where the document is in terms of approval. This enables the effective and efficient production of a final version that is accurate and of a high standard.

Knowledge workers

Workers with top-secret projects need to keep materially sensitive information and intellectual property for the private use of a small, defined team. A digital workspace can encrypt all content by default and make it accessible only by the team — even if it was accidently or maliciously exposed. This includes integrations with third parties, such as external legal counsel. Additionally, for M&A teams, a digital workspace can tie disparate organizations together, integrating resources where preferred, and isolating resources where demanded.

Employees in organizations of all sizes and industries can

benefit from a digital workspace. Here are a few examples of how a digital workspace can be tailored to provide the right balance of security, productivity, experience, and governance objectives for any role or task:

RFID systems have a lot to offer retailers. They can identify

every product in-store with a unique identifying number; they reduce the need for human resources and eradicate human error by automating processes; they enable simultaneous product scanning; offer real-time stock information; provide new ways of advertising; and increase security for staff, equipment and stock. In addition, RFID works with modern technologies, such as smartphones, apps and computer systems; it's inexpensive to implement; and new ways of using it are being introduced all the time. With all these benefits, it's understandable why this technology is being widely adopted across the retail sector.

Near field communication, abbreviated NFC,

is a form of contactless communication between devices like smartphones or tablets. Contactless communication allows a user to wave the smartphone over a NFC compatible device to send information without needing to touch the devices together or go through multiple steps setting up a connection. Fast and convenient, NFC technology is popular in parts of Europe and Asia, and is quickly spreading throughout the United States. Near field communication maintains interoperability between different wireless communication methods like Bluetooth and other NFC standards including FeliCa -- popular in Japan -- through the NFC Forum. Founded in 2004 by Sony, Nokia, and Philips, the forum enforces strict standards that manufacturers must meet when designing NFC compatible devices. This ensures that NFC is secure and remains easy-to-use with different versions of the technology. Compatibility is the key to the growth of NFC as a popular payment and data communication method. It must be able to communicate with other wireless technologies and be able to interact with different types of NFC transmissions. The technology behind NFC allows a device, known as a reader, interrogator, or active device, to create a radio frequency current that communicates with another NFC compatible device or a small NFC tag holding the information the reader wants. Passive devices, such as the NFC tag in smart posters, store information and communicate with the reader but do not actively read other devices. Peer-to-peer communication through two active devices is also a possibility with NFC. This allows both devices to send and receive information. Both businesses and individuals benefit from near field communication technology. By integrating credit cards, subway tickets, and paper coupons all into one device, a customer can board a train, pay for groceries, redeem coupons or store loyalty points, and even exchange contact information all with the wave of a smartphone. Faster transaction times mean less waiting in line and happier customers. Fewer physical cards to carry around means the customer is less likely to lose one or have it stolen. Who's currently in on the action with NFC technology and mobile payments? Google has launched Google Wallet that supports MasterCard PayPass, PayPal offers money transfers between smartphones, and other companies are expected to follow suit. As the technology grows, more NFC compatible smartphones will be available and more stores will offer NFC card readers for customer convenience.

Unlike other Amazon Go stores

seven are open and two others are under construction — this one is not available to the general public. Only Amazon employees and guests can visit the store. The retailer took the same approach with its first Amazon Go store, which initially opened in 2016 just to employees. It's "just easier for us to experiment closer to home," Puerini said. When CNN Business visited the new, small Amazon Go store, it was still hidden behind plywood and a black curtain. It looked very much like a regular Amazon Go store, but plopped in the middle of a common area in an Amazon office in downtown Seattle, right next to an employee café. (The office itself is above a much more traditional Macy's store.) This version of Amazon Go had just a few aisles, with shelves stocked full of cut fruit from Amazon-owned Whole Foods, yogurts, chocolate bars and more. Though it's much smaller than the existing stand-alone Amazon Go stores, the technology behind this store is the same: after downloading an Amazon Go app, you scan an in-app code on an entry gate to get inside. Then a series of cameras above you work in concert with weight sensors on shelves and software to track the items you pick up and put down. As at all other Amazon Go stores, you walk out when you're done shopping, and the app emails you an itemized receipt. The small stores could also allow Amazon to roll out more cashier-free locations faster than it could by simply opening stand-alone Amazon Go stores. The small stores are modular, Puerini said, and take only weeks to put together. That's much faster than it takes to open up a free-standing Amazon Go store, which the company said typically takes months. The tiny shops could also be used to bring Amazon Go to a range of new markets, such as airports, which Amazon is reportedly considering for the AI-checkout stores. Puerini wouldn't confirm or deny whether Amazon is looking into opening Amazon Go stores of any size in airports, but said that, with many hungry people hurrying around, airports fit her "simple criteria" for the stores.

One of the fastest growing technology trends is

tablets in the workplace. As tablet computers have gotten cheaper and more widespread, businesses in all industries are finding new applications to help use tablets to boost productivity, efficiency and global communication. Self-service tablets are cropping up in all sorts of places, from kiosks at airports to tablets that allow you to place orders at restaurants. Integrating technology via tablets is likely to present several changes to HCM strategies, as finance leaders look to adjust their organization's staffing needs and costs. Here are four ways that tablets in the workplace can change the way employee time and labor is managed.

As with other Amazon Go stores, however,

these won't be entirely self-sustaining. An employee will be needed to stock shelves when food arrives or clean up if a shopper, say, drops a glass Frappuccino bottle on the floor. The small, in-office location in Seattle will have set hours (it will be open from 7 am to 6 pm, Monday through Friday), and it will be staffed during that time, as the current Amazon Go stores are. "People do still want help. They like to ask the associates, 'What's your favorite? What should I get?' Or they might want to make sure about ingredients on something," Puerini said. "There's still a lot of human interaction."

notion of tracking people and objects in space in retail

tracking customer habits. self checkout. use of sensor fusion with

RFID Based Walk-through Checkout Solution for Future Retail

Fukuoka, Japan - February 19, 2018 - Panasonic and Trial Company, Inc. (hereafter referred to as "Trial") together conducted a demonstration experiment of the industry's first "RFID based walk-through automatic checkout solution" featuring Trial's "RFID tagging," which manages manufacturing and distribution data. This demonstration was held at the experimental shop, "Trial Lab ," located at the Trial headquarters. With this "RFID based walk-through automatic checkout solution," customers can automatically checkout by walking through the checkout lane with the basket containing products with RFID tags. By scanning information of, for example, prepaid cards in advance, the solution will automatically scan products and complete payment, thereby significantly shortening the checkout time. This also dramatically reduces the store staff operation, thereby contributing to labor-savings. And the ability to keep track of the individual products enables dynamic pricing. So by using RFID, this solution proposes a wide range of benefits to the retail trade and consumers. With respect to the demonstration experiment, Hiroyuki Aota, President of Panasonic Smart Factory Solutions Co., Ltd. stated, "We are utilizing IoT and robotics technology to provide retail, distribution, and logistic solutions that help realize a better life and society. In 2017, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced its plans to introduce 100 billion electronic tags for products sold in convenience stores. With this tailwind, we are developing individual solutions that have the potential to become key solutions for the retail and distribution industry. These include the RFID "Regi-robo(r)," and as well as RFID platforms, and this RFID based walk-through automatic checkout solution is another example. During this demonstration experiment, Panasonic Smart Factory Solutions will examine the feasibility of this solution, and continue to develop solutions that will help address the challenges each industry is facing." Trial's President, Hitoshi Narakino stated, "Labor shortage due to the declining birthrate and an aging population that the retail trade is facing is unavoidable. Many operations are being reinvented with IT, but the reinvention of payment operations is most pressing. This demonstration will serve as the next step for reinventing the checkout process and we will continue to explore the possibilities of a new 'quick' checkout system as well as stores with a few employees and eventually unmanned stores." During the demonstration experiment of the walk-through automatic checkout solution, both companies will explore the potential for applying RFID to future payment systems and for reinventing supply chains.

What is RFID?

In some ways, RFID can be seen as similar to a bar code system. However, instead of using an optical scanner to read the bars, it uses radio waves to read data from small chips, known as tags. This more advanced technology enables it to have far more applications and offer many more benefits than a bar code system is capable of.

Improve Productivity

Like most new workplace technologies, tablets are most likely to be adopted in areas that can boost employee productivity. This is already happening in a variety of industries such as restaurants (touch-screen kiosks to take orders) and retail (tablets can help employees look up merchandise, process orders and take payments). Tablets can serve as a versatile device for employees to use while on the go to access shared data in the cloud, communicate among internal teams and connect with customers. Tablets can be an easy way to demonstrate product features to customers and assist with sales presentations. Almost any customer-facing activity can be enhanced with the help of a tablet. Tablets can also provide assistive technology to make it easier for employees with disabilities to take on various job duties.

Contractors and contingent workers

Many organizations rely on contractors and contingent workers, but managing their unique requirements can be challenging. For example, providing access to company applications and data is tricky, as these workers may not be part of an organization's Active Directory group and, therefore, are not well managed. They also may not have the time to learn how to navigate the necessary applications, as they may be different from those they've used in prior engagements.

Benefits of NFC for Staff Communication

NFC tags allows employees to check in at their current locations and record time spent on the clock and time spent on break. Knowing where employees are is important for a manager to keep the store operating smoothly. As employees move on to new tasks, they can update what they've finished and where they're at.

- Column -A step closer to distribution reform. Consumer behavior and product trend analysis evolves with smart cameras

Panasonic's Vieureka platform uses smart cameras equipped with PUX Corporation's image recognition engine that can send data (gender, age, etc.) about customers in the store to the cloud, and analyze such data. This makes visible and quantifies purchase behavior 24-7, while also giving due consideration to privacy. At the supermarket Trial opened on February 14, 2018, the "Super Center Trial Island City" (5-2-23 Kashiiteriha, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture), a total of 700 cameras - 100 smart cameras from Panasonic and 600 smart cameras developed by Trial that makes product trends visible and quantifies such trends - have been installed. Based on the results of the analysis the store can improve the product layout and line-up, make sure shelves are always well stocked, and thereby further improve customer satisfaction.

1. Empower employees to be more human at work

People often get excited about more advanced AI techniques — it's easy to imagine a world like Westworldor Ex Machina when we're already mistaking the chatbot in the online forum of our college class for a real, human teacher's assistant. But businesses find the most success with AI when they start small, and then accelerate. In fact, one of the most useful benefits of AI currently is simple — automating repetitive, routine tasks in more innovative ways than automation can do without the help of AI. The power in AI-based automation doesn't just lie in outsourcing our most dreaded assignments to machines, but in enabling us to be more human at work. By letting machines take over mundane tasks such as data entry or billing hours, employees can focus on developing skills that are central to the human experience, such as creativity and emotional thinking, which can be more complicated to automate. While these skills are at the foundation of what it means to be human, we don't spend much time exercising those parts of our brain at work, according to McKinsey: "Just 4% of the work activities across the US economy require creativity at a median human level of performance. Similarly, only 29% of work activities require a median human level of performance in sensing emotion." In combining automation and AI to remove dull work, brands can free employees' time for projects that allow them to be imaginative, use more interpersonal skills, think critically, and improve overall happiness at work. And having engaged employees pays off — research shows that employee engagement leads to improved customer relationships and increased sales. Customer service provides one example of this phenomenon. For instance, Dollar Shave Club deployed a chatbot to answer frequent customer questions that members could easily solve on their own. As a result, human agents have more time to focus on issues that require more creative thinking to resolve. Another way companies are giving agents time back for higher-stakes concerns is by using AI to automate the translation of tickets in other languages, thereby fostering a more inclusive customer service. On the retail front, Amazon is using AI in its Amazon Go stores to automatically check customers out from the moment they grab an item. This first-ever "Just Walk Out Shopping" experience eliminates lines and enables employees to focus on interpersonal, rather than transactional, interactions with customers. Next, we might see robots restocking shelves to remove the burden of manual labor. Outside of customer service and retail, lawyers might let AI handle copyediting and reviewing contracts, help with conducting research, and even generate defense letters for simple cases so they can spend time developing deeper relationships with clients. Or, insurers and brokers might use AI to follow up with leads, summarize reports about clients' financial histories, and provide quotes so they can focus on finding solutions that fit their needs in more innovative and personal ways.

How does RFID work?

RFID works by sending radio signals between a reader and a tag. The reader transmits a radio signal and when a tag comes within range, it receives the signal and sends feedback that enables the reader to identify it and receive other data that it contains. As each tag has its own unique code, readers can track and communicate with multiple tags at the same time. Readers come in a variety of forms including hand-held scanners, access control door scanners and even mobile phones. Tags are small chips that can be embedded into objects such as smart cards, key fobs and sticky labels. They come in two versions: a passive tag which is powered by the radio waves sent by a reader and active tags, which have their own battery and can, therefore, operate over a longer distance. The data collected from tags can be passed via cable or wireless (including Bluetooth) to computer systems where it can be processed, actioned and stored.

RFID Technology: The Future for Retail

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology which is used widely across many sectors. It has a multitude of applications that bring many benefits to businesses and their customers. In this post, we're going to focus on how RFID is playing an important role in modernising the retail sector. We'll explain what it is, how it works and how RFID can benefit those in the retail industry.

Benefits of NFC for Real Time Updates

Real time updates are vital in the fast paced business world. Tracking employees and reading updated notes from staff or managers can occur through the use of NFC. Managers can track employees instantly to provide more efficient scheduling throughout the day. If a customer needs help, all a manager has to do is wave her smartphone over an NFC tag with the relevant information to check who is in the department and free to help the customer.

A better employee experience

Research suggests that the more engaged employees are in their work, the more likely they are to be productive, self-starting, and innovative1. But endless stacks of apps, systems, and sign-ins across mobile devices like laptops and smartphones are burying employees in a mountain of distractions and wasted time. In fact, employees spend the equivalent of a full workday each week searching systems, entering passwords, and hunting down information2. It's no wonder that 85% of workers feel disengaged1. A digital workspace solution can help you transform the employee experience by enabling a simpler and more flexible workstyle that attracts and retains the kind of talent you need to move the business forward.

Pros of a BYOD Policy

Savings: With a BYOD policy, you won't have to buy phones and laptops for every employee. Some employees may not have their own devices, but a recent Pew Research survey found that 77 percent of American adults already own a smartphone, and 92 percent of people ages 18 to 29 years old own one. In addition, employees are more apt to take better care of their equipment because it actually belongs to them. Usually, employees know that if they lose or break their company phone, it's a pain, but the company will provide a new one. If they lose or break their own phone, it tends to be a much bigger deal. Convenience: Employees can stick one phone in their pockets and don't have to worry about taking care of two devices. Preference: If John likes iPhones and Jane likes Androids, both can happily use their preferred system. They don't have to learn new systems. Often, if your company pays to install Microsoft Office or Photoshop or whatever software the employee needs for work on an employee's personal laptop, the employee is happy to have the software for personal work as well. Efficiency: Employees have no learning curve for new equipment because they already understand how to use their own electronic devices. They can jump in on day one for immediate productivity. Up-to-date tech: It's a huge expense for any company to update equipment, but employees are often more motivated to pay to replace their personal phone or laptop with the latest available device.

Amazon Go is going small with tiny, cashier-free stores

Seattle (CNN Business) Over the past year, Amazon has opened seven of its Amazon Gostores to the public, ditching checkout lines for AI that tracks what customers want to buy. Now, the retailer is taking its cashier-free shops in a new, smaller direction. On Wednesday, Amazon opened its first pint-sized Amazon Go store, which takes up about 450 square feet inside one of its Seattle offices — a fraction of other Amazon Go locations, which range from 1,800 to 2,000 square feet. Amazon Go Vice President Gianna Puerini, who gave CNN Business a look around the store early this week, said the idea is to eventually bring them to places like office building lobbies and hospitals. Similar to the full-size stores, she said, they could go "anywhere where there's a lot of people who are hungry and in a rush." Puerini wouldn't say when others will open, though she said she hopes they will crop up "soon." Such small stores could also help Amazon keep ahead of a handful of startupswho are trying to convince existing retailers to buy their cashierless technology.

So What Is The Internet Of Things?

Simply put, this is the concept of basically connecting any device with an on and off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything from cellphones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices and almost anything else you can think of. This also applies to components of machines, for example a jet engine of an airplane or the drill of an oil rig. As I mentioned, if it has an on and off switch then chances are it can be a part of the IoT. The analyst firm Gartner says that by 2020 there will be over 26 billion connected devices... That's a lot of connections (some even estimate this number to be much higher, over 100 billion). The IoT is a giant network of connected "things" (which also includes people). The relationship will be between people-people, people-things, and things-things.

Manage Time and Attendance

Tablets offer a unique way for employees and supervisors to manage routine tasks like tracking time sheets and attendance. Tablets are obviously portable, making it easy for supervisors to connect employee attendance with cloud-based tracking tools. Tablets are also simple to use when getting multiple employees to clock in, track time on a project, approve time sheets, sign forms and more.

Assist With Benefits Enrollment

Tablets offer organizations an ideal way to easily share complex information with multiple people at various locations, such as during annual open enrollment when employees sign up for benefits. Tablets are easy to pass around a table to show employees their benefits options, serving as a more engaging brochure. HR professionals can use tablets to answer employee questions about benefits, explain features of various benefit plans and even get employees enrolled with one shared device — while preserving each individual employee's confidentiality as needed.

Benefits of NFC for Improved Customer Service

Taking the hassle out of paying at the store seems to be NFC's driving force. Creating faster, more efficient ways to get through the checkout line is a goal of any company, and NFC card readers offer this service to customers. In addition to payment systems, NFC can be used to help customers find information. By placing NFC tags in product displays, a customer can wave his smartphone over it to learn more about a product or service that catches his interest.In addition to cutting down on wait times -- something every customer appreciates -- NFC would allow customers to pre-load coupons into their smartphone or collect store reward points automatically. Having everything in one place means a customer never misses an opportunity for savings because he forgot a coupon or his rewards card at home. Cashiers no longer have to scan separate coupons or type in complex discounts, thus cutting customer wait time down even further.Whether you work at a large corporation, run a small business, or fund a non-profit organization, NFC technology has several benefits that can help you with time management, employee tracking, and customer satisfaction. As the technology grows, more merchants will find themselves moving toward NFC technology for completing their transactions.

2. The chatbot won't make you wait

The concept of on-hold music is a friction point in customer service. With chatbots, you no longer have to wait for the next agent. Devine is proud that WorkFusion has seen its "Intelligent Conversational Agents" (as in chatbots) provide a five-fold increase in service center capacity.

What an intranet is used for in business

There are any number of reasons why a business might want to implement an intranet system - improve communications, team working, organization, workflows, efficiencies. Very often wanting to take advantage of an intranet could be down to one particular reason, such as boosting collaboration between colleagues and teams, but businesses soon realize that it can be used for much, much more.

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HARDWARE USED BY ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS AND CONSUMER MARKET USERS?

There are enterprise-only headsets from the likes of DAQRI, but more and more we're seeing enterprise AR/VR applications running on consumer hardware. The same Microsoft HoloLens is being used by Honeywell to train technicians that's used by gamers to complete crucial missions, for example.

What are the major IoT Companies?

There are literally hundreds of companies linked to the Internet of Things, and the list should only expand in the coming years. Here are some of the major players that have stood out in the IoT to this point: Intel (INTC) Ericsson (ERIC) Microsoft (MSFT) Amazon (AMZN) Google (GOOGL) IBM (IBM) Cisco (CSCO) Verizon (VZ) AT&T (T) GE (GE) Fitbit (FIT) Garmin (GRMN) Honeywell (HON) BlackRock (BLK)

THE HARDWARE

There are many types of hardware used in AR, VR, and MR applications, including haptic suits and niche devices that allow the visually impaired to "see" with their tastebuds. However, for most consumer and enterprise applications, the hardware for virtual reality typically constitutes a headset, such as the HTC VIVE, Oculus Go, or Sony PlayStationVR. For AR and MR applications, the hardware may be an AR-enabled headset, a pair of AR glasses, a mobile device like a tablet, or a wearable like a smart watch. All major smartphone manufacturers are anticipating the growth of AR and many have begun equipping their latest models with components to support that growth, such as Snapdragon mobile processors and active depth sensing packages -- essentially mini-LiDAR. Apple and Google have jumped into the AR and MR race with dueling SDKs -- ARKitfrom Apple and ARCore from Google. In the future, we'll certainly see streamlined AR glasses, and likely contact lenses further down the line.

70% of marketers say interactive content is very effective at engaging their audiences.

Try some simple interactions during your next presentation and see for yourself.

What is augmented reality?

Unlike virtual reality, which seeks to immerse the user in a completely virtual environment, augmented reality enhances the real world using digitally produced perceptual overlays. HISTORY The first head-mounted AR display was created at Harvard in 1968, but it wasn't until 2008 that AR saw its first commercial application in the form of a BMW magazine ad that allowed users to hold a printed page in front of a computer camera to produce an on-screen image. Since then, augmented reality has been a mainstay of marketers in the form of QR codesthat unlock AR content. Early AR applications for smartphones and personal computers targeted consumers by allowing them to do things like try on products. However, the technology's first breakout consumer successes have come in gaming, starting with Pokemon Go. Though still early in the adoption phase, augmented reality is expected to have a massive impact on daily life through a variety of consumer and enterprise applications, with some predicting AR technologies will be more pervasive and important than the internet. WHAT ABOUT MIXED REALITY? Mixed reality refers to a kind of augmented reality in which graphical visualizations are projected so as to appear as though they're interacting with the real world. An oft-cited example is Magic Leap's visualization of a 3D whale jumping out of a gymnasium floor, an effect made possible thanks to augmented reality headsets worn by the viewers.

What is virtual reality?

Virtual reality is a broad term for a multi-sensory computer-generated experience that allows users to both experience and interact with a simulated environment. By the 1990s, virtual reality was a mainstay of popular culture thanks to movies like The Lawnmower Man (1992) and early gaming headsets from Sega and Nintendo. Today, commercially available virtual reality headsets incorporate features such as haptics, motion and location sensing, and high-res 3D graphical displays that come close to real-world visual fidelity. Major players like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook are heavily invested in the technology. According to the Virtual Reality Society, the technology has thematic roots in the stereoscopic viewers of the 19th century. Decades of research into immersive (albeit non-interactive) cinema gave way, in the 1960s, to early experiments in what were then called "artificial environments," primitive computer-generated worlds users could actually navigate.

In a study of Prezi vs. PowerPoint, Prezi was:

+12.5% More organized +16.4% More engaging +21.9% More persuasive +25.3% More effective

The Internet of Things: Top 5 Astounding Innovations

1) Amazon Echo 2) Google Home 3) Ecobee 4) Neurio 5) Ring

3 ways for businesses to embrace AI and not lose the human touch

1) Empower employees to be more human at work 2) Redistribute decision making between robots and humans 3) Use machines to foster customer intimacy

5 Business Uses Of Virtual Reality

1) Training 2) Retail 3) Construction 4) Data visualization 5) Manufacture

Four Patterns of Businesses Using AI

1) the use of virtual agents by an organization 2) notion of ambient computing opportunity 3) notion of AI assisting professionals 4) notion of autonomous systems

Our brains are hardwired for specific types of content.

1) visual 2) stories 3) interactions

AI And Chatbots Are Transforming The Customer Experience

1. The chatbot never sleeps 2. The chatbot won't make you wait 3. Personalizing the customer experience 4. Chatbots make friends and build relationships

Now, given the right data, machines are going to outperform humans at tasks like this. A teacher might read 10,000 essays over a 40-year career. An ophthalmologist might see 50,000 eyes.

A machine can read millions of essays or see millions of eyes within minutes. We have no chance of competing against machines on frequent, high-volume tasks. But there are things we can do that machines can't do. Where machines have made very little progress is in tackling novel situations. They can't handle things they haven't seen many times before. The fundamental limitations of machine learning is that it needs to learn from large volumes of past data. Now, humans don't. We have the ability to connect seemingly disparate threads to solve problems we've never seen before. Percy Spencer was a physicist working on radar during World War II, when he noticed the magnetron was melting his chocolate bar. He was able to connect his understanding of electromagnetic radiation with his knowledge of cooking in order to invent -- any guesses? -- the microwave oven. Now, this is a particularly remarkable example of creativity. But this sort of cross-pollination happens for each of us in small ways thousands of times per day. Machines cannot compete with us when it comes to tackling novel situations, and this puts a fundamental limit on the human tasks that machines will automate.

3. Use machines to foster customer intimacy

AI, and machine learning in particular, also enable companies to foster personalized brand experiences that result in more intimate customer relationships. And it's worth it — 91% of customers are more likely to remain loyal to a company that provides them with relevant, personalized offers and recommendations, and 83% are willing to share their data just to get this experience, according to Accenture. These are the kind of right-thing-right-time moments, like when LinkedIn surfaces a dream job in your area as soon you begin looking for a new role, or when Amazon recommends just the product you need before you even knew it existed. Even your Spotify Discover Weekly playlist introduces you to a new favorite song or artist. Personalized experiences like these, that help users get better deals, save them time, or provide new information, and that make the purchase process easier or less confusing have the highest impact on customers, according to Gartner. But personalization is easy to get wrong, which is why consumers get email offers for products they've already purchased or continuously see ads on social media for things they're no longer interested in. Much worse is when personalization starts to feel invasive or offensive, as in the story of when Target accidentally exposed a pregnant teen to her father. To avoid embarrassing hiccups when it comes to personalization and AI, businesses should foster a human-machine feedback loop. AI isn't magic — it's subject to 'garbage in, garbage out,' which requires human analysts to interpret data thoughtfully and contextually before feeding it to machines, and to evaluate the implications of the output of that data.

Collaboration

AR can erase the barriers when it comes to international business. It can help with translation, if you meet a colleague overseas, and create a common space even if you are thousands miles away from each other. You'll be able to record the whole meeting to return to it later, and save everything written on the virtual whiteboards. The possibilities of AR are nearly endless. They will enter almost every sphere of our life beginning with social media and ending with ecommerce. However, it will go far beyond that, and soon we'll see many amazing AR apps. If you want to become one of those entrepreneurs and you have some augmented reality startup ideas about the way we educate students, sell products or meet new people, contact a development team that will be able to make your ideas come to life.

Maps and Tourism

AR can give more information on all places you want to visit, and maps combined with an AR guide can bring you a great experience in city exploration. Museums can also put this technology to their advantage, by telling their visitors more about the items they see and bringing them to life.

What is the Internet of Things ecosystem?

All the components that enable businesses, governments, and consumers to connect to their IoT devices, including remotes, dashboards, networks, gateways, analytics, data storage, and security is part of the Internet of Things ecosystem.

Landscaping

An augmented reality application can help with landscaping as well. Just like you can put virtual furniture into your apartment to see how it will look, you'll be able to place objects outside before you build anything there. You can also make measurements without needing a tape-measure, and automatically calculate the cost of your work.

The business guide to AR and VR: Everything you need to know

An executive guide to the technology and market drivers behind the hype in augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality. Overhyped by some, drastically underestimated by others, few emerging technologies have generated the digital ink like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). Still lumbering through the novelty phase and roller coaster-like hype cycles, the technologies are only just beginning to show signs of real world usefulness with a new generation of hardware and software applications aimed at the enterprise and at end users like you. On the line is what could grow to be a $160 billion AR/VR industry as soon as 2023. Here's what you need to know.

Data Visualization

Analytics and statistics is very hard to understand without visualization. That's why we have those pie-charts, tables and infographics - all this helps us see the information and present not only pure numbers, but something more visual. AR can be a great help when it comes to showing data and sharing it among people. Business needs this, because it is all about interaction between people and exchanging information. So why not add another dimension to your data and bring it to life?

IoT Security & Privacy

As devices become more connected thanks to the IoT, security and privacy have become the primary concern among consumers and businesses — but it's not slowing IoT adoption. However as more connected devices pop up around the globe, cyber attacks are also a growing threat. Hackers could penetrate connected cars, critical infrastructure, and even people's homes. As a result, several tech companies are focusing on cyber security in order to secure the privacy and safety of all this data. The Internet of Things (IoT) is powering transformation for enterprises, consumers, and governments. Emerging tools and technologies like smart speakers, machine learning, and 5G are enabling huge gains to efficiency and more control at home and in the workplace. The continued growth of the IoT industry is going to be a transformative force across all organizations. By integrating all of our modern day devices with internet connectivity, the IoT market is on pace to grow to over $3 trillion annually by 2026. Business Insider Intelligence is keeping its finger on the pulse of this ongoing revolution by conducting our third annual Global IoT Executive Survey, which provides us with critical insights on the most pivotal new developments within the IoT and explains how top-level perspectives are changing year to year. Our survey includes nearly 400 responses from key executives around the world, including C-suite and director-level respondents. Through this exclusive study and in-depth research into the field, Business Insider Intelligence details the components that make up the IoT ecosystem. We size the IoT market and use exclusive data to identify key trends in the connected devices sector. And we profile the enterprise, governmental, and consumer IoT segments individually, drilling down into the drivers and characteristics that are shaping each market.

How can this help you create more engaging, persuasive, and memorable presentations?

Be more engaging. In this on-demand age of smartphones and ubiquitous wi-fi, presenters have to fight harder than ever to grab and keep their audience's attention. Visuals are more engaging—and work faster—than words. It only takes about 1/4 second for the human brain to process and attach meaning to a symbol. By comparison, it takes us an average of 6 seconds to read 20-25 words.

We project that there will be more than 64 billion IoT devices by 2025, up from about 10 billion in 2018.

Blockchain within the IoT is still generally the provenance of startups, and they're populating the marketplace with products that take advantage of the technology's characteristics. It's not going to upend the IoT, despite the technology's much-ballyhooed potential. And respondents to our survey of IoT providers seem, for the most part, to understand this. Just a small percentage think that blockchain will become a universal standard in the IoT. The vast majority said that blockchain will either be a tool that most companies employ at times, or a niche product that only certain solutions use. Lightning-fast 5G networks will change how telecommunications shapes business and will also offer new and transformative possibilities in the IoT space. The new standard will further increase the appeal of cellular solutions in the areas where it's available. And that's why nearly half of IoT providers said they're planning to introduce support for 5G networks to their solutions within the next two years. The report highlights the opinions and experiences of IoT decision-makers on topics that include: drivers for adoption; major challenges and pain points; deployment and maturity of IoT implementations; investment in and utilization of devices; the decision-making process; and forward- looking plans.

IoT Predictions, Trends, and Market

Business Insider Intelligence forecasts that there will be more than 64 billion IoT devices installed around the world by 2026. Additionally, companies and consumers will spend nearly $15 trillion on IoT devices, solutions, and supporting systems from 2018 through 2026. Connected to the internet and equipped with sensors, these devices power much of the developing data-based economy and bridge the divide between the physical and digital worlds.

1. The chatbot never sleeps

Customer service is all about convenience, which includes 24/7 customer support. A cost-efficient, yet powerful way to provide basic support is through the never-sleeping chatbot. Devine shared an excellent example of this. In the banking industry, Workfusion's chatbots are trained by using historical conversations and can perform some of the same tasks as a live support center rep such as correcting an invoice, answering basic questions about account balances and more. Customers receive the same level of service they would get from the support rep. The chatbot can recognize human emotions such as anger, confusion, fear and joy. And, as mentioned above, if the chatbot detects that the customer is angry, upset or frustrated, it will seamlessly transfer the interaction to a human to take over and finish assisting the customer.

Data visualization

Data visualisation has come a long way since the days of the pie chart. Augmented and Virtual Reality make it possible to display data in 3D displays, which can then be interacted with in a dynamic manner. Founded in 2016, US company Virtualitics have created a virtual platform which merges Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Mixed Reality to offer detailed and engaging data visualisation techniques. In the Virtualitics platform, users view, analyse, and work collaboratively on their data in their own VR space. Such a customisable approach makes sure that data analytics fulfils the needs of individual businesses. The innovative presentation of data through VR is an important step in discovering insights into business operations and finding potential outliers which need to be addressed.

Ecobee

Ecobee offers a great smart thermostat that, thanks to the innovations in the Internet of Things, can do a lot more than control the temperature. It uses a built-in Amazon Alexa program so that you can control the temperature with your voice, get the latest news, and control other parts of your smart home. Ecobee also makes a smart light switch that utilizes Alexa so that you can turn on the lights with your voice. In fact, their suite of technologies is built on the idea of hands-free living. This is a principal motivating factor for the Internet of Things.

Maps have been around for millennia and diagrams for hundreds of years, but representing quantities through graphics is a relatively new development. It wasn't until 1786 that William Playfair invented the first bar chart, giving birth to visual display of quantitative information.

Fifteen years later, he introduced the first pie and area charts. His inventions are still the most commonly used chart forms today. Florence Nightingale invented the coxcomb in 1857 for a presentation to Queen Victoria on troop mortality. Highlighted in blue, she showed how most troops' deaths could have been prevented. Shortly after, Charles Minard charted Napoleon's march on Moscow, illustrating how an army of 422,000 dwindled to just 10,000 as battles, geography and freezing temperatures took their toll. He combined a Sankey diagram with cartography and a line chart for temperature. I get excited when I get lots of data to play with, especially when it yields an interesting chart form. Here, Nightingale's coxcomb was the inspiration to organize data on thousands of federal energy subsidies, scrutinizing the lack of investment in renewables over fossil fuels. This Sankey diagram illustrates the flow of energy through the US economy, emphasizing how nearly half of the energy used is lost as waste heat. I love it when data can be sculpted into beautiful shapes. Here, the personal and professional connections of the women of Silicon Valley can be woven into arcs, same as the collaboration of inventors birthing patents across the globe can be mapped.

If you train an algorithm with data where you want to the machine to figure out the patterns, then it's unsupervised learning.

For example, you might want to feed the data about celestial objects in the universe and expect the machine tom come up with patterns in the data by itself. If you give any algorithm a goal and expect the machine through trial and error to achieve that goal, then it's called reinforcement learning. A robot's attempt to climb over the wall until it succeeds is an example of that.

Simplicity is often the goal for most graphics, but sometimes we need to embrace complexity and show large data sets in their full glory. Alec Gallup, the former chairman of the Gallup Organization, once handed me a very thick book. It was his family's legacy: hundreds of pages covering six decades of presidential approval data.

I told him the entire book could be graphed on a single page. "Impossible," he said. And here it is: 25,000 data points on a single page. At a glance, one sees that most presidents start with a high approval rating, but few keep it. Events like wars initially boost approval; scandals trigger declines. These major events were annotated in the graphic but not in the book. The point is, graphics can transmit data with incredible efficiency. Graphicacy -- the ability to read and write graphics -- is still in its infancy. New chart forms will emerge and specialized dialects will evolve. Graphics that help us think faster or see a book's worth of information on a single page are the key to unlocking new discoveries. Our visual cortex was built to decode complex information and is a master at pattern recognition. Graphicacy enables us to harness our built-in GPU to process mountains of data and find the veins of gold hiding within.

Education

Imagine, how interesting the lessons would get, if teachers used AR technologies to explain some historic events. How exciting would any boring subjects became with an ability to see them live. Schools are already going digital, using computers and mobile apps at their lessons. Think about what they could do with AR. For example, students could wander around a human cell or see a 3D galaxy on the screens of their smartphones or tablets. Science, history, biology - everything can lighten up with the help of AR.

So this is my niece. Her name is Yahli. She is nine months old. Her mum is a doctor, and her dad is a lawyer. By the time Yahli goes to college, the jobs her parents do are going to look dramatically different.

In 2013, researchers at Oxford University did a study on the future of work. They concluded that almost one in every two jobs have a high risk of being automated by machines. Machine learning is the technology that's responsible for most of this disruption. It's the most powerful branch of artificial intelligence. It allows machines to learn from data and mimic some of the things that humans can do. My company, Kaggle, operates on the cutting edge of machine learning. We bring together hundreds of thousands of experts to solve important problems for industry and academia. This gives us a unique perspective on what machines can do, what they can't do and what jobs they might automate or threaten. Machine learning started making its way into industry in the early '90s. It started with relatively simple tasks. It started with things like assessing credit risk from loan applications, sorting the mail by reading handwritten characters from zip codes. Over the past few years, we have made dramatic breakthroughs. Machine learning is now capable of far, far more complex tasks. In 2012, Kaggle challenged its community to build an algorithm that could grade high-school essays. The winning algorithms were able to match the grades given by human teachers. Last year, we issued an even more difficult challenge. Can you take images of the eye and diagnose an eye disease called diabetic retinopathy? Again, the winning algorithms were able to match the diagnoses given by human ophthalmologists.

Google Home

In a similar fashion to the Echo, the Google Home is a comprehensive smart assistant that is capable of a lot even though it's little. It also has a great price point and has nearly unlimited potential. What sets it apart, however, is its google voice and search integration. Due to this merging of technologies, the Google Home is capable of researching topics and giving the best results to your queries. It also boasts the google voice which is one of the strongest voice recognition software platforms on the market.

How Artificial Intelligence Is Making Chatbots Better For Businesses

Just a few short years ago, having "conversations" in human languages with machines was pretty much universally a frustratingly comedic process. Today that has changed. While natural language processing (NLP) and recognition is far from perfect, thanks to machine learning algorithms it's getting increasingly closer to a point where it will be harder to tell whether we are talking to a human or a computer. Business has capitalized on this, with increasing numbers of chatbots deployed, usually in customer service functions but increasingly in internal processes and to assist in training. At ICLR 2018 in Vancouver, Salesforce's chief scientist, Richard Socher, presented seven breakthrough pieces of research covering practical advances in NLP including summarization, machine translation and question answering. He told me "NLP is going to be incredibly important for business - it is going to fundamentally change how we provide services, how we understand sales processes and how we do marketing. "Particularly on social media, you need NLP to understand the sentiment around your marketing messages and how people perceive your brand." Of course, this raises some issues, and one of the most glaring is, do people really want to talk to machines? From a business point of view it makes sense - it's incalculably cheaper to carry on 1,000 simultaneous customer service conversations with a machine than with the giant human call center which would be needed to do the same job.

I've even made charts for me. I'm a numbers person, so I rarely win at Scrabble. I made this diagram to remember all the two- and three-letter words in the official Scrabble dictionary.

Knowing these 1,168 words certainly is a game changer. Sometimes I produce code to quickly generate graphics from thousands of data points. Coding also enables me to produce interactive graphics. Now we can navigate information on our own terms. Exotic chart forms certainly look cool, but something as simple as a little dot may be all you need to solve a particular thinking task. In 2006, the "New York Times" redesigned their "Markets" section, cutting it down from eight pages of stock listings to just one and a half pages of essential market data. We listed performance metrics for the most common stocks, but I wanted to help investors see how the stocks are doing. So I added a simple little dot to show the current price relative to its one-year range. At a glance, value investors can pick out stocks trading near their lows by looking for dots to the left. Momentum investors can find stocks on an upward trajectory via dots to the right. Shortly after, the "Wall Street Journal" copied the design.

2. Redistribute decision making between robots and humans

Many companies are already using AI to uplevel their automation game, but some are taking it a step further — combining AI's predictive capabilities with human judgment to drive smarter decision making. Mike Rollings, research vice president at Gartner, states: "Rather than have a machine replicating the steps that a human performs to reach a particular judgment, the entire decision process can be refactored to use the relative strengths and weaknesses of both machine and human to maximize value generation and redistribute decision making to increase agility." One such strength of AI is its ability to spot trends that humans can't see. Whereas traditional computer algorithms require human developers to set rules that inform its output, machine learning, a type of AI, and a subset, deep learning, are capable of learning on their own. These machines parse data, learn from it, and get progressively better over time. The result is algorithms that can apply what they learn to make strikingly accurate and fast predictions, opening the door to a new kind of machine-aided decision-making process. For example,customer service agents, such as those at Pinterest, are using machine learning to predict customer satisfaction during an interaction, before the customer takes a satisfaction survey. This helps agents prioritize customer concerns and enables them to make more informed decisions to proactively ensure positive outcomes. Companies are using AI to improve decision making when it comes to self-service, too. For instance, if a rising number of customers are asking questions about a new software update, machines can proactively flag this trend and suggest help article topics that meet customers' needs. Recruiters and hiring managers are also taking a bite of the machine-learning cake, using it to reduce unconscious biases and make more diverse and inclusive hiring decisions. That's because machine learning algorithms can be programmed to predict high-quality candidates without considering demographic information, such as gender, race, or area codes that correlate with income. Doctors are using machine learning to predict a patient's length of stay in the hospital, probability of in-hospital death,and to suggest medicines to help them decide the best treatments. Where humans come into the decision-making process is by ensuring that AI remains transparent, which requires developing an understanding of how AI is making its predictions. For instance, since AI learns from patterns in previous behavior, robot recruiters can still learn to replicate our own biases, even if we attempted to control them. Of course, for AI to truly help us make decisions, we need to trust it. As such, it's imperative that our understanding of machines scales to ensure that AI remains explainable, auditable, and fair.

Painting Apps

Measuring walls and objects isn't the only thing augmented reality is capable for when it comes to interior. It can also paint walls in a certain color and show how the room will work with a painting on the wall. Such apps should also be able to calculate the materials needed and labor costs.

Medicine

Medical apps are trending right now, being the second most popular kind of application after games for smartphones. AR can provide additional possibilities to users of medical applications: the doctors will be able to see a 3D image of an MRI while talking to patients or analysing their movements.

4. Chatbots make friends and build relationships

Most companies wish their agents had more time to make outbound, proactive contact with their customers. Chatbots are there to help, and in some ways, they are revolutionizing the way brands stay in touch with their customers. Whether it's a simple email or text on a customer's birthday, or a quick check-in to ask if they are enjoying the brand's product or service, chatbots are helping to foster brand loyalty. Devine says, "This may sound counterintuitive, but the most sophisticated chatbots can provide a more human experience than an actual human. They don't have bad days and they don't get frustrated by typical customers." Studies and reports show that customers want quick, frictionless solutions to their problems and answers to their questions. No doubt there are acceptance issues for AI and chatbots. Some customers have always used traditional phone support and have a hard time accepting anything else. But, there is a growing contingent of customers who are increasingly open to new technology, especially if it can enhance their CX. As the technology improves and acceptance grows, chatbots, powered by AI, will have a strong role in customer service and support.

Neurio

Neurio is a smart home device for those who wish to know everything about their house's energy usage down to the last detail. They use in-depth energy analytics to break down precisely where and how your energy is being used so that you can optimize your home's energy output. Neurio uses data collection to constantly update and provide accurate energy readings. Ultimately, their goal is to make a world where everyone is in control of his or her energy usage, output, and sale. The best part is that this analytics can be observed and managed through their smartphone application.

Be more memorable

Neuroscientists and psychologists have known for years that the way a message is delivered can help make it easier to recall. We tend to recall things in terms of spatial relationships. For example, think of what's in your kitchen. Chances are you mentally "looked" around your own kitchen at home and recalled where objects sit in relation to each other, rather than created a mental bullet-list of items. Using spatial relationships Memory champion Nelson Dellis remembers complex lists by picturing the various items in different locations within his home. Get creative! "The brain works better in pictures. A lot of the information we encounter every day is abstract. If you associate it with a picture, it's easier for the brain to latch onto." - Nelson Dellis, Memory Champion

What are IoT Platforms?

One IoT device connects to another to transmit information using Internet transfer protocols. IoT platforms serve as the bridge between the devices' sensors and the data networks. The following are some of the top IoT platforms on the market today: Amazon Web Services Microsoft Azure ThingWorx IoT Platform IBM's Watson Cisco IoT Cloud Connect Salesforce IoT Cloud Oracle Integrated Cloud GE Predix

As you see there are two ways AI works

One is symbolic based and another is data based. For the data based side, called machine learning, we need to feed the machine lots of data before it can learn. For example, if you had lots of data for sales versus advertising send, you can plot that data to see some kind of pattern. If the machine can learn this pattern, then it can make predictions based on what it has learned. While one or two or even three dimensions is for humans to understand and learn, machines can learn in many more dimension, like even hundreds or thousands. That's why machines can look at lots of high dimensional data and determine patterns. Once it learns these patterns, it can make predictions that humans can't even come close to. We can use all these machine learning techniques to do one of two things: classification or prediction. As an example, when you use some information about customers to assign new customers to a group, like young adults, then you are classifying that customer. If you use data to predict if they're likely to defect to a competitor, then you're making a prediction. There is another way to think about learning algorithms used for AI. If you train an algorithm with data that also contains the answer, then it's called supervised learning. For example, when you train a machine to recognize your friends by name, you'll need to identify them for the computer.

What other techniques can you use to be more memorable?

Picture superiority effect Ideas presented graphically are easier to comprehend and remember than those presented as words. Memorable interactions Twice as many consumers say interactive content is more memorable than static.

Retail

Retail offers some of the most explicitly commercial applications of VR. In brick and mortar shops, VR heat mapping technology such as that from Yulio VR tracks a shopper's gaze in store, providing a detailed pattern of which areas or products attract their attention. This enables retailers to test and refine their displays, signage and store layout to maximise consumer experience and spending. VR also enables shoppers to explore products in a life like way. In 2016 Ikea launched its Virtual Reality Kitchen Experience in Australia to help customers discover kitchen features and imagine how they would feel in their own home. According to a 2017 survey by L.E.K. Consulting, around 70 per cent of early tech adopters were eager to use AR and VR technology for shopping purposes. VR stores are never crowded, have highly attentive assistants, and facilitate a highly personalised shopping experience.

Ring

Ring is an advanced, multi-purpose IoT device that brings cameras and microphones to every doorbell system. In contrast to traditional doorbells, Ring uses state-of-the-art technology to make your doorbell smarter and your front door safer. Their recent forays into security have made them a power player in the home security game. Ring uses an optimized web application on your smartphone to coordinate all of your connected security devices and allows you to monitor your home wherever you are. This means that you can bring your home with you wherever you go and constantly monitor the safety of your property. This IoT innovation is an incredible signal of how fast technology is evolving and how it is changing our lives.

What are some other ways to make your presentations more persuasive?

Seeing is believing. Presentations using visual aids were 43% more persuasive than those without. "Include me!" The top 2 habits of successful sales people, according to their customers: 1. They educate me with new ideas or perspectives. 2. They make me feel like we're collaborating. By making your audience feel like you're working together toward a common goal, you build trust and rapport.

Sports Apps

Sports fans are probably the most passionate and dedicated people when it comes to their hobby. Some of them like to enjoy the game in person, supporting their favorite team at the stadium, while others prefer to watch the game from the screen, when the best moments are replayed and commented. With AR fans will be able to get statistics and see the ball trajectory and its speed right at the stadium.

A Simple Explanation Of 'The Internet Of Things'

The "Internet of things" (IoT) is becoming an increasingly growing topic of conversation both in the workplace and outside of it. It's a concept that not only has the potential to impact how we live but also how we work. But what exactly is the "Internet of things" and what impact is it going to have on you, if any? There are a lot of complexities around the "Internet of things" but I want to stick to the basics. Lots of technical and policy-related conversations are being had but many people are still just trying to grasp the foundation of what the heck these conversations are about. Broadband Internet is become more widely available, the cost of connecting is decreasing, more devices are being created with Wi-Fi capabilities and sensors built into them, technology costs are going down, and smartphone penetration is sky-rocketing. All of these things are creating a "perfect storm" for the IoT.

Amazon Echo

The Echo is the flagship smart assistant model for Amazon. It has an impossibly wide array of features and can be utilized in almost every part of your life. For home, the Echo acts as sort of a central hub. It can control your thermostat, alarm system, and order groceries for you at the drop of a hat. If you have full smart home integration then you can use the Echo as a command center for all of your smart products. It has a great price point and its functionality makes it one of the best on the market. Of course, its Amazon shopping integration doesn't hurt either.

Conclusion

The Internet of Things is truly an exciting technology. Imagine a world where every single object in your home was constantly connecting to the internet, communicating with other objects in your home, and gathering important data about its own usage. This kind of tech, when adopted by homeowners and business owners, could reshape how we interact with everything. For the home aspect of life, the Internet of Things will have you prepared for anything. The slow and eventual evolution of internet technologies has given us a suite of devices that can be entirely controlled by our phones with ease. Smart refrigerators, thermostats, and assistants make navigating the trivialities of life much more entertaining. The same can be applied to our work lives as this technological revolution continues its volley on our senses. The progress of this tech allows us to have our own personal assistants, shoppers, and butlers. Ultimately, the Internet of Things is about improving the quality of life for everyone on the planet. The use of wireless communication technologies will open doors that were previously closed as millions will get access to information and people that they could never reach before. If there is any technology to watch out for it's the Internet of Things.

What is the Internet of Things?

The Internet of Things, commonly abbreviated as IoT, refers to the connection of devices (other than typical fare such as computers and smartphones) to the Internet. Cars, kitchen appliances, and even heart monitors can all be connected through the IoT. And as the Internet of Things grows in the next few years, more devices will join that list. We've compiled a beginner's guide of IoT terms and questions to help you navigate the increasingly connected world.

Shopping

The biggest problem with buying furniture is that you have almost no idea how it will actually fit into your interior. This is why people hire visual designers who can show the whole picture. With an AR app you'll be able to place any piece of furniture into your apartment without needing to bring it there physically. IKEA has already made one of the augmented reality ideas come to life when they released their augmented reality application that allows you to do that. It can even scale the furniture and change colors, so you can choose that perfect sofa for your living room.

Now let's talk about the human brain

The human brain is a network of neurons and we use these to learn things if we can replicate the structure and the function of the human brain we might be able to get cognitive capabilities in machines. This is the field of neural networks. If these networks are more complex and deeper and we use those to learn complex things, that is the field of deep learning. There are different types of deep learning in machines, which are essentially different techniques to replicate what the human brain does. If we get the network to scan images from left to right, top to bottom, it's a convolution neural network (CNN). A CNN is used to recognize objects in a scene. This is how computer vision fits in, and object recognition is accomplished through AI. Humans can remember the past, like what you had for dinner last night. We can get a neural network to remember a limited past. This is a recurrent neural network.

networks

The internet communication layer that enables the entity to communicate with their device, and sometimes enables devices to communicate with each other.

How Does This Impact You?

The new rule for the future is going to be, "Anything that can be connected, will be connected." But why on earth would you want so many connected devices talking to each other? There are many examples for what this might look like or what the potential value might be. Say for example you are on your way to a meeting; your car could have access to your calendar and already know the best route to take. If the traffic is heavy your car might send a text to the other party notifying them that you will be late. What if your alarm clock wakes up you at 6 a.m. and then notifies your coffee maker to start brewing coffee for you? What if your office equipment knew when it was running low on supplies and automatically re-ordered more? What if the wearable device you used in the workplace could tell you when and where you were most active and productive and shared that information with other devices that you used while working? On a broader scale, the IoT can be applied to things like transportation networks: "smart cities" which can help us reduce waste and improve efficiency for things such as energy use; this helping us understand and improve how we work and live. Take a look at the visual below to see what something like that can look like.

Construction

The use of Virtual Reality in construction has a host of benefits. VR platforms such as those provided by Iris VR enable architects to walk clients through their designs before they have been built, supplying vital opportunities for feedback and alteration. The ability to explore construction plans in 1:1 scale through VR also bridges the gap between the real world and a designer's imagination - letting them visualise the full scale effect of their designs. Virtual Reality portfolios have also evolved as a way for architects to showcase their work to prospective clients. New technology makes it easy to turn paper plans into 3D computer models, and then into immersive VR simulations. Exploring building designs through VR helps potential clients to better understand an architect's work.

the use of virtual agents by an organization

They can be used internally and externally.

application layer

This includes the protocols and interfaces that devices use to identify and communicate with each other.

The goal of AI

To create systems that function intelligently and independently. Humans can speak and listen to communicate through language. This is the field of speech recognition. Much of speech recognition is statistically based, hence, it's called statistical learning. Humans can write and read text in a language. This is the field of NLP or natural language processing. Humans can see with their eyes and process what they see. This is the field of computer vision. Computer vision falls under the symbolic way for computers to process information. Recently, there has been another way, which Ill come to later. Humans recognize the scene around them through their eyes, which create images of that world. This field of image processing, which even though is not directly related to AI, is required for computer vision. Humans can understand their environment and move around fluidly. This is the field of robotics. Humans have the ability to see patterns, such as grouping of like objects. This is the field of pattern recognition. Machines are even better at pattern recognition because they can use more data and dimensions of data. This is the field of machine learning.

Ask a new question

We should always ask ourselves whether AI is adding to an experience or detracting from it, whether we're talking about the customer or employee experience. But the question is no longer, "Should we use AI?" so much as "Where and how should we use AI?" to capitalize on our respective strengths and weaknesses, and to foster human-machine relationships that work better together.

So what does this mean for the future of work? The future state of any single job lies in the answer to a single question:

To what extent is that job reducible to frequent, high-volume tasks, and to what extent does it involve tackling novel situations? On frequent, high-volume tasks, machines are getting smarter and smarter. Today they grade essays. They diagnose certain diseases. Over coming years, they're going to conduct our audits, and they're going to read boilerplate from legal contracts. Accountants and lawyers are still needed. They're going to be needed for complex tax structuring, for pathbreaking litigation. But machines will shrink their ranks and make these jobs harder to come by. Now, as mentioned, machines are not making progress on novel situations. The copy behind a marketing campaign needs to grab consumers' attention. It has to stand out from the crowd. Business strategy means finding gaps in the market, things that nobody else is doing. It will be humans that are creating the copy behind our marketing campaigns, and it will be humans that are developing our business strategy. So Yahli, whatever you decide to do, let every day bring you a new challenge. If it does, then you will stay ahead of the machines.

Training

Training is one of the most important applications of VR. In 2017, Walmart partnered with Virtual Reality creator Strivr, to prepare employees for its Black Friday sales. Immersing employees in a lifelike environment of long queues and crowds is the perfect way to prepare them for events which are not an everyday occurrence. It also removes the need to disturb normal business operations for training purposes. In a more individual example of VR training, Oculus VirtualSpeech helps users practice their public speaking skills in a simulated environment. Speakers can upload their presentation slides to the virtual room, experience distractions, and receive real time feedback on their delivery. In the medical sector, VR enables healthcare professionals to practice in a risk free environment that would be impossible in the real world. Oculus worked with the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) to train staff for high risk paediatric trauma cases.

interactions

Two-way conversations help "sync" our brains in a process called neural coupling.

But from a customer point of view, are they gaining anything?

Unless the service they receive is faster, more efficient and more useful, then they probably aren't. "I can't speak for all chatbot deployments in the world - there are some that aren't done very well," says Socher. "But in our case we've heard very positive feedback because when a bot correctly answers questions or fills your requirements it does it very, very fast." "In the end, users just want a quick answer, and originally people thought they wanted to talk to a person because the alternative was to go through a ten minute menu or to listen to ten options and then have to press a button - that's not fun and its not fast and efficient." Key to achieving this efficient use of NLP technology are the concepts of aggregation and augmentation. Rather than thinking of a conversation exclusively taking place between one human and one machine, AI and chatbots can be used to monitor and draw insights from every conversation and learn from them how to perform better in the next one. And augmentation means that the machine doesn't have to conduct the entire conversation. Chatbots can "step in" for routine tasks such as answering straightforward questions from an organization's knowledge base, or taking payment details. In other situations, the speed of real-time analytics available today means that bots can raise an alert when they detect, for example, a customer becoming irate - thanks to sentiment analytics - prompting a human operator to take over the chat or call. Summarization is another highly useful function of NLP, and one which is likely to be increasingly rolled out to chatbots. Internally, bots will be able to quickly digest, process and report business data when it is needed, and new recruits can quickly bring themselves up to speed. For customer-facing functions, customers can receive summarized answers to questions involving product and service lines, or technical support issues.

Augmented reality is one of the most exciting technologies that made its way into the mass market in the recent years.

Unlike virtual reality that creates a fully virtual environment around a user, augmented reality integrates virtual objects into existing surroundings. This makes it more interactive and real. Another great thing about AR is that you only need your smartphone to enjoy it - you won't need bulky and expensive VR headsets. This means, that AR has greater chances to become more widespread. That's why many startups are looking towards using augmented reality for business.

Manufacture

VR has an important role in the manufacturing industry due to its unique applications in the design and prototyping process. Manufacturers such as aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus use the technology to eliminate the need for expensive, full scale prototypes of their designs. Since 2007, Airbus has used VR technology RAMSIS (Realistic Anthropological Mathematical System) to simulate the interior design of cabins. With a particular focus on ergonomics, RAMSIS enables Airbus to maximise the space inside aircraft cabins and improve customer comfort, whilst at the same time monitoring factors such as ease of component maintenance and installation. In the small space of aircrafts, small changes can have large impacts. The immersive experience of VR helps manufacturers to take a comprehensive view on alterations, including important safety features such as the reachability of oxygen masks and life jackets.

Teleconference Apps

Visualizing is a very important part of any project, and AR is all about making things visual and allowing users to see them from all angles. AR can give your engineers an ability to place their prototype right on a boardroom table so that everyone can understand the subject matter. Similarly, with AR you can walk through a construction site and see the sections, colored to indicate when each phase will be finished. This would help engineers to bring their vision into other people's heads, which would make the interaction more productive and clear.

How can this affect your presentations?

We can't simultaneously read and listen. "When people think they're multitasking, they're actually just switching from one task to another very rapidly." - Earl Miller, MIT Neuroscientist We hear stats. We sense stories. Studies show metaphors and descriptive words activate our sensory cortices, engaging our brains more completely. This is easier to achieve when not focused on reading slides.

What are the industries affected by IoT?

While we can expect IoT to affect every industry one way or another, there are several environments within the three groups of consumers, governments, and ecosystems will benefit the greatest from the IoT. These include: Manufacturing Transportation Defense Agriculture Infrastructure Retail Logistics Banks Oil, gas, and mining Insurance Connected Homes & Smart Buildings Food Services Utilities Hospitality & Healthcare Smart Cities

The future of augmented reality

With the release of iOS 11 and its ARKit, augmented reality became even closer to a common smartphone user. ARCore from Google made augmented reality available for Android users as well. The projected growth of this market is impressive - by 2021 it is expected to grow up to $215B. However, it is difficult to make any predictions, as nobody knows for sure, how the augmented reality will look like in five or ten years. However, the potential it shows now is great, and big tech companies seem to believe that this technology will stay and evolve in the future. Facebook Apple, Google and other tech giants are releasing and improving their AR kits to make the development easier and cheaper. AR can become a great tool for any industry, however, gaming is the industry where it will be used more often. The massive success of Pokemon Go proved it to be true - it's probably the first thing that comes to mind when we think about augmented reality. In this article we will tell you about other ways to use this technology in a mobile app except for gaming and give you some augmented reality business ideas.

So you have your idea. You've done your research. And you've collected your data.

You're probably wondering what type of infographic design will best represent and communicate your information. As you think about your infographic design, consider these 7 common types of infographics. Number 1. The List infographic supports a claim through a series of steps. It is best used to support a specific claim or argument. Your list can go from top to bottom, left to right, or it can even move across your canvas! Number 2. The Comparison or Vs. Infographic compares two things in a head-to-head study. It is best used to highlight differences between two similar things or highlight similarities between two unlike things. It is also used to prove how one option is Superior or inferior to the other option. Number 3. The flowchart infographic provides a specific answer to reader choices. It is best used to provide personalized answers for readers or show how multiple situations can reach the same conclusion. Number 4. A visual article infographic makes a piece of writing more visual. It is best used to cut down on text or make an article more interesting and enjoyable to consume. It also increases sharing potential through social media. Number 5. The Map Infographic showcases data trends based on location. It is best used to compare places, culture, and people through setting centric data and demographics. Number 6. The timeline infographic tells a story through chronological flow. It is best used to show how something has changed over time or make a long, complicated story easier to understand. It can also show how one thing leads to another. Number 7. A Data visualization infographic communicates data through charts and graphs. It can even showcase data through design. It is best used to make data-driven arguments easier to understand and make facts or statistics more interesting to absorb. These are just a few of the most common types of infographics, but it's just enough to get you started on that next step of creating and designing your infographic!

For at least the foreseeable future, chatbots won't

be replacing humans in contact center jobs. At this point, chatbots will only replace some of the tasks that people are now handling - especially lower-level requests, questions and complaints. The best chatbot systems can recognize customer frustration and switch the interaction to a human in the company's support center. That said, chatbots are on their way to mainstream acceptance. Here are four ways AI and chatbots are creating a major impact in the customer service and CX world:

The reality is that the IoT allows for virtually endless opportunities and

connections to take place, many of which we can't even think of or fully understand the impact of today. It's not hard to see how and why the IoT is such a hot topic today; it certainly opens the door to a lot of opportunities but also to many challenges. Security is a big issue that is oftentimes brought up. With billions of devices being connected together, what can people do to make sure that their information stays secure? Will someone be able to hack into your toaster and thereby get access to your entire network? The IoT also opens up companies all over the world to more security threats. Then we have the issue of privacy and data sharing. This is a hot-button topic even today, so one can only imagine how the conversation and concerns will escalate when we are talking about many billions of devices being connected. Another issue that many companies specifically are going to be faced with is around the massive amounts of data that all of these devices are going to produce. Companies need to figure out a way to store, track, analyze and make sense of the vast amounts of data that will be generated. So what now? Conversations about the IoT are (and have been for several years) taking place all over the world as we seek to understand how this will impact our lives. We are also trying to understand what the many opportunities and challenges are going to be as more and more devices start to join the IoT. For now the best thing that we can do is educate ourselves about what the IoT is and the potential impacts that can be seen on how we work and live.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is

dramatically changing business, and chatbots, fueled by AI, are becoming a viable customer service channel. The best ones deliver a customer experience (CX) in which customers cannot tell if they are communicating with a human or a computer. AI has come a long way in recognizing the content - and context - of customers' requests and questions. Typically, customer service chatbots answer questions based on key words. The most basic systems are actually document retrieval systems. Sometimes this is frustrating. Think of the times you may have asked Siri or Alexa a question and received the wrong answer. The computer recognizes key words but may not recognize the context in which they are being used. In other words, the computer doesn't recognize the way people naturally speak. This causes the customer great frustration. However, these systems (including Siri and Alexa) have come a long way and continue to improve. Adam Devine is the CMO of WorkFusion, architects of AI-powered products that automate customer service functions as well as other business processes. According to Devine, "Adding natural language processes and machine learning changes everything, giving virtual customer assistants (VCAs) the ability to determine not just what rules-based action to take based on a word, but to understand the meaning of words in different combinations, ask questions to create context and intent, and actually do something for the customer."

The Internet of Things, or IoT, is

essentially a unified goal towards creating a completely connected world where devices and people can communicate in a moment's notice. The top tech businesses around the world are continually innovating and trying to come up with the next great connected device. In this article, we will examine some incredible Internet of Things technologies and how they are impacting the tech world.

Sway is an app for

expressing your ideas in an entirely new way across your devices. This video shows the direction Sway is heading in. Help shape that future by working closely with us while we continue building Sway during our Preview. Request an invite to join at www.Sway.com. Then tell us what you like, what you don't, and what you want to see change. We'll be listening closely.

notion of AI assisting professionals

helping finance do forecasting. help sales associate know how to better spend their time.

Chatbots are a form of

the 'intelligent assistant' technology which powers Siri or Google Assistant on your phone, or Cortana on your desktop. Generally though they are focused on one specific task within an organization. One study found that 40% of large businesses have implemented this technology in some form, or will have done so by the end of 2019. Among those, 46% said that NLP is used for voice to text dictation, 14% for customer services and 10% for other data analytics work. Chatbots are also increasingly ubiquitous in collaborative working environments such as Slack, where they can monitor conversations between teams and provide relevant facts or statistics at pertinent points in the conversation. In the future, chatbots will probably be able to take things even further and propose strategy and tactics for overcoming business problems. Socher tells me "They will probably be able to help us craft marketing messages, based on understanding of the language of all the things that have been successful in the past." Another example could be customer service bots which can allocate resources to dealing with customer cases based on the classification and sentiment analysis of the conversations they are having. As with all AI, development of NLP is far from a finished process and level of conversation we are able to have today will undoubtedly seem archaically stilted and unnatural in just a couple of years' time. But today, organizations are clearly becoming more comfortable with the idea of integrating chatbots and intelligent assistants into their processes, and confident that it will lead to improvements in efficiency and customer satisfaction.

We're all interacting with more intelligent machines than ever before

whether we're asking Siri to suggest the best sushi spots nearby or utilizing Tesla cars' self-driving features, or even consulting a robot lawyer to get us out of parking ticket fees. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) is only going in one direction. IDC expects worldwide spending on cognitive and AI systems to reach $97.9 billion in 2023 — that's two and a half times more than its $37.5 billion prediction for 2019. AI is no longer a new technology at the workplace. It's now table stakes and is being used across all aspects of our business. As a result, there tends to be a lot of discussion around the fear of robots kidnapping our careers. Yet according to Gartner, the reality is that AI will create more jobs than it will eliminate. That's because artificial intelligence requires human intelligence. For example, most AI on the market tends to be narrow, which means that it must solve a specific problem that humans choose for it, and operate within the predetermined goals that humans set — at least for now. Rather than implementing AI for its own sake, businesses will get the most value when employing augmented intelligence, which involves using AI to make humans happier, drive smarter decisions, and create better overall experiences. Here are three ways businesses can begin to foster a human-machine partnership.