IBM's Leonardo Da Vinci Prize, 1994

Author

Pierre A. I. Wijkman, pierre@dsv.su.se
Stockholm University and Royal Institute of Technology
Department of Computer and Systems Sciences
Forum 100, 164 40 Kista, Sweden

Competition

In 1994 I won the IBM's Leonardo Da Vinci Prize in a nation wide competition with over 3 000 competitors. The category won was "Vision" and the prize was $10 000.

Contribution: The future of computers

Relatively recently we used slide-rules and mechanical calculating machines. In these times authors in science fiction thought that the future within this area was some kind of motorised version of a slide-rule. Instead a whole new concept came, the pocket calculator. I think that we make a similar mistake today when we try to predict the future of computers. We are stuck with the idea of the future computer as some kind of interactive television. For me the future looks completely different. I think that the computer of the future will integrate a large number of different systems. The following is a short description of this integration. Let us call the proposed idea "the integrator".

Description of hardware

The integrator is connected to our five senses: vision, hearing, smelling, tasting and sensing. The basic idea with the integrator is that it can both produce and register sense data. The integrator looks like a pair of ordinary goggles and a pair of gloves:

• Vision: On the inside of the goggles is a mechanism that can produce pictures by sending laser beams directly to the retina. The resolution of these pictures is equal to the eyes maximal resolution. On the outside of the goggles is a large number of light sensitive sensors that can register the incoming light.
• Hearing: In the end of the goggles bow is a mechanism that is connected to the ears that can produce and register all possible sounds.
• Smell: In the nose are two mechanisms that can produce and register all possible smells.
• Taste: Under the upper lip is a mechanism that can produce and register all possible tastes.
• Sensing: On the hands are a mechanism in the form of two gloves that can produce and register pressure, heat and chill. Perhaps other body parts are included as well :-).

All these units are connected wirelessly to a coordination unit that can be placed in a pocket. This coordination unit have some limited processing power and an highly efficient sender and transmitter. The main processing power comes from a large number of connected computers on Internet.

Description of software

With this hardware a large set of new software can be constructed:

• Recording, replaying, categorizing and editing of sensory impressions.
• Communication with sensory impressions. Communicate total experiences between two integrator users. This will enable a totally new way of communication since current communication by speech and body language is very narrow in bandwidth and by using the integrator the receiver (close to) experience the other persons experience of some event.
• Combination of different users sensory impressions. With the information from several users, a four-dimensional model of previous, current and future realities can be built. A user can accordingly experience the reality at different places and/or times. Even future predictions can be experienced using some event model. Every user have the opportunity to make their previous or current sensory impressions open to the public. Perhaps something for crime prevention?
• Real-time-reality-transformation is a new concept that can be likened to a mix of virtual reality and actual reality. By such software you can enhance or suppress aspects of the received reality or add something completely new to the perceived reality. Some examples are:
  • Transformation of a rainy day to a beautiful day full of sunshine :-).
  • Transformation of an ugly view to a beautiful view.
  • Transformation of information for car-drivers:
    • Suppress some information while driving in a city.
    • Enhance some information while driving at night.
  • Transformation of an ugly partner to a beautiful sexy model :-).
• Steering of software with, for example, hand movements.
• User identification by laser scanning of the retina. No need for ID-card, driver license, pass port, money, telephone card, computer codes, keys, and so on.
• Sending (perhaps edited) personal information about it's user to other users.

Possible extensions are units that extend the capacity of human senses. Also a user could have an internal device that continually checks the body's status. With this device:

• A cancer or heart attach can be avoided by an early detection.
• A faulty diet can be detected and suggestions for correction can be made.
• A non optimal time for wake up in the morning can be avoided :-).

Comment 2002

Recently I read a paper in Scientific American about similar things.

Updated 2002-06-06 by Pierre A. I. Wijkman.