Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Online Magic Wardrobe From Accenture
The Magic Wardrobe, a research prototype developed by Accenture, is a piece of smart furniture that would allow people to use their actual wardrobe as a starting point in online shopping. It engages in silent commerce, working in the background to help you find the next thing you want.
Once you get over your intial disgust (particularly with respect to merchants knowing exactly what you have in your house), the study that is published along with the prototype has some interesting ideas.
(Magic Wardrobe goes online for accessories)
The general idea is that some sort of smart tags (like RFID tags or other easily scannable identifier) would let the wardrobe know everything that is in it, what color, what size, and so forth. The contents of the wardrobe, and how you arrange your clothes becomes an interface that lets you surf the web directly for products you want. It provides a context for merchants to present you with relevant items.
For example, you might be planning a date later in the week; you set out a pair of pants and a shirt. These act as an interface, telling the wardrobe you would like to complete the ensemble. It might suggest shoes, socks, belt, sweater, etc.
Frankly, I'm not particularly interested in the Magic Wardrobe, because I'm not that interested in fashion. But what if you used this idea elsewhere in your house? For example:
- You might be doing a report on, let's say, the history of Iraq. You put several books on your desk, along with a current newspaper. Your desk immediately grasps what you want to do, and starts suggesting more material, bringing up necessary documents.
- You might be trying to figure out what to do with a package of frozen peas and some left-over tofu or light cheese. Putting them on the kitchen counter activates the Magic interface, and the kitchen screen suggests Muttar Paneer for dinner.
- You are going on a camping trip. You assemble a tent, two backpacks and a coleman lantern. The back of your truck immediately begins reminding you about other items you've taken on past trips, and what you might need to purchase for this one.
Anyway, going back to the Magic Wardrobe, the most practical thing that it could do for me is put my clothes away (which it doesn't do). Science fiction writers agree; Philip K. Dick thought that a handicloset would be a good idea.
Read more about The Magic Online Wardrobe; they have a nice descriptive pdf that goes along with it.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 11/28/2006)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 1 )
Related News Stories - (" Culture ")
SensorWake Scent-Based Alarm Clock
'The odalarm awoke Jorj X. McKie with a whiff of lemon.' - Frank Herbert, 1977.
Ulm Sleep Pods For The Homeless
'The lid lifted and she crawled inside...' - Larry Niven, 2000.
Prophetic Offers Lucid Dreaming Halo With Morpheus-1 AI
''Leads trail away from insertion points on her face and wrist... to a lucid dreamer...' - Peter Watts, 1999.
Navajo Say Human Cremains On The Moon Is 'Desecration'
'Like all loonies, we conserve our dead...' - Robert Heinlein, 1966.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
SpaceX Wants A Moonbase Alpha
'And he had been sent with troops, supplies and bombs to command Russia's most trusted post, the Moonbase.'
Vast Apartment Living Will Get Even More Vast
'What is your population', I asked. 'About eighty millions.'
NASA Wants Self-Driving Or Remote-Controlled Vehicles For Lunar Astronauts
'THE autobus turned silently down the wide street of Hydropole. Robot-guided, insulated from noise and cold...'
Elon Musk Says Robotaxis Will Be Ready This August, 2024
'The car had no steering wheel, and no one drove!'
Moonwalkers AI-Controlled Electric Shoes
Now that's power walking that Hugo Gernsback would have approved.
Steve Jobs: 'Capture The Next Aristotle - With AI'
'It was disturbing to think of the Flatline as a construct...'
No Tips! Robotic Food Delivery In Phoenix
'...he rewired the delivery robot so that it would serve him midnight snacks.'
Electric Catamaran 'Explorer Eco 40m' Has 'Solar Skin'
'On went the electric-yacht faster and still faster.'
Orbital Mechanics, The Liftoff, The Turnover, The Retrograde Burn
'...the huge vessel had spun, with a sickening lurch, through a complete half-circle, the instant the power was reversed.'
Harvest Power From Tears And Blinking With Smart Contact Lens
'...he realized that it was not quite a clear lens. Speckles of colored brightness swirled and gathered in it.'
Europa Clipper Plate Carries A Special Message
'...a universal cryptogram — yet it is one which can be interpreted by any intelligent creature on any planet in the Solar System!'
Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
'With a whir, the Scarab shot from the concealing shadows of the corner where it had hidden itself.'
AI Enhances Images Your Brain Sees
'I could have sworn the psychomat showed pictures almost as sharp and detailed as reality itself'
Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.'
Deflector Plasma Screen For Drones ala Star Wars
'If the enemy persists in attacking or even intensifies their power, the density of the plasma in space will suddenly increase, causing it to reflect most of the incoming energy like a mirror.'
DIY Robotic Hand Made After Loss Of Fingers
'I made them... with the fine work of the watchmaker...'
