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 ")
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'
'They Erased My Memory' Says Ariana Grande
'...using a neutralizing electronic impulse.' - Edmond Hamilton, 1948.
'Spikeless' Brand Swizzle Stick Detects Spiked Drinks
'the unobtrusive inspections with tiny remote-cast snoopers...' - Frank Herbert, 1964.
Musk Proposes Sites For Martian Cities
'...its streets were of remarkable width, with few or no buildings so high as mosques, churches, State-offices, or palaces in Tellurian cities.' - Percy Greg, 1880.
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
LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'
China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'
Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'
Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.
Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.'
Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'
Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.'
Scary Grid Safety Robots
'The ultimate horror for our paranoid culture...'
Does AI Provide A Way Forward For Talk Therapy
'And there in the next room by the sofa sat a familiar suitcase, that of his psychiatrist Dr. Smile.'
