Watson the Robot

The future of IBM’s cognitive computing technology was the topic of a recent World of Watson conference. Among the areas being explored is the idea of “embodied cognition”—in other words, putting Watson artificial intelligence (AI) into robots, avatars and even “smart” spaces. The goal is to bring Watson’s ability to reason and understand closer to the ways in which humans interact.

While it’s not too difficult to envision what this would mean in terms of a physical device such as a robot, applying a neural network to an avatar (which is basically a model of the musculature of a human face) takes things to a whole new level by giving it the ability to express realistic emotions and reactions.

And IBM has already been experimenting for years with a smart boardroom—a technology that the company refers to as “Watson in the Walls.” Sensors and actuators throughout the room are connected in a way that allows Watson to interact with the occupants. Using a technology called Debater, it could even go so far as to carry on a debate by assimilating and summarizing information faster than humans ever could. The possibilities are pretty much unlimited, with smart spaces being anything from a car to a cockpit to a patient’s hospital room.