Human Centred AI

Hello!... It's been a while, although I have been creating regular posts as part of my university course, I haven't written a review of new releases in quite a few months!... So I'm excited to share with you this week my top five picks of some really interesting new releases and ideas, particularly from the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

1. Ballie Robot from Samsung

Ballie Robot - From Dezeen

I have long believed that the future of AI lies within how it can aid us and improve our quality of life - it will work alongside us rather than replace. At CES Samsung announced it Ballie robot, a truly personalised 'robot' assistant. By using voice recognition you can talk to Ballie like a pet, and ask it to record you, give you a wake up call, be a fitness coach, turn on the tv, and even keep your pet company when you are out. Samsung have clearly listened and tried to solve the pubic concerns of privacy and security when using AI devices, as Ballie is said to adhere to data protection and privacy security regulations. Samsung's belief is that AI can provide a truly personalised experience, and use their philosophy of human-centred innovation to enhance consumer wellbeing. I'm happy to see that tech companies are veering toward human centred AI that will really benefit us, starting with the consumer then adding the technology should create better and easier to use electronics that will complement our busy lives. See Dezeen for more dezeen.com/2020/01/08/samsung-ballie-robot-ces-2020/.

2. DeepMind AI Mammogram

DeepMind AI Mammogram - from Wired

Developments in AI mean that it will be able to provide many tools within the medical sector. Google's DeepMind have released promising results from a trial in the UK and US of using an AI algorithm to identify breast cancer from mammogram scans. It was concluded that the AI was as accurate, if not more accurate than the use of one Radiologist in depicting the scans. It is thought this technology could work alongside Radiologists, so that only scans that are believed to be positive by the AI can be verified by a Radiologist, which will cut down their workload and hopefully patients would receive results quicker. Another development of DeepMind's AI is to create personalised drugs that will be targeted to fight diseases better. DeepMind have had some success in using AI to predict the structure of proteins in the body, which in turn will help to also understand genetic mutations, and how diseases develop. Although it's not yet 100% accurate, it's certainly a promising start. This is just another great example of how AI can provide more personalised experiences for each person, which, in the medical industry, will not only help to improve our quality of life, but also save lives. I just hope they address any issues with bias and patient data protection early so that they will not received any future set backs. See more at https://www.wired.co.uk/article/deepmind-protein-folding-alphafold.

3. Human Centred Design

Last year the Fast Company Innovation Festival hosted a discussion involving leaders from Lincoln, Microsoft and Ammunition about the advancements in Human Centred Design. It seems that the developments in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and deep learning have lead to companies focusing so much more on the desires and needs of their consumers. I could call it a trend, however for me humans and users should ALWAYS be at the centre fo the design process, however I guess you could just say human centred design is gaining momentum, and is something that is a non-negotiable as technology develops. The panel highlighted four areas to be considered for HCD: 1. Consumer desires, this is about looking at the whole process of before, during and after using the product and understanding behaviours. 2. Product purpose, what is the purpose of the product, how and why will it be used? 3. Smartphones are key and should be at the forefront of a Designers mind as it is believed they are the 'centre of everyone's life'. 4. A good product needs a good narrative to understand who the user is and to drive collaboration. In principle I do agree with the points, apart from the one about smartphones. I'm fed up of everything these days having an app and constantly running out of storage on my phone. Although smartphones themselves are incredibly human centred and the users use of them needs to be considered for a daily life profile, I believe new products should be capable of standalone use , without the input of smartphones. See more at https://www.fastcompany.com/90444522/designing-products-with-human-centered-purpose.

4. Bias in AI - again...

We are all aware that there have been some issues in the recognition of people and voices in AI, remember when Siri in the new iPhone couldn't recognise the Scottish accent?... Although many of these issues have been ironed out, it seems there are still some creases remaining. Cara Esten Hurtle recently wrote for Fast Company about her experience being a transgender woman and the issues she faces with facial recognition in photo tagging such as on Facebook and in iPhones. The issues is, the algorithm is only smart enough to recognise one person for one name, but what if someone has two identities for the same name, or same profile? These platforms have updated to 21st century technology, but seem to have failed to update to a 21st century society. Some might argue that AI can't cater for everybody, data sets will be too big etc.. But why not?... How is it fair to create an algorithm that will recognise 80% of the population (just and example, not an accurate number) and ignore the other 20% when so many millions of diverse people use these platforms in their everyday life? I always feel companies get too excited and release their latest technology before they actually consider a 360 degree view of who their user is, it would certainly reduce backlashes they face in the future. See the article at https://www.fastcompany.com/90455454/im-a-trans-woman-google-photos-doesnt-know-how-to-categorize-me.

5. Neomano Robotic Glove

Neomano - From Indiegogo

Another new product shown at CES is the Neomano glove robot which can provide hand control and grip to people who have limited hand function or paralysis. This product was of a huge interest to me as I have just completed a group project at university where we proposed the design for a writing and drawing aid to be used by people who have a hand disability. I think the idea is fantastic and I like fact it doesn't utilise an app, and the ability to provide people with so much independence is priceless. However, there are a few issues I have considered, from doing my own similar project and comparing it to this one. The glove it quite cumbersome, it is not implicit or sexy in any way, would the wearer be put off using it because it points out their differences? I'm also unsure about the sizing, the company have a specific sizes, but surely it would be better for the glove to be adaptable to the users hand. Could the user put the glove and motor on alone? As it looks difficult to put on. Is there any way the glove would incorporate vibrations? Vibrations could offset tremors that people who have Parkinson's disease or arthritis may face which would prevent them from carry out tasks with their hands. And finally the price, at £1530 ($1999) it is certainly not an accessible device for everyone who would benefit from it. See more at https://www.designboom.com/technology/neomano-robotic-glove-powers-people-with-hand-paralysis-01-17-2020/

#design #productdesign #robot #samsung #ai #artificialintelligence #deepmind #mammogram #health #humancentreddesign #hcd #neomano #robotic