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Business and Commerce

Virtual reality has been used in all areas of business. Boeing used virtual reality to help it
design and manufacture airplane parts and new planes, including the 787 Dreamliner.
Boeing
used 3D PLM from Dassault Systems.71 One healthcare institution used Second Life to create
a virtual hospital when it started construction of a real multimillion dollar hospital.
Thepurpose of the Second Life virtual hospital was to show clients and staff the layout and
capabilities of the new hospital. Second Life has also been used in business and recruiting.
Second Life (www.secondlife.com) also allows people to play games, interact with avatars,
and
build structures, such as homes. A number of companies are using VR in advertising. 72 Pizza
chain Papa Johns used VR as an advertising tool. It placed a VR image on many of its pizza
boxes. When the image is viewed by a Web camera on a computer, a standard keyboard can
be used to manipulate images of a Chevrolet Camaro on the computer screen. It is a moving
image of the Camaro that the founder of Papa Johns sold to start his pizza company.

though it looks like a video game,


Pulse!! is a serious training tool for
nurses and physicians developed by
Breakaway.
(Source: Pulse!! is a research
project of Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi in collaboration with
the Office of Naval Research and
Breakaway Ltd.)

Al

Entertainment
Computer-generated image technology, or CGI, has been around since the 1970s. Many
movies use this technology to bring realism to the silver screen, including Avatar, Finding
Nemo, Spider-Man II, and Star Wars Episode IIAttack of the Clones. A team of artists
rendered
the roiling seas and crashing waves of Perfect Storm almost entirely on computers using
weather reports, scientific formulas, and their imagination. Other films that have used CGI
technology include Dinosaur with its realistic talking reptiles, Titan A.E.s beautiful 3D
spacescapes,
and the casts of computer-generated crowds and battles in Gladiator and The
Patriot. CGI can also be used for sports simulation to enhance the viewers knowledge and
enjoyment of a game. SimCity (http://simcity.ea.com/), a virtual reality game, allows people

to experiment with decisions related to urban planning.


SimCity simulates urban planning
by letting you create, build, and run
a virtual city.

SPECIALIZED SYSTEMS

In addition to artificial intelligence, expert systems, and virtual reality, other interesting
specialized
systems have appeared. MITs Fab Labs project (http://fab.cba.mit.edu), for example,
has a goal to let anyone manufacture almost anything using specialized equipment and
computers.
73 It is hoped that Fab Labs will be able to produce a wide range of products, from
computers to roof panels. Stanford University researchers are experimenting with batteries
made out of special paper that can be folded, crumpled, or even soaked in a liquid and still
work.74
Many special-purpose systems help overcome disabilities or improve health, often called
assistive technology. Eagle Eyes, a Boston College project, allows people with physical
disabilities
to control a computer by moving their head or eyes.75 Using electrodes placed on a
persons head, a camera connected to a computer detects head or eye movements and
controls
the operation of the computer. The chip maker Intel has developed the Intel Reader that can
help blind people read books using a text-to-speech processor. 76 The i-Limb from Touch
Bionics (www.touchbionics.com) is an artificial hand that uses special-purpose systems and
software to allow people who cannot move their hands or arms to grip objects. 77 The i-Limb,
which has movable fingers and a rotating thumb, won second place in the 2009 Technology
Innovation Awards competition. A California company is testing a digital, digestible chip
that patients can swallow.78 Once swallowed, the chip travels through the digestive system

and sends important information back to doctors, including whether or not a patient is
taking
his or her medications. Today, more hospitals and healthcare facilities are using the Internet
to connect doctors to patients in distant locations. 79 In one case, a physician used Internet
video to check on the treatment of a stroke patient located 15 miles away to make sure the
drugs being used werent increasing the chance of bleeding in the brain. After reviewing CT
scans and the behavior of the patient, the doctor made specific drug recommendations. The
patients wife believes the special-purpose Internet video connection saved her husbands
life.
Segway is an electric scooter that uses sophisticated software, sensors, and gyro motors
to transport people through warehouses, offices, downtown sidewalks, and other spaces
(www.segway.com). Originally designed to transport people around a factory or around town,
more recent versions are being tested by the military for gathering intelligence and
transporting
wounded soldiers to safety. General Motors has developed a two-person prototype
electric car with two wheels that uses Segway technology. 80 Segway has also been used to
play
Polo instead of using horses.81 Called Segway Polo, the sport has attracted many players,
including one of the founders of Apple Computer. According to the head of Germanys
Funky-Move Turtles Polo team, They couldnt drive very well, and they crashed into each
other a lot, but their ball handling was amazing.
Some forensics experts are now experimenting with computer software that can draw
images of crime suspects based only on the DNA collected at the crime scene. 82 Some
lawmakers,
however, are concerned about privacy invasion with the is use of DNA to target or
identify possible crime suspects. The FBI is developing a special-purpose computer system
that will allow it to compare a photo of a fugitive with photos from drivers licenses from
around the country.83 If successful, the new system could help the agency locate, capture,
and prosecute criminals trying to escape the justice system.
A number of special-purpose systems are now available in vehicles. Ford Motor Company
and Microsoft have developed a voice-activated system called Sync that can play music,
make
phones calls, and more. The Advanced Warning System by Mobileye warns drivers to keep
a safe distance from other vehicles and drivers. Automotive software allows cars and trucks
to connect to the Internet. The software can track a drivers speed and location, allow gas
stations to remotely charge for fuel and related services, and more. More cars of the future
will use special-purpose systems.84 According to GMs global director of electrical controls,
The embedded systems are about to hit 50% of the value of the car.
Improvements are also being made in bridges and roadways. The St. Anthony Falls Bridge
in Minneapolis, for example, has smart sensors in its concrete and steel that measure and
report on any potential structural problems. 85 The sensors also measure temperatures on
theroad surface and help determine if anti-icing is needed during cold winter months.
Specialpurpose
systems are also helping to retrieve more oil in existing oil fields. Chevron is using
a specialized three-dimensional computer modeling system to analyze potential oil deposits
in California.86 The specialized system should help Chevron get up to 1.5 billion barrels of
oil out of an old oil field that many thought had run dry.
Microsofts Surface is a touch-screen computer that uses a glass-top display. It looks like
a coffee table or dining room table with a built-in computer. Some manufacturing is being
done with inkjet printers that print 3D parts. For example, a printer can spray layers of
polymers onto circuit boards to form transistors and other electronic components. Some new
computers can even be worn on your body. Smith Drug, for example, used a wearable
computer
by Vocollect, Inc. (www.vocollect.com) to help its employees monitor inventory levels.

The waist-worn computer, which includes a headset with a microphone and speaker,
dramatically
increases productivity and helps eliminate errors.
Increasingly, companies are using special-purpose tracking devices, chips, and bar
codes. As mentioned previously, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that contain
small
chips with information about products or packages can be quickly scanned to perform
inventory
control or trace a package as it moves from a supplier to a company to its customers.
Coca-Cola will test a drink-dispensing machine that will have the ability to dispense more
than 100 different types of sodas, juices, teas.87 The drink dispenser uses 30 flavor
cartridges,
each with a unique RFID tag. After a customer selects his or her drink, an RFID reader
collects data on what customers are ordering to determine which drinks are the most
popular.
When attached to clothing and worn close to a mirror, some RFID tags will display sizes,
styles, color, suggested accessories, and images of models wearing the clothing on the
mirror
or a display screen. Airline companies are now starting to use RFID tags and sophisticated
software to improve baggage handling and processing.88 It is hoped that the new tags will
reduce lost luggage, which is expensive for the airlines and very frustrating for passengers.
According to an airline expert, Our industry has been slow to adopt new technology,
especially
when it comes to passengers and baggage processing, but were getting there. Another
technology is being used to create smart containers for ships, railroads, and trucks.
NaviTag
(http://navitag.com/) and other companies are developing communications systems that
allow
containers to broadcast the contents, location, and condition of shipments to shipping and
cargo managers. A railroad company can use standard radio messages to generate
shipment
and tracking data for customers and managers.

Microsoft Surface recognizes the


phone on its surface and offers
additional features, colors, and plan
options for it.

(Source: Courtesy of Microsoft


Corporation.)

One special application of computer technology is derived from a branch of mathematics


called game theory. Game theory involves the use of information systems to develop
competitive
strategies for people, organizations, or even countries. Two competing businesses in
the same market can use game theory to determine the best strategy to achieve their goals.
Game theory was used to develop a better security system for the Los Angeles airport. 89 The
game theory application used ARMOR (Assistant for Randomized Monitoring over Routes)
software to help determine the best monitoring and patrolling strategies to enhance airport
security. The military can also use game theory to determine the best military strategy to
win
a conflict against another country, and individual investors can use game theory to
determine
the best strategies when competing against other investors in a government auction of
bonds.
Groundbreaking work on game theory was pioneered by John Nash, the mathematician
whose life was profiled in the book and film A Beautiful Mind.
Informatics, another specialized system, combines traditional disciplines, such as science
and medicine, with computer systems and technology. Bioinformatics, for example,
combines
biology and computer science. Also called computational biology, bioinformatics has been
used to help map the human genome and conduct research on biological organisms. Using
sophisticated databases and artificial intelligence, bioinformatics helps unlock the secrets of
the human genome, which could eventually prevent diseases and save lives. Some
universities
have courses on bioinformatics and offer bioinformatics certification. Medical informatics
combines traditional medical research with computer science. Journals, such as Healthcare
Informatics, report current research on applying computer systems and technology to
reduce
medical errors and improve health care. Informatics can also be used in finance to develop
sophisticated and profitable modeling programs that can analyze market risks and potential.
90

informatics
A specialized system that combines
traditional disciplines, such as
science and medicine, with
computer systems and technology.

game theory
The use of information systems to
develop competitive strategies for
people, organizations, or even
countries.

Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience, or gives
pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or
events that have developed over thousands of years specifically for the purpose of keeping an
audience's attention.[1] Although people's attention is held by different things, because individuals
have different preferences in entertainment, most forms are recognisable and
familiar.Storytelling, music, drama, dance, and different kinds of performance exist in all cultures,
were supported in royal courts, developed into sophisticated forms and over time became available

to all citizens. The process has been accelerated in modern times by an entertainment
industry which records and sells entertainment products. Entertainment evolves and can be adapted
to suit any scale, ranging from an individual who chooses a private entertainment from a now
enormous array of pre-recorded products; to a banquet adapted for two; to any size or type of party,
with appropriate music and dance; to performances intended for thousands; and even for a global
audience.
The experience of being entertained has come to be strongly associated with amusement, so that
one common understanding of the idea is fun and laughter, although many entertainments have a
serious purpose. This may be the case in the various forms of ceremony, celebration, religious
festival, or satire for example. Hence, there is the possibility that what appears as entertainment may
also be a means of achieving insight or intellectual growth.
An important aspect of entertainment is the audience, which turns a
private recreation or leisure activity into entertainment. The audience may have a passive role, as in
the case of persons watching a play, opera, television show, or film; or the audience role may be
active, as in the case of games, where the participant/audience roles may be routinely reversed.
Entertainment can be public or private, involving formal, scripted performance, as in the case
oftheatre or concerts; or unscripted and spontaneous, as in the case of children's games. Most forms
of entertainment have persisted over many centuries, evolving due to changes in culture,
technology, and fashion. Films and video games, for example, although they use newer media,
continue to tell stories, present drama, and play music. Festivalsdevoted to music, film,
or dance allow audiences to be entertained over a number of consecutive days.
Some activities that once were considered entertaining, particularly public punishments, have been
removed from the public arena. Others, such as fencing or archery, once necessary skills for some,
have become serious sports and even professions for the participants, at the same time developing
into entertainment with wider appeal for bigger audiences. In the same way, other necessary skills,
such as cooking, have developed into performances among professionals, staged as global
competitions and then broadcast for entertainment. What is entertainment for one group or individual
may be regarded as work by another.
The familiar forms of entertainment have the capacity to cross over different media and have
demonstrated a seemingly unlimited potential for creative remix. This has ensured the continuity and
longevity of many themes, images, and structures.

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