IBM reveals seventh '5 senses' list

IBM has unveiled its seventh annual "IBM 5 in 5" - a list of innovations that have the potential to change the way people work, live and interact during the next five years.

The list is based on the five human senses, touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell.

Under the first innovation, people will be able to touch through their phone. Sight: A pixel will be worth a thousand words. Hearing: Computers will hear what matters. Taste: Digital taste buds will help people eat smarter. And finally, computers will have a sense of smell.

IBM 5 in 5 is based on market and societal trends as well as emerging technologies from IBM's research and development laboratories around the world that can make these transformations possible.

This year's IBM 5 in 5 explores innovations that will be the underpinnings of the next era of computing, which the company describes as the era of cognitive systems. This new generation of machines will learn, adapt, sense and begin to experience the world as it really is. This year's predictions focus on one element of the new era, the ability of computers to mimic the human senses - in their own way, to see, smell, touch, taste and hear.

Parnsiree Amatayakul, IBM Thailand's managing director, said that every year, IBM scientists from R&D labs around the world studied the future of technology and predicted the kinds of innovations and technology that will affect society and business. The study has been published via the IBM 5 in 5 for the seventh year running. This year's predication lies in cognitive computing and how it will involve to mimic the five human senses. This upholds the new era of computing, which will affect the way we live in the near future.

IBM believes these sensing capabilities will help people become more aware and productive and help them think - but they will not do the thinking for us. Cognitive computing systems will help people see through complexity, keep up with the speed of information, make more informed decisions, improve their health and standard of living, enrich their lives and break down all kinds of barriers - including geographic distance, language, cost and inaccessibility.

"IBM scientists around the world are collaborating on advances that will help computers make sense of the world around them," said Bernie Meyerson, IBM fellow and vice president of innovation.

"Just as the human brain relies on interacting with the world using multiple senses, by bringing combinations of these breakthroughs together, cognitive systems will bring even greater value and insights, helping us solve some of the most complicated challenges."