Wow, how cool. Of course, I hope never to have the chance to try it
out, but I'm glad to know that it'll maybe be there if I and lots of
others need it.
Jan
On 6/30/17, David Goldfield <dgoldfield1211@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This article from cnet.com caught my attention due to the fact that this isYou are invited to visit the moderator's Web site at WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
being offered at Jefferson, a well-known hospital in Philly.
IBM's Watson AI makes sure you aren't ignored at hospitals
Shara Tibken
Imagine you're stuck in a hospital bed after having surgery. You can't even
close the window blinds without a nurse's help. And you can forget about
requesting a blanket to take off the chill or getting details on visiting
hours when everyone's busy handling more-pressing matters.
You feel powerless.
But what if you got what you needed just by saying it? You could instantly
open the blinds, find out more about your doctor's expertise or turn up the
room temperature. Sounds great, right? All you'd need is one of today's
digital voice assistants that constantly listen for a request, send your
query to the internet and either answer your question or complete a task.
Unfortunately, you can't do that right now with the current crop of smart
assistants — like Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant —
because they can't satisfy hospitals' privacy and security requirements. Yet
according to Bret Greenstein, vice president of IBM's Watson Internet of
Things platform, some medical staff can spend nearly 10 percent of their
time with patients answering questions about lunch, physician credentials
and visiting hours. If a smart speaker can answer those questions, doctors
and nurses could spend more time on patient care.
jefferson-hospital-device-49-1
Harman's JBL clock radio packs smarts from IBM's AI technology to help
patients get information and control their hospital room's lighting and
temperature.
Sarah Tew/CNET
It's why Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia decided to
work with audio giant Harman and IBM's Watson artificial intelligence
technology. Together, they developed smart speakers that will respond to
about a dozen commands. When a patient says "Watson," the speakers can, for
instance, play calming sounds and adjust the room's lighting, thermostat and
blinds.
"This is a way for patients to get some simple comfort measures addressed
just by speaking," says Dr. Andrew Miller, associate chief medical officer
at the Philadelphia hospital group. "How great is that?"
For the hospital, it's just the beginning.
Watson, turn on the lights
Like Amazon's popular Echo speaker, Harman's JBL clock radio packs smarts
that respond to command words it hears spoken.
Jefferson Hospital experimented with Amazon's popular Echo speaker, but
found the hospital couldn't simultaneously control multiple speakers from
one management system. What's more, the Echo couldn't access the hospital's
secure Wi-Fi network, and it didn't have the right "skills," or
capabilities, for a medical environment.
"This is a way for patients to get some simple comfort measures addressed
just by speaking. How great is that?"
Dr. Andrew Miller
"It would have done simple things people are used to doing in the home, but
not the things we wanted to do," says Neil Gomes, the hospital's chief
digital officer.
So late last year, Jefferson Hospital started testing five prototype
speakers that Harman made using the external casing of a regular JBL
cylindrical speaker and components specially designed for artificial
intelligence.
The initial trial tested two models. One required patients to press a button
to wake up the device, getting around privacy concerns of an ever-listening
microphone. The other woke when someone said "Watson," the name of IBM's AI
technology that won the $1 million first-place prize on "Jeopardy" in 2011.
"The button gives a sense of privacy, but it proved to be very frustrating
to users because they had to keep pushing it," says Greenstein.
harmen-jbl-speakers-6708
Harman's JBL smart speakers have gone through a range of shapes and sizes.
James Martin/CNET
The newest speakers, now built into Harman's round JBL clock radios, rely
solely on voice commands. The hospital is testing about 40 of the new
speakers, with IBM and Harman tweaking the smarts as they go. The speakers
also tie into the hospital's automated facilities management system, which
lets administrators control things like heating, air conditioning and
lighting online. That's a convenience for everyone.
"When my father-in-law was in the hospital, we had to talk to the nurse
about adjusting the thermostat," says Kevin Hague, vice president of
technology strategy at Harman. "It was absurd that we had to have an RN come
in and figure out on the computer how to adjust the temperature."
As of this writing, the hospital hadn't decided if it would stick with
"Watson" or go with some other wake-up word, like "Jefferson."
That's hospitable
It's fair to say we'd rather voice assistants do our bidding in a hotel room
instead of in a hospital.
Some hotels are exploring that option — and finding that off-the-shelf
digital assistants work just fine.
Marriott, for instance, has been testing Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa at
an Aloft Hotel in Boston. The hotel installed iPad tablets and Echo speakers
in 10 rooms, letting guests speak commands to control the TV and adjust the
lighting. That sounds awfully tempting considering how tough it can be
sometimes to figure out which switch does what.
copy-of-ctsu17c1nb72.jpg
See more from CNET Magazine.
Michael Muller
"The room would become an extension to your personal tech," says Toni
Stoeckl, Marriott global brand leader and vice president. "I don't think
we're there quite yet."
In the meantime, Jefferson Hospital, Harman and IBM are working on ways to
teach their smart speaker to branch out beyond simple tasks. The
possibilities are intriguing. Maybe Watson could follow you home to make
sure you're taking your medication correctly. Or it could prompt you to take
a walk so you could heal faster, easily change pharmacies or arrange
follow-up appointments.
Right now, the speakers don't need regulatory approval, although that could
change if they provide information about your diagnosis or explain your
medications.
No matter how the hospital ends up using them, one thing is certain. It
sucks being in a hospital. Having a little control over your environment
could make it suck a little less.
This story appears in the summer 2017 edition of CNET Magazine. Click here
for more magazine stories.
Special Reports:CNET's in-depth features in one place.
Technically Literate:Original works of short fiction with unique
perspectives on tech, exclusively on CNET.
--
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist Feel free to visit my Web
site WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
You are invited to visit the moderator's Web site at WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
for additional resources and information about assistive technology training
services. To unsubscribe from this list, please email
blind-philly-comp-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the
subject line. To subscribe from another email address, send email to
blind-philly-comp-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word subscribe in the
subject line. To contact the list administrator, please email
blind-philly-comp-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
