Sunday, January 12, 2020

B1: Future of AI, Computers, and Softwares


How AI and New Computers/Softwares technologies are shaping the Future, and what are its implications

The articles I read talked about the future of AI, Computers, and Software Technologies. 

We live in the era of technology and inventions. Everyday we try to come up with new inventions to aid our everyday lives. Technology is everywhere. It is in our homes, our cars, and even we even wear it on ourselves (Chen, 2020). And this is just the beginning. In “The Tech that Will Invade Our Lives”, Brian X. Chens talk about how technological inventions are just gaining momentum. At it’s core, the future of technology involves connection. The connection of everything around us to a central system. Specifically, Chen mentions the move towards “smart homes”, which is one that is truly automated. In the past few years. companies like Google and Amazon have come up with virtual assistants, such as Alexa to control our homes. However, this is just the beginning. The goal is to create seamless home automation without the need for people to tell the assistants what to do. This calls for the creation of devices that are able to communicate with each other. 

Similar to the desire to automate our homes, companies are looking to make computers more independent, which Paul Miller explains as edge computing.  He explains that we are currently in the cloud computing era, which consists in centralizing the information.  However, the concept of edge computing is centered around the idea of geographic distribution; instead of relying on the cloud at on of the many data centers to do the work, the cloud would come to you. This has the advantage of reducing latency and increasing privacy and security. Miller compares edge computing to self-driving cars as the ultimate example. 

Moreover, advancements in technology can be seen in virtual reality. Thanks to new software’s were are starting to see the possibility of augmented construction reality. Associated from SHoP architecture are starting to use a software that allows them to tap on individual panels of another tower rendering to receive live updates on the materials used, construction status and dimensions. According to Stefanos Chen, “It marries two- and three-dimensional design data so that a contractor can peer through the virtual facade and determine where plumbing should be installed, whether the electrician has left adequate space for ventilation ducts or if columns are correctly aligned”.  other software’s like Matterport’s allow for 3D virtual tour and measure the dimensions. Another 3D visualization company, roOomy, is able to take photos  or 3D composites from a company like Matterport and fill the space with lifelike furniture and staging, bringing new advancements for architect, interior designers and even real state agents (Chen, 2019). This shows just some of the things that are becoming possible with the implementation of new softwares. 

Apart from the release of new softwares and computer concepts to aid our everyday lives, AI is moving toward to revolutionize job industries. AI is being used to automate equipment to collect data and analyze date.  In Norman Mayerson’s article “How High Tech Is Transforming One of the Oldest Jobs: Farming”, he explains that tractor are being automated to optimize production. Equipped with sensors and actuators, this are able to drive themselves. In addition, they are looking to create sensor equipped farms that take data from satellite imagery and farm sensors that monitor the crop’s information such as their nutrient levels. Not intended to take over the job of farmers, these inventions are intended to provide recommendations and aid the industry to become more effective.

Works Cited:

Chen, Brian X. “The Tech That Will Invade Our Lives in 2020.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Jan. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/technology/personaltech/tech-trends-2020.html.
Chen, Stefanos. “How Virtual Reality Is Augmenting Realty.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Nov. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/11/08/realestate/how-virtual-reality-is-augmenting-realty.html.
Mayersohn, Norman. “How High Tech Is Transforming One of the Oldest Jobs: Farming.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Sept. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/business/farming-technology-agriculture.html.
Miller, Paul. “What Is Edge Computing?” The Verge, The Verge, 7 May 2018, www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/5/7/17327584/edge-computing-cloud-google-microsoft-apple-amazon.

To Ina:

I found the articles you read very interesting because they bring up the idea of collaboration within different fields of study. The article "Architecture in the Age of Automation” mentions how architects borrowed techniques from the aerospace industry to create curved structures. This idea of borrowing ideas and technologies from the past and/or different concentrations to incorporate them into our projects allows us to have a wider set of tools to create new advancements within our field. I also found that the possibility of 3D -printing using metal has a lot of potential of being beneficial for the construction industry and can lead to innovative and complex structures in the near future.

To Abdul:

I think your post brings up an interesting point to consider regarding the future of construction. With so many new technologies being implemented into the field of construction,  I wonder how much power/control will we be willing to give up for new machines and AI to complete.  In the end, there has to be a limit to what robots are able to build and the things AI can control.

To Varsha:

I think your blog posts does a great job at discussing a pressing issue nowadays, which is how much privacy we are willing to
give up online. I think all us have experienced that odd feeling of getting advertisements for something you were just talking about in places like instagram or facebook. Although this is sometimes helpful, it is also worrisome to be unsure of exactly what information is being shared or analyzed. I think this is that type of issue where most us like to turn the blind eye because thinking too much about it is a little scary. 

4 comments:

Abdul said...

From my own experience as an architectural engineer, I think the concept of a company like roOomy is really valuable for the future of design and construction. It makes me excited to enter this field knowing that I will be able to collaborate with technology like this.

Ina Sison said...

Manon,
The article you read called "The Tech That Will Invade Our Lives 2020" really caught my attention because it is quite a concerning title. It seems like with the advancement of technology, humans have less control of their own lives. We designed such technology to make our lives easier, but I believe some of this technology is making humans lazy. As you explained in your post, the goal of smart homes is "seamless home automation without the need for people to tell the assistants what to do". Although this gives humans less things to worry about when they are at home, it is a bit unsettling that our homes would basically have a mind of its own. I also thought that your research on virtual reality was really intriguing and relatable to our field of study. The use of virtual reality in construction is really useful in preventing real-life errors. This would save a lot of money because a contractor can make decisions in the virtual reality before he executes it in the real building. It was very enjoyable to read about what you learned about each topic!

Amanda Kolar said...

The first article you talked about got my attention because I own a Google Home. These technologies are become more and more prevalent in homes and can monitor just about everything going on in the space when connected and controlled properly. This type of advancement is really intriguing to me, because it seems almost futuristic in that we as humans don’t have to put as much effort into things like checking the weather, setting reminders, and controlling different aspects of our houses like temperature and lighting. At the same time, it’s also somewhat haunting to think about the trust and control we put into technology and the amount of personal information they store.

Michael Manley said...

The rate technology is growing at is truly mind-blowing! I really liked how you discussed some of the newer applications of virtual reality as I find this one of the more interesting fields in technology. It will be interesting to see how progress in this field affects the construction industry as well as medical applications. It would be really cool to see this field get so advanced that the virtual reality becomes almost undistinguishable from regular reality. This would certainly offer medical students a more realistic risk free environment to practice in. Your post was very thought provoking.