National Institute of Health taps AI for persons with dementia
People Power (the author’s employer) announced that the NIH is now offering, at no cost, to install smart home systems powered by AI that cares for persons with dementia. The sensor based system alerts care givers when an occupant wanders, experiences abnormal sleep or bathroom habits. The smart home solution is developed by People Power and University of California Berkeley’s Psychophysiology Laboratory, headed by Dr. Robert W. Levenson. PRWeb
dis-rup-shun: The annual costs of assisted living or nursing homes average nearly $90,000. A smart home system that costs a few hundred dollars once, and less than $100 per month to monitor, can save over $7000 per month. A few motion sensors placed strategically in a main room and a bedroom, paired with cloud analytics, quickly learns residents’ habits and notifies a circle of trusted friends when patterns deviate. The high correlations between changes in sleeping, bathroom, walking habits and illness provide an early warning to care givers who can take appropriate action to avoid hospitalization or institutionalization. AI data analytics determine which events are worthy of an alert.
Apple’s credit card squeezes AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile
Apple, with its new consumer credit vehicle, can dis-intermediate wireless carriers who use handset financing plans to lock in subscribers. Apple can more easily invert the relationship so that consumers are leasing phones directly from Apple. CNBC
dis-rup-shun: To go a step further, Apple, as banker and handset provider, is now in a position to resell network access from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile/Sprint and become a virtual network (MVNO) operator. And a step beyond that, why wouldn’t Apple sell other commodities from its payment platform, including electricity and streaming TV services, to name a few? It’s a tough time to be an incumbent service provider.
Google’s Stadia game platform changes the electronic gaming economy
On Monday, Google demonstrated its cloud based streaming game platform, Stadia. Stadia, like Netflix, offers a library of game content that can be streamed to essentially any device, meaning your favorite games can follow you across various devices as you move about your day. The entry level service is free, with premium offerings for better graphics and premium titles. The $135 billion electronic gaming industry is projected to more than double to $300 billion by 2025. CNBC
dis-rup-shun: The gaming economy, like most, has segments ranging from hard core enthusiasts to casual, occasional gamers. While Google will likely not disrupt the hard core gamers who spend big money on souped-up PCs, fast broadband speeds, and premium titles, it will grow the gaming industry by making many more titles available to the mass market, who may be tiring of streaming reruns of the Office. This shift will impact the already beleaguered console makers whose expensive devices and titles will be not be necessary for most young households looking for entertainment.
THX updates its Deep Note — still worth a trip to the movies?
THX has one of the most successful brand signatures — not just a logo, not a tag line, but an audio/visual experience. The new immersive trailer integrates 4K video with the signature acoustics and ends with the familiar synthesizer crescendo. See it here. TechCrunch
dis-rup-shun: Despite many expensive home theater offerings, few can replace the body thumping exhilaration of the THX trailer. It is almost worth the price of a movie ticket, and serves as an important reminder that the in-theater experience is special. Many sources of entertainment compete for the entertainment dollar. Expect the theater experience to continue to improve to differentiate from the living room.
Wired cartoon of the day
