Lenovo AI concept products try to make future life easier

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Everyone's doing AI these days, from Google to Apple, from smart speakers to smart cars. While different people and companies have different ideas about what artificial intelligence means in theory and in practice, almost all agree about using AI to build a better future. Lenovo, one of if not the leading PC makers in the world, is just as invested in this trend, or so it says. At its Tech World Innovation in Shanghai, it demonstrated just how serious it is with five AI powered products that you may or may not see in the near future.

Since we don't heave enough virtual assistants today, Lenovo's R&D department have thought up of CAVA. Like many AI assistants, it uses natural language processing to manage your appointments, like when someone sends you a message for a meeting. It also divines the weather and traffic to advise when's the best time to leave for that meeting. Unlike other personal assistants, Lenovo boasts that CAVA has deep learning-based facial recognition. What for? For unlocking your phone, of course.

Another smartphone-related AI technology is Xiaole, a customer service platform. If you thought automated phone attendants/receptionists were annoying, imagine automated customer service. It harnesses the power of AI to learn from customer feedback and conversations to offer technical assistance. Just in case you don't even need to talk to a human for your little phone problem.

Next to AI, VR and AR are also hot in the tech industry, and Lenovo's daystAR is the intersection of that. A standalone headset with its own video processing unit, the AR device leverages Lenovo's AR platform to perform object recognition, uploading 3D content from scanned real world objects, and multiplayer interaction.

AI isn't just about fun, productivity, or business. It can also be about health. SmartVest does more than just listen to your heartbeat. It has 10 sensors that records your ECG 24/7, helping detect abnormalities or even send an alert in the event of an impending cardiac anomaly.

And then there's SmartCast+, which is like a smart speaker, except smarter. Going beyond just voice, Lenovo's concept device can also do object recognition and AR. It can, for example, project subtitles in one language while speaking in another.

As concept products, these may never see the light of day and, indeed, some are probably best kept as concept products. Some might even argue that just by being smart, they don't necessarily mean AI-powered. But that's OK, since few can seem to agree on what AI is anyway.

SOURCE: Lenovo