UNIT 7: CONTEMPORARY TECHNOLOGY

Modern Technology changed a lot from what we saw in the last decade or the past century. New
machines and gadgets are invented to make jobs easier like never before. From the little tailor machine
to the fastest car in the world, all got automated reducing the manual actions required to the least.
Modern technology schools made it easier for students to extract the possibilities of the latest tech
inventions. Their impact is enormous in crafting a perfect generation expertized in the current
technology stuff.

What is Contemporary Technology?

Modern technology is the advancement of old technology with new additions and modifications. For
example, it is impossible for the people in this decade to live with a wired telephone placed on the table.
So, the mobile phone which can be taken with us anywhere is the perfect example of technological
advancement or simply, modern technology. Any machine or device we see around us is the product of
modern technology. It made things way easier than we could ever imagine.

Modern technology has impacted every area of our lives and became a crucial factor in no time. We
even reached a point where everything we use in our daily life is directly or indirectly related to the
technological advancement of some form. So, modern technology cannot be avoided even if we
intentionally wanted to.

The latest modern technology examples include the 5G network which provides blazing fast internet to
the users, self-driving cars, and reusable satellite launchers. But it is not limited to just these things.
The technological progress we have made and the number of tools we have invented is beyond
imagination. Here is a list of modern technology inventions that turned our lives easier and enhanced
the easiness of performing operations in every industry.

Multimedia:

Multimedia is anything and everything that you watch and listen in a form of 5 elements: Text, image,
audio, video, and animation. This is usually recoded and played, displayed or accessed by information
content processing devices such as computerized and electronic devices. In the multimedia we can use
being in the business, schools, home, public places, commercial sectors and virtual reality. These have
many functions to do many things and have made the things to more mobile.

Multimedia is the technology which is a combination of contents, applications and people. When two or
more media are inculcated in an integrated manner on a single platform, it forms a multimedia; based
on this we can say that multimedia is any combination of text, graphic art, sound, animation and video
that is delivered by computer driven machine. The multimedia technology can be used in many forms
which can vary from watching news on our television set to the use of animation in virtual surgical
system using any expert system. The advancements in the various fields like Programming Platforms
(From DOS to Windows, from Cupcake 1.5 to Android 11th version & from iPhone OS 1 to iOS 14),
Hardware Platforms (From Apollo Guidance Computer to ULSI/NANO Technology) and Network
Platforms (From US Military Networks to 5th Generation of Networks) has brought tremendous twists in
multimedia technologies and system. Today multimedia technologies have spread its roots in all the
important sectors of our busy life like internet, movies, videos, online training and E-business etc. The
entertainment sector includes multimedia and the biggest communicative media like mobiles phones
also use that software which are related to multimedia.

Where to use Multimedia

Multimedia enhanced simple, text-only computer interface and production acquisition and holding of
attention and interest in measurable benefits. In short, is to improve multimedia information retention.
When it’s properly constructed, can be profound and useful multimedia entertainment. Multimedia can
be used in many ways are business, school, home, public places and virtual reality.

Business

Business applications in multimedia are presentation, training, marketing, advertising, product

demos, catalogues, networked communication and voicemail. The presentation is very useful in
many aspects of work and life. Because these are important in business to sales, training,
teaching, lecturing and generally entertaining an audience. Presentation allows us to lecture in
front of audiences and to present our product or project. Presentation can be use in oral,
multimedia, power point presentations, educational or training sessions to giving simply a talk
on a subject to group a voluntary basis for pleasure. In this is to facilitate small business and
your employees, customers and potential customers of communication. We have used the
multimedia in business marketing is easy to persuade the customers to buy us products. In
business have different customers they have teenage, elderly people and many. So, we can use
the multimedia because that can make them easy to understanding it. These are the most
common photo sharing marketing strategies.

School

Now many schools are using multimedia in teaching. That can buy teaching and studying to the
next level. In this at the schools are encouraging teachers to use multimedia in line with their
teaching to create an interest for children. This allows the body absorb and retain information
more easily associate, if they can stimulate all kinds of information. Further, using multimedia
can help address the needs of students with varying learning styles. This also can make
technology to improve teaching and learning the practical possibilities is endless, but the
learning curve of software and hardware is shrinking. Best of this entire multimedia projects can
provide a means of actively engaging students in the learning process. For examples, students
can work in groups to create a digital video project. Projects this usually just only attract
students to far more personal than writing a paper, even though they may actually work harder
in the video project.

Home

Multimedia now from the gardening, cooking, home design, remodeling and repair to genealogy
software is entered the home. Maybe in Malaysia only youngsters use multimedia more than
elderly people, but in overseas elderly people are also very keen in learning about this. Finally,
most of the multimedia project will reach through the family TV or monitor, built-in interactive
input. Either in the old East-West Women Network TV or high-definition set user. After that,
 home consumers can use own computer to watch movie such as CD-ROM or DVD driver. We
want set-up a player that hooks up to television such as Nintendo, X-box or PlayStation machine.
Therefore, have multimedia at home so we not so boring at home.

Public Places

In the public places have hotels, train station, shopping malls, museums, libraries and grocery
stores. We make the multimedia in public places is for the people provide 24 hours a day also
can use the multimedia in them life. In this is piped to wireless devices such as cell phones and
PDS. The wireless is at anywhere and anytime because that can give the people at any moment
also can online to research any things. This makes easier to people, then they don’t want go
back home just can online. That can save time and also can make the life more enrich.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is a multimedia extension, and it uses imagery, sounds, and animations of basic
multimedia elements. Because it requires from a person stringing is navigation feedback, maybe
virtual reality is an interactive multimedia in its fullest extension. It is often used to describe a
wide variety of applications commonly associated with immersive, highly visual and 3D
environments. Simulation environment can be similar to the real world, for example is in the
pilot or combat training, simulation or it can be significantly different from the reality as in
virtual reality games. This definition will be somewhat ahead of romantic attention. Then the
people tend to agree with wearing a suit virtual reality display and data.

E-Commerce:

In a nutshell, e-commerce is just the process of buying and selling produce by electronic means such as
by mobile applications and the Internet. Ecommerce refers to both online retail and online shopping as
well as electronic transactions. Ecommerce has hugely increased in popularity over the last decades, and
in ways, it's replacing traditional brick and mortar stores.

Ecommerce enables you to buy and sell products on a global scale, twenty-four hours a day without
incurring the same overheads as you would with running a brick and mortar store. For the best
marketing mix and the best conversion rate, an Ecommerce venture should also have a physical
presence; this is better known as a click and mortar store.

While most people think of ecommerce as business to consumer (B2C), there are many other types of
ecommerce. These include online auction sites, internet banking, online ticketing and reservations, and
business to business (B2B) transactions.

Recently, the growth of ecommerce has expanded to sales using mobile devices, which is commonly
known as ‘m-commerce' and is simply a subset of ecommerce.

What Are the Benefits of Ecommerce?

Starting an E-commerce business has never been easier. Solutions such as Shopify and WooCommerce
allow even the least tech-savvy individuals to set up a store. Gone are the days where hiring a designer
and a web developer to get your ecommerce company off the ground are necessary. Nowadays design
templates and what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) systems enable people to launch an
ecommerce store in a matter of minutes. As a result, people are reaping all the benefits ecommerce
stores have to offer.

Below are seven reasons why ecommerce is such an attractive option for entrepreneurs:

1. Global Reach – With a physical brick and mortar store you're limited geographically to nearby
markets, i.e., if you have a store in New York and want to also sell in New Jersey, you’ll need to
open another physical location. E-commerce doesn’t have this limitation. Instead, you can sell to
anyone, anywhere in the world via your digital ecommerce business.
2. Always Open – Physical businesses usually have limited hours, but an online ecommerce shop
remains “open” 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This is hugely convenient
for the customer and an excellent opportunity for merchants.
3. Cost Savings – Ecommerce businesses have significantly lower operating costs compared to
physical shops. There's no rent, no staff to hire and pay, and very little in the way of fixed
operating costs. This makes ecommerce stores extremely competitive on price, which usually
increases the market share dramatically.
4. Automated Inventory Management – It’s far easier to automate inventory management
through the use of electronic online tools and third-party vendors. This has saved ecommerce
businesses billions of dollars in inventory and operating costs. Inventory management has also
become increasingly sophisticated. You can now manage your stock across multiple channels
with great ease. So, you can sell and monitor your stock in your own store as well as
marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, Etsy or a physical shop.
5. Laser Targeted Marketing – Online merchants can collect an amazing amount of consumer data
to ensure they target the right people for their products. This lowers the cost of customer
acquisition and allows ecommerce online businesses to remain extremely agile. Imagine being
able to target just males between 18-24 years old, living in urban areas. That’s laser focused
marketing for you- there's no way you'd get that with just a physical store.
6. Niche Market Dominance – Because of the lower operating costs, the ability to target your ideal
customer, as well as reaching a global audience that an ecommerce website brings, this ensures
your company’s profitability.
7. Location Independence – An ecommerce business owner isn't tied to any one location when
running their business. As long as you have a laptop and an internet connection you can run
your ecommerce business.

What are the Major Types of Ecommerce? (IMP)

There are six types of e commerce.

1. Business-to-Business Ecommerce (B2B): Quite self-explanatory, B2B ecommerce occurs when a

transaction is made between two businesses. Successful B2B businesses include companies such as
HubSpot who offer inbound marketing and sales software and Xero who provides accounting software
for small to medium businesses. Eg: any wholesalers buying good from business organization via
websites. After that the wholesaler sales good to customer or retailer. Like Alibaba, Indiamart, etc.

2. Business-to-Consumer Ecommerce (B2C): The success stories above are all B2C ecommerce
companies. This is when stores sell products to consumers, i.e., people like you and me. Online retail
(including dropshipping) usually works on a business to consumer model. Like Amazon, Daraz,
Flipkart,etc.

3. Consumer-to-Consumer Ecommerce (C2C): C2C e commerce occurs when consumer sells directly to
consumers. This has seen a particular boom over the last ten years. Sites such as olx, depop, gumtree
and shpock have made a massive name for themselves. eBay is still the market leader in this niche,
having established themselves in 1995. They're closely followed by Etsy(it supports handmade goods of
any individual and post them on their site) who was founded ten years later in 2005.

4. Consumer-to-Business Ecommerce (C2B): Consumer to business models is slightly less common in

ecommerce. This materializes when a consumer sells or contributes money to a company. Companies
using crowdsourcing or a Kickstarter campaign to fund their business would fall under the bracket of
C2B. For eg: a freelancer posting his biodata on some websites, then the company hires them with
certain contracts for certain time on the work per basis salary package. Like if you are one
photographer, then the companies buys you photos to use in their business which is called C2B E
commerce.

5. Business-to-Administration (B2A/B2G): This type of ecommerce happens when transactions are

carried out online between companies and public administration. This area tends to involve a variety of
services such as social security, employment, and legal documentation. This type of e commerce has
seen an increase in recent years with the due to increasing investment in e-government. Like your
company developing Governmental Softwares or Application. Eg: Nagarik App, Connect IPS, etc.

6. Consumer-to-Administration Ecommerce (C2A/C2G): Lastly, this type of ecommerce involves all

transactions between individual people and public administration or Government. A few examples of
this would be:

• Education – publishing and circulating information, distance learning

• Tax – Tax return forms and payments
• Health – payments to health services, appointments

E Learning:

When it comes to education, the model has been pretty straight forward - up until the early ‘00s
education was in a classroom of students with a teacher who led the process. Physical presence was a
no-brainer, and any other type of learning was questionable at best. Then the computer evolution
happened and it changed the learning landscape. In essence, e-learning is a computer based
educational tool or system that enables you to learn anywhere and at any time. Today e-learning is
mostly delivered though the internet, although in the past it was delivered using a blend of computer-
based methods like CD-ROM. Technology has advanced so much that the geographical gap is bridged
with the use of tools that make you feel as if you are inside the classroom. E-learning offers the ability to
share material in all kinds of formats such as videos, slideshows, word documents and PDFs. Conducting
webinars (live online classes) and communicating with professors via chat and message forums is also an
option available to users. There is a plethora of different e-learning systems (otherwise known as
Learning Management Systems, or LMSs for short) and methods, which allow for courses to be
delivered. With the right tool various processes can be automated such as the marking of tests or the
creation of engaging content. E-learning provides the learners with the ability to fit learning around their
lifestyles, effectively allowing even the busiest person to further a career and gain new qualifications.
Some of the most important developments in education have happened since the launch of the
internet. These days learners are well versed in the use of smartphones, text messaging and using the
internet so participating in and running an online course has become a simple affair. Message boards,
social media and various other means of online communication allow learners to keep in touch and
discuss course related matters, whilst providing for a sense of community. In the fast-paced world of e-
learning the available technologies to make a course exciting are always changing, and course content
can and should be updated quickly to give students the very latest information. This is especially
important if the e-learning training is being given to employees in a sector where keeping up-to-date on
industry developments is of the utmost importance. This is one of the reasons why many businesses are
now offering training via e-learning - other reasons includes low costs and the ability for employees to
study in their own time and place.

Benefits of eLearning for Businesses

Today, many companies, from large enterprises to small startups, use eLearning to manage their
employees’ development: upgrade their qualifications, teach them new skills, or retrain them for new
positions.

1. Lower training costs

With eLearning, you don’t have to spend a fortune hosting seminars, renting hotel rooms, and
covering travel expenses. You can simply develop an online course and share it with your
employees.
2. Wider coverage
Distance learning has no barriers. You can train hundreds of employees in dozens of offices
across the world in a uniform fashion. Employees don’t need to spend time attending classroom
lectures. All they need is a digital device and Internet access.
3. Single knowledge base
All the learning material is stored in one place, i.e., an LMS. Employees can log in to the LMS at a
convenient time from any device, find the course they need, and refresh their memory.
4. Faster employee development
Traditional training can be rather slow because it depends on the business trainers’ working
hours. An LMS is available anytime, making it possible for your employees to study whenever
they feel like: when commuting, during their lunch break, or at home.
5. Easy progress tracking
Your business trainers don’t need to hold in-class training and go over every single paper in
person. Most LMSs have analytics, which show each student’s progress in graphs and reports.
6. Business adaptability
eLearning helps employees keep up with the company’s rhythm and solve problems in real time.
Need to introduce a new product to the sales team? Create a course and deliver it instantly to
thousands of employees.

e-Learning Content Types

Digital Courses: Simple digital courses are often presented as slides with information and media
(video, audio, and pictures). Modern authoring tools allow you to make the slides more diverse
with quizzes, simulations, and screencasts. The key here is to make the whole experience
 memorable and easy to go through. We recommend using this content ratio: 60% media and
40% text.

Quizzes: Just like traditional school tests, digital quizzes help test how much your employees
have learned from a lesson. Modern authoring tools allow you to create fun and interactive
tests, with branching, audio and video questions, drag-and-drop elements, and more.

Webinars: A webinar is an online lecture, often recorded with a webcam. The speaker’s desktop
serves as a blackboard where they can show slides and videos. This format has two benefits. The
first is that you can broadcast to thousands of employees at once, and second, your viewers can
ask questions and receive answers in real time.

Video Courses: Video courses make education visually compelling. This format is fun and can be
used for any topic; you just need to choose how you want to present it. A video course can be
an interactive course with pop-up questions and game elements, or a simple informative video.

YouTube utilizes this simple and engaging format not only to provide entertainment but also to
educate. When you watch a cooking show or a tech review, you’re engaging in eLearning.

Screencasts: Screen recordings can help you show people how to operate specific software. For
example, if you need to introduce your employees to a CRM (Customer Relationship Mgmt),
demonstrate to them how the software works with a screencast.

eBooks and Articles: Many LMSs have catalogues where companies store books, longreads, case
studies, and other articles. Together, these materials make up a strong knowledge base that
employees can access at any time during their training.

Conversation Simulations: Simulations help employees train their skills. They simulate a
possible scenario the learner may encounter at work. It could be a dialogue with a client in
retail, or an engine failure simulation at a plant. The main benefit here is that the learner can
complete the task safely in a virtual environment without risking potential real-world problems.

VR Simulations: Perhaps the most effective (and expensive) form that eLearning takes is VR
programs. They allow the user to become immerses in a virtual experience for safe trial and
error.

Podcasts: Podcasts are very convenient. You can listen to them while jogging or while driving a
car instead of listening to the radio. Podcasts are often long and therefore need to be catchy
and compelling, so the listener doesn’t fall asleep to the sweet sounds of your informative
lullaby.

E-Governance

E-governance, expands to electronic governance, is the integration of Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) in all the processes, with the aim of enhancing government ability to address the needs
of the general public. The basic purpose of e-governance is to simplify processes for all, i.e. government,
citizens, businesses, etc. at National, State and local levels.

In short, it is the use of electronic means, to promote good governance. It connotes the implementation
of information technology in the government processes and functions so as to cause simple, moral,
accountable and transparent governance. It entails the access and delivery of government services,
dissemination of information, communication in a quick and efficient manner.

Benefits of E-governance

• Reduced corruption
• High transparency
• Increased convenience (increment in services and facility)
• Growth in GDP
• Direct participation of constituents
• Reduction in overall cost.
• Expanded reach of government

Through e-governance, the government plans to raise the coverage and quality of information and
services provided to the general public, by the use of ICT in an easy, economical and effective manner.
The process is extremely complicated which requires, the proper arrangement of hardware, software,
networking and indeed re-engineering of all the processes to facilitate better delivery of services.

Types of Interactions in E-Governance

1. G2G (Government to Government): When the exchange of information and services is

within the periphery of the government, is termed as G2G interaction. This can be both
horizontal, i.e. among various government entities and vertical, i.e. between national, state
and local government entities and within different levels of the entity.
2. G2C (Government to Citizen): The interaction amidst the government and general public is
G2C interaction. Here an interface is set up between government and citizens, which
enables citizens to get access to wide variety of public services. The citizens has the freedom
to share their views and grievances on government policies anytime, anywhere.
3. G2B (Government to Business): In this case, the e-governance helps the business class to
interact with the government seamlessly. It aims at eliminating red-tapism(bureaucratic
paperwork), saving time, cost and establish transparency in the business environment, while
interacting with government.
4. G2E (Government to Employees): The government of any country is the biggest employer
and so it also deals with employees on a regular basis, as other employers do. ICT
(information and communications technology) helps in making the interaction between
government and employees fast and efficient, along with raising their level of satisfaction by
providing perquisites and add-on benefits.

E-banking:

Electronic funds transfer means computer systems are used to perform financial transactions
electronically. The EFT is used for electronic payments and customer-initiated transactions where the
cardholder pays using credit or debit card.

The transaction types are, Withdrawal, deposit, interaccount transfer, inquiry, administrative
transactions that covers non-financial transactions including PIN change. Electronic Fund Transfer
transactions needs authorization and a means to match the card and card holder. EFT transactions
require the cardholder’s PIN to send online in encrypted form for validation by the issuer of the card.
Other information may include the card holders address or the CVV2 security value printed on the card.

Electronic funds transfer transactions are activated during e-banking procedures. The different methods
of e-banking are:

• Online banking
• Short message service banking
• Telephone banking
• Mobile banking
• Interactive -TV banking

Online banking:

Online banking also called as internet banking, allows the customers to use all the banking services from
a computer which has internet access. The customer can perform financial transactions on a secure
website operated by the bank. Online banking offers features such as bank statements, loan
applications, funds transfer, e-bill payments and account aggregation allows customers to monitor all
their accounts in one place.

Telephone Banking:

Telephone banking is a service provided by the banks which provides customers to perform transactions
on phone. All the telephone banking systems uses automated answering system with keypad response
or voice recognition capability. To prove their identity customer s must provide a numeric or verbal
password or answering the questions asked by the call center representative. In telephone banking
customer can’t withdraws and deposits cash but can do all the other transactions.

Mostly there will be a customer care representative to which the customers speak, although this feature
is not guaranteed. The customer care representatives are trained to do what are available at the branch
like cheque-book orders, address change, debit card replacements.

SMS Banking:

SMS banking is a service permitting banks to do selected banking services from the user’s mobile by the
SMS messaging. SMS banking services have push and pull messages. Push messages are sent by the
banks for alerting customer about new offers, marketing messages, alerts to events happening in
customers account such as large amount of withdrawals from ATM or credit card etc.

Pull messages are those that are sent by the customer to bank for having some information or to
perform a transaction in their account. Examples include account balance enquiry, requesting for
current exchange rates and for new offers that are launched. The customer has a choice to select the list
of services he needs to be informed. This can be done by integrating to internet banking or speaking to
the customer care representative of the bank call center.

Interactive -TV banking:

Interactive TV is a service that allows users to interact with TV content as they view it. It is also called as
iTV or idTV. If the customer subscribes to a cable television service some banking facilities like balance
enquiry, funds transfer between accounts, bills payment are made available all the way through TV.
Most of the major banks in foreign countries have experimented banking services through cable and
satellite TV companies.

Virtual Reality:

• Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment.
• Virtual Reality’s most immediately-recognizable component is the head-mounted display (HMD).
Human beings are visual creatures, and display technology is often the single biggest difference
between immersive Virtual Reality systems and traditional user interfaces.
• Major players in Virtual Reality include HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR (PSVR).
• Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment. Unlike
traditional user interfaces, VR places the user inside an experience. Instead of viewing a screen
in front of them, users are immersed and able to interact with 3D worlds. By simulating as many
senses as possible, such as vision, hearing, touch, even smell, the computer is transformed into
a gatekeeper to this artificial world.
• An artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (such as sights and
sounds) provided by a computer and in which one's actions partially determine what happens in
the environment.

Virtual Reality technology

• Virtual Reality’s most immediately-recognizable component is the head-mounted display (HMD).

Human beings are visual creatures, and display technology is often the single biggest difference
between immersive Virtual Reality systems and traditional user interfaces. For instance, CAVE
automatic virtual environments actively display virtual content onto room-sized screens. While
they are fun for people in universities and big labs, consumer and industrial wearables are the
wild west.
• With a multiplicity of emerging hardware and software options, the future of wearables is
unfolding but yet unknown. Concepts such as the HTC Vive Pro Eye, Oculus Quest and
Playstation VR are leading the way, but there are also players like Google, Apple, Samsung,
Lenovo and others who may surprise the industry with new levels of immersion and usability.
Whomever comes out ahead, the simplicity of buying a helmet-sized device that can work in a
living-room, office, or factory floor has made HMDs center stage when it comes to Virtual
Reality technologies.

Key Features of Virtual Reality:

Immersion

Immersion is also known as presence, refers to the degree of reality that the viewer exists in the
virtual environment as the protagonist. Viewers can put themselves in a virtual environment
and become a part of the virtual environment by wearing interactive devices such as helmet-
mounted displays and data gloves. The interaction between the viewer and various objects in
the virtual environment makes the viewer feel like they are just like in the real world. The
viewers’ brain tricks themselves with what they are seeing and hearing from the VR head-
mounted displays or a VR headset giving them an immersion feeling and thinking that what they
are experiencing feels real. Experience it yourself from one of our case studies created by our
educators and students themselves. If you have a cardboard goggle or a VR head-mounted
displays, for some viewing instructions check our viewing guide. Open the URL of the VR project,
pop your phone into the head-mounted displays and experience being immersed in a virtual
environment.

Interaction

Interaction refers to the user’s degree of maneuverability of objects in the simulated

environment and the natural degree of feedback from the real environment. The human-
computer interaction in VR technology is natural-like interaction. There are two types of
interactions which are the three-degree-freedom (3DoF) interaction and the six-degree-freedom
(6DoF) interaction. Normally, 3DoF is where a viewer can view a 360° image or video using a VR
headset and move their head side to side to explore around; whilst the 6DoF requires a
powerful gaming laptop or computer to process information to play and interact with using
extra accessories such as sensors, data gloves and other sensing devices. The device adjusts the
image and audio presented by the system according to the movement of the viewer’s head,
hands, eyes, language and body. Viewers can inspect or manipulate objects in the virtual
environment through natural skills such as their own language, body movements or actions.

Imagination

Since the VR system is equipped with sensing and responsive devices for sight, hearing, touch,
and kinesthetics, viewers can obtain various perceptions such as vision, hearing, touch, and
kinesthesia (aware about the positioning) through human-computer interaction in the virtual
environment to achieve an immersive experience. The research and development of VR are to
expand human cognition and perception capabilities and establish a harmonious human-
machine environment. VR technology is a perfect combination of human and technology that
is a product of computer graphics and human-computer interaction technology. Humans
occupy a very important position in the entire system. Using the means of VR technology, we
can get an “immersive” experience of the research object and environment, thereby enhancing
the breadth and depth of human cognition, and broadening the “cognition space (locating
points in space, determining the orientation of lines and objects, assessing location in depth,
appreciating geometric relations between objects, and processing motion, including motion in
depth.)” and “method space (Obstacle Avoidance Method in Real Space for Virtual Reality)”
for humans to understand the objective world. Ultimately achieve a more essential reflection
the essence of the objective world.

Immersive VR System

The immersive VR system uses various interactive devices such as head-mounted displays and
data gloves to seal the viewer’s vision, hearing and other senses and use interactive devices to
operate and control the virtual environment so the viewer truly becomes a participant in the VR
system creating a sense of being immersed and fully engaged.
 There are two features of the immersive VR systems:

• High degree of immersion, the immersive VR system uses a variety of input and output
devices to create a virtual world and allowing the viewer to immerse in it. At the same
time, it can completely isolate the viewer without being affected by the real outside
world;
• Highly real-time immersion, viewers can achieve a parallel response from the real world
into the virtual world. For example, when a person moves while wearing the gear and
installed sensors in a room, the spatial location tracking device from the sensors detects
the movements in time, calculating it through the computer system, then outputs the
corresponding scene changes in the virtual screen for the viewer to see. This change
must be fast and accurately timed for the best experience on the flip side is that there
will still be a slight time delay from processing all the information in the system.

Advantages of Virtual Reality

• Quality visualizations; there is no doubt about what VR can achieve when it comes to providing
an impressive visualization. A VR headset is what you need for improved levels of experiences.
• A solution to language barrier; with the use of a suitable software, you can comfortably blend in
a foreign language domineered place or country and do just fine using a VR headset.
• Increases levels of interest; watching as well as reading are some of the things that use of VR
has created much interest in than before. It is engaging and this has increased the level of
interest in education for many students.
• Facilitates retention of information; it is easy to recall content that you have so vividly seen and
that is one reason you should use a VR headset. It ability to produce vivid scenarios makes it
easy to recall what has been covered using it.

Disadvantages of Virtual Reality

• It can be addictive; who wouldn’t want the idea of having quality visualizations at every chance
they get? Well, it is not amusing but VR can do that to you. Being used in both learning and
playing games, VR has become addictive to some students and gamers who cannot just let go
and that makes them salves to the technology. This is the most common reason why people
want to sell their VR headsets.
• It is expensive; Using VR is expensive due to the advanced features it uses to perform. It can
therefore be used by those who can afford it, and they are the minority compared to those who
cannot afford them. This makes it unfair especially in learning since not all students can afford it.
Augmented Reality:
Augmented reality is the result of using technology to superimpose information — sounds,
images and text — on the world we see. Picture the "Minority Report" or "Iron Man" style of
interactivity. Instead of computer-generated environments to interact with as virtual reality
does, augmented reality (AR) enhances the real physical world achieved through the use of
digital elements, whether it is sound or other sensory stimuli. It is a growing trend among
companies involved in mobile computing and business applications in particular. In simpler
terms, augmented reality adds to the reality you would ordinarily see.

Augmented reality vs. virtual reality

This is rather different from virtual reality. Virtual reality means computer-generated
environments for you to interact with, and be immersed in. Augmented reality adds to the
reality you would ordinarily see rather than replacing it.

As you might have noticed, your physical body and mind exist in a mix of space and time which
you perceive as Reality, and nowadays you can even “exist” inside a computer-generated mix of
space and time known as Virtual Reality. However, in between these two extremes there can
exist other types of reality where “normal” Reality and Virtual Reality intertwine to varying
degrees, one of which being Augmented Reality.
As we can see, Augmented Reality as a concept implies Reality with a bit of Virtual
Reality added for extra flavour, but not so much as to overwhelm it, or put into another
perspective, the emphasis should be on bringing virtual elements into the physical world rather
than the other way around. This all seems fine as a concept, but it brings us to the following
question (or any less esoteric version of it):

What properties and rules should an Augmented Reality experience abide by?
As it turns out, there are three key components to this:
1) it must combine virtual and real information, with the real world as the primary place of
action;
2) it must be interactive with real-time updates;
3) it must have virtual information registered in 3D space, in the physical environment.
In essence, while moving in a physical environment, the user’s actions (movement/interaction)
have direct consequences on the rendered virtual elements, and all of this happens in real-
time. If you pay close attention, these rules do not discriminate a specific output device or
interaction medium, meaning that, in theory, AR is not limited to displays and visual stimuli.

Applications:
Some of the future applications of Augmented Reality are as follows:
1. Medical
Augmented reality can reduce the risk of an operation by giving the surgeon improved
sensory perception. Medical students use the technology to practice surgery in a
controlled environment. This technology can be combined with MRI or X-ray systems
and bring everything into a single view for the surgeon.
2. Navigation
GPS systems are using augmented reality to make it easier to get from one point to
another point. Using the phone’s camera in combination with the GPS, the users see the
selected route over the live view of what is in front of the car.
3. Education
Augmented reality applications can complement a standard curriculum. Text, graphics,
video and audio can be superimposed into a student’s real time environment.
Textbooks, flashcards and other educational reading material, when scanned by an AR
device, produce supplementary information to the student rendered in a multimedia
format. Students can participate interactively with computer generated simulations of
historical events, exploring and learning details of each significant area of the event site
(Chavan, 2016).
 Augmented Reality
Advantage Disadvantage
Increase user knowledge and Quite expensive to use it in everyday life and it
information might be less accessible for small businesses

Ability to Share your experience with Regarding user experience, socially using
other people in real time over long Augmented Reality may be inappropriate in some
distances. situations.

Bitcoin:
• Bitcoin, often described as a cryptocurrency, a virtual currency or a digital currency - is a
type of money that is completely virtual.
• It's like an online version of cash. You can use it to buy products and services, but not
many shops accept Bitcoin yet and some countries have banned it altogether.
• However, some companies are beginning to buy into its growing influence.
• In October last year, for example, the online payment service, PayPal, announced that it
would be allowing its customers to buy and sell Bitcoin.
• The physical Bitcoins you see in photos are a novelty. They would be worthless without
the private codes printed inside them.
• Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that you can buy, sell and exchange directly,
without an intermediary like a bank. Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, originally
described the need for “an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof
instead of trust.”
Mining of Bitcoin

• In order for the Bitcoin system to work, people can make their computer process
transactions for everybody.
• The computers are made to work out incredibly difficult sums. Occasionally they are
rewarded with a Bitcoin for the owner to keep.
• People set up powerful computers just to try and get Bitcoins. This is called mining.
• But the sums are becoming more and more difficult to stop too many Bitcoins being
generated.
• If you started mining now it could be years before you got a single Bitcoin.
• You could end up spending more money on electricity for your computer than the
Bitcoin would be worth.
How it works

• Each Bitcoin is basically a computer file which is stored in a 'digital wallet' app on a
smartphone or computer.
 • People can send Bitcoins (or part of one) to your digital wallet, and you can send
Bitcoins to other people.
• Every single transaction is recorded in a public list called the blockchain. As the
name implies, blockchain is a linked body of data, made up of units called blocks that
contain information about each and every transaction, including date and time, total
value, buyer and seller, and a unique identifying code for each exchange. Entries are
strung together in chronological order, creating a digital chain of blocks.
• This makes it possible to trace the history of Bitcoins to stop people from spending
coins they do not own, making copies or undoing transactions.
Advantages of Bitcoins

• Anonymous and Private: Bitcoin transactions are completely anonymous and private.
Unlike in payments through the bank, where the transactions can be tracked and
identified, bitcoin transactions cannot be identified. A person can only know the
addresses of the bitcoin wallet on which the payment has been sent and received. But
to whom these addresses belong, cannot be identified. It’s like payment to a particular
bank account can be tracked but to whom these accounts belong cannot be known. (but
if a person uses the same bitcoin address for every transaction for a long period of time,
there is a possibility that the person can be tracked).

• Payment Freedom: Paying through bitcoins provides the utmost freedom. Bitcoin can be
transferred to any person in any part of the world. No intermediaries in between. No
bank holidays/strikes. No boundaries or borders. No payment limit.

• Low/Minimal Fees: Paying through Bitcoin has very low and sometimes no transaction
fees at all. It all depends on the priority of the person. If a person wishes that his/her
transaction gets processed fast, he has to pay a transaction fee which is still very low as
compared to any financial intermediary or digital wallets.

• Fewer risks for merchants: Bitcoin transactions are secure, irreversible, and do not
contain any customer’s sensitive or personal information. This protects merchants from
losses caused by fraud or fraudulent chargebacks.

• It’s fast: Bitcoin transactions are very fast if compared to banking channels. A bitcoin
transaction is as fast as an e-mail and can be processed within 10 minutes. Also, it can
be instantly processed if they are “zero-confirmation” transactions, meaning that the
merchant takes on the risk of accepting a transaction that hasn’t yet been confirmed by
the bitcoin blockchain.
Its confirmed, transactions are those which take at least 10 minutes to process. Credit
Card or digital wallet services also provides instant approved transaction services but for
 this, they usually charge hefty fees, which is not in the case of Bitcoin as mentioned
above. Bitcoin has very low transaction fees even for being superfast in terms of
processing.

• Central governments can’t take it away: “I promise to pay the bearer a sum of one
thousand rupees” but do we get the gold if we go to the reserve bank. The answer is
“NO”. Similarly, the government says that a paper note can have a value up to Rs 1000
but what if the other government when in power demonetizes it and says that it is a
waste and does not hold any value? The result being, the consumers losing their
financial worth and credibility.
This is not in the case of Bitcoins. The government cannot take back your Bitcoins as it is
decentralized and no one has control over it. The maximum is that the government can
ban it but still your bitcoins have some value in those market/places/regions where it is
still legal and thus can be cashed.

• People can’t steal your payment information from merchants: Perhaps this is the biggest
benefit of Bitcoin. Most online purchases today are made via credit cards, debit cards,
requiring you to enter all your secret information (the credit card number, expiry date,
and CSV number) into a web form. This is why credit card numbers are regularly being
stolen.

• Non-Inflationary: Perhaps, this is the reason why Bitcoin is called the Future of Money.
Generally, the central government can get fiat currencies printed as much as they want.
When the economy is slowing down it is not able to pay off it’s national debt, the
government orders to print more currency and inject it into the economy. This causes
the value of a currency to decrease as more people have more currency. Also printing
more notes creates inflation and increases the prices of the commodity. It is because
now more people are willing to pay for a particular commodity and the seller has to
increase the price in order to make the sale. Thus, the person who had gained when the
government injected more currency can now buy crypto with Commonwealth Bank
more but those people who were not benefitted from have limited currency and now
the prices of a commodity have also increased.
On the other hand, this is not the case in Bitcoins. Only 21 million Bitcoins will ever be
created and this is known to everyone. This means that after all the Bitcoins have
matured, the number of bitcoins cannot grow and thus inflation won’t be a problem. At
the time of publishing this article, almost 1.7 Million Bitcoins have been generated and
the remaining will be generated over a period of time. New. Bitcoins are generated
through a process called “Mining”.
 • You can create your own money: As the central government can print its own money,
similarly any person can also produce bitcoins by himself. This can be done by mining
bitcoins through computers. It is not any kind of physical mining. Bitcoin mining is simply
a case of leaving the computer switched on, and keep the bitcoin mining software
running.
Disadvantages of Bitcoins

• Degree of acceptance
Many people are still unaware of Bitcoin. Every day, more business organizations are
accepting bitcoins but the list remains small and still needs to grow in order to benefit
from network effects.
• Volatility
Bitcoin prices are very volatile and increases/decrease at a very high pace. Speculators
wish to take advantage of it but genuine investors think of it as too risky and therefore
all the investors do not invest in Bitcoins.
• Ongoing development
Bitcoin software is with many incomplete features in active development. New tools,
features, and services are being developed to make Bitcoin more secure, convenient,
and accessible to the masses. Some of these are still not ready for everyone. Most
Bitcoin businesses are new and still offer no insurance.
• Possible Government Interference
Well, the government may not take your Bitcoins away but can ban them in the country,
which forces bitcoin wallets and companies to shut down. The bitcoins in these wallets
are frozen and access to them becomes difficult.
• Lack of recourse
If you lose your bitcoin wallet, you have lost all of your bitcoins in that wallet. You
cannot regain it and they are simply lost forever until and unless you have backed up
the wallet with a backup phrase code. This backup phrase code can be used to recover
the lost bitcoin wallet balance.

Artificial Intelligence:

• AI is a technique that enables machines to mimic human behavior. Artificial Intelligence

is the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally
requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-
making and translation between languages.
• Artificial Intelligence is the theory and development of computer systems able to
perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech
recognition, decision-making and translation between languages.
 • Artificial Intelligence is accomplished by studying how human brain thinks, learns,
decide, and work while trying to solve a problem, and then using the outcomes of this
study as a basis of developing intelligent software and systems.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made it possible for machines to learn from experience
and grow to perform human-like tasks. A lot of flashy examples of Artificial Intelligence
you hear about like Self Driving Cars, Chess Playing Computers rely heavily on Deep
Learning and Natural Language Processing. Using these technologies, computers can be
trained to accomplish specific tasks by processing large amounts of data and recognizing
patterns in the data.
Goals of Artificial Intelligence:

• Create machines that can replicate human intelligence.

• Improve machine efficiency and accuracy.
• Develop tools to help people solve real-world problems, e.g., robotics for people
with disabilities, auto-driving cars to avoid accidents caused by human error, etc,
face detection, voice detection, etc.
Applications of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence machines can make decisions, and when exposed to large amounts of real-
world data, they try to learn and improve themselves. To illustrate this, here are some practical
applications of Artificial Intelligence:

• Self-driving cars: Tesla’s famous self-driving cars are a magnificent real-life application
of Artificial Intelligence. These cars have built-in IoT sensors for image recognition,
forehead collision, spot monitoring, and many more complex mechanisms that allow
them to navigate and work in real life.
• Google Translate: Google Translate is another great application of Artificial Intelligence.
It helps us translate sentences formed in one language to another. It can also translate
the entire text on websites, which is possible only because of Artificial Intelligence.
• Amazon’s Alexa: Alexa includes a speech recognition system that listens to our voice
commands and gives answers. It recognizes our voice and interprets it as a series of
commands and then returns the results to us. It uses AVS (Alexa Voice Service), which
Amazon provides free of cost.
• Google Maps: Today, without Google Maps, it is impossible to survive in the city. With
Google Maps, we can travel from one place to another without any difficulty. All we
have to do is open Google Maps and enter our location. Then, its navigation will lead us
with the most optimized path to our destination. This is also one of the wonderful
applications of Artificial Intelligence.
• Gaming: AI plays an important role in designing strategic games such as chess, tic-tac-
toe etc. These are the logical games in which the system can determine the various
available options based on the information fed.
 • Natural Language Processing (NLP): It is possible to interact with the computer that
understands human language.
• Vision System: Computer Vision system is a technology of obtaining models to control
information from visual data. Eg: Police use computer software that can recognize the
face of the criminal with the stored portrait made by forensic artist.
• Robots: Robots are able to perform the tasks given by humans.
Advantages:
1) Reduction in Human Error:
The phrase “human error” was born because humans make mistakes from time to time.
Computers, however, do not make these mistakes if they are programmed properly.
With Artificial intelligence, the decisions are taken from the previously gathered
information applying a certain set of algorithms. So, errors are reduced and the chance
of reaching accuracy with a greater degree of precision is a possibility.

Example: In Weather Forecasting using AI they have reduced the majority of human
error.

2) Takes risks instead of Humans:

This is one of the biggest advantages of Artificial intelligence. We can overcome many
risky limitations of humans by developing an AI Robot which in turn can do the risky
things for us. Let it be going to mars, defuse a bomb, explore the deepest parts of
oceans, mining for coal and oil, it can be used effectively in any kind of natural or man-
made disasters.

3) Available 24x7:
An Average human will work for 4–6 hours a day excluding the breaks. Humans are built
in such a way to get some time out for refreshing themselves and get ready for a new
day of work and they even have weekly offed to stay intact with their work-life and
personal life. But using AI we can make machines work 24x7 without any breaks and
they don’t even get bored, unlike humans.
Example: Educational Institutes and Helpline centers are getting many queries and
issues which can be handled effectively using AI.
4) Helping in Repetitive Jobs:

In our day-to-day work, we will be performing many repetitive works like sending a
thanking mail, verifying certain documents for errors and many more things. Using
artificial intelligence, we can productively automate these mundane tasks and can even
remove “boring” tasks for humans and free them up to be increasingly creative.
Example: In banks, we often see many verifications of documents to get a loan which is
a repetitive task for the owner of the bank. Using AI Cognitive Automation, the owner
can speed up the process of verifying the documents by which both the customers and
the owner will be benefited.
5) Digital Assistance:
Some of the highly advanced organizations use digital assistants to interact with users
which saves the need for human resources. The digital assistants also used in many
websites to provide things that users want. We can chat with them about what we are
looking for. Some chatbots are designed in such a way that it’s become hard to
determine that we’re chatting with a chatbot or a human being.

Example: We all know that organizations have a customer support team that needs to
clarify the doubts and queries of the customers. Using AI, the organizations can set up a
Voice bot or Chatbot which can help customers with all their queries. We can see many
organizations already started using them on their websites and mobile applications.
6) Faster Decisions:

Using AI alongside other technologies we can make machines take decisions faster than
a human and carry out actions quicker. While taking a decision human will analyze many
factors both emotionally and practically but AI-powered machine works on what it is
programmed and delivers the results in a faster way.
Example: We all have played Chess games in Windows. It is nearly impossible to beat
CPU in the hard mode because of the AI behind that game. It will take the best possible
step in a very short time according to the algorithms used behind it.
7) Daily Applications:

Daily applications such as Apple’s Siri, Window’s Cortana, Google’s OK Google are
frequently used in our daily routine whether it is for searching a location, taking a selfie,
making a phone call, replying to a mail and many more.

Example: Around 20 years ago, when we are planning to go somewhere we used to ask
a person who already went there for the directions. But now all we have to do is say “OK
Google where is Visakhapatnam”. It will show you Visakhapatnam’s location on google
map and the best path between you and Visakhapatnam.
8) New Inventions:

AI is powering many inventions in almost every domain which will help humans solve
the majority of complex problems.
 Example: Recently doctors can predict breast cancer in the woman at earlier stages
using advanced AI-based technologies.
Disadvantages:
1) High Costs of Creation:
As AI is updating every day the hardware and software need to get updated with time to
meet the latest requirements. Machines need repairing and maintenance which need
plenty of costs. It’ s creation requires huge costs as they are very complex machines.
2) Making Humans Lazy:

AI is making humans lazy with its applications automating the majority of the work.
Humans tend to get addicted to these inventions which can cause a problem to future
generations.

3) Unemployment:
As AI is replacing the majority of the repetitive tasks and other works with robots,
human interference is becoming less which will cause a major problem in the
employment standards. Every organization is looking to replace the minimum qualified
individuals with AI robots which can do similar work with more efficiency.

4) No Emotions:
There is no doubt that machines are much better when it comes to working efficiently
but they cannot replace the human connection that makes the team. Machines cannot
develop a bond with humans which is an essential attribute when comes to Team
Management.

5) Lacking Out of Box Thinking:

Machines can perform only those tasks which they are designed or programmed to do,
anything out of that they tend to crash or give irrelevant outputs which could be a major
backdrop.

GIS:

• A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer system for capturing, storing,

checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface. GIS can show many
different kinds of data on one map, such as streets, buildings, and vegetation. This
enables people to more easily see, analyze, and understand patterns and relationships.
• Geographic Information Systems are powerful decision-making tools for any business or
industry since it allows the analyzation of environmental, demographic, and topographic
data. Data intelligence compiled from GIS applications help companies and various
industries, and consumers, make informed decisions.
• A working GIS integrates these five key components: hardware, software, data,
people, and methods.
Hardware
Hardware is the computer on which a GIS operates. Today, GIS runs on a wide range of
hardware types, from centralized computer servers to desktop computers used in
standalone or networked configurations.
Software
GIS software provides the functions and tools needed to store, analyze, and display
geographic information. Key software components are:

• A database management system (DBMS)

• Tools for the input and manipulation of geographic information
• Tools that support geographic query, analysis, and visualization
• A graphical user interface (GUI) for easy access to tools
People
GIS technology is of limited value without the people who manage the system and to
develop plans for applying it. GIS users range from technical specialists who design and
maintain the system, to those who use it to help them do their everyday work.
Methods
A successful GIS operates according to a well-designed plan and business rules, which
are the models and operating practices unique to each organization.
Data
Maybe the most important component of a GIS is the data. Geographic data and
related tabular data can be collected in-house or bought from a commercial data
provider. Most GIS employ a DBMS to create and maintain a database to help organize
and manage data. At one time this consisted of hard-copy data, like traditional
cartographic maps, surveyor’s logs, demographic statistics, geographic reports, and
descriptions from the field.
Applications of GIS System:
1. Mapping
GIS can be used to provide a visual interpretation of data. Google Maps is an excellent
example of a web-based GIS mapping solution that people use for everyday navigation
purposes. However, smart mapping technology has significantly advanced and is used in
products like Nobel’s GeoViewer, which gives cities, municipalities and private industry an
in-depth look at electric and water district assets in the field.
2. Telecom and Network Services
Organizations can incorporate geographic data into their complex network design,
optimization, planning, and maintenance activities. This data enhances telecom processes
through better customer-relationship management and location services.
3. Accident Analysis and Hot Spot Analysis
GIS data helps to identify accident locations, and road networks can be optimized using data
intelligence. This intelligence helps to improve road safety measures and allows better
traffic management.
4. Urban planning

GIS data analyzes urban growth and the direction of expansion. When appropriately
applied, it can discover new sites for further development, considering various factors that
are necessary for successful building.
5. Transportation Planning

GIS data is commonly used for managing transportation issues. With the addition of
environmental and topical data in a GIS platform, companies can plan for a new road or rail
route.

6. Environmental Impact Analysis

Data gathered via GIS applications is vital for conserving natural resources and protecting
the environment. Impact statements assess the magnitude of human impact on the
environment, which GIS integration helps indicate.
7. Agricultural Applications
GIS data helps create more efficient farming techniques, alongside analyzing soil data in an
advanced fashion. This can increase food production in different parts of the world.
8. Disaster Management and Mitigation
Efficient GIS systems protect the environment and are developed to assist risk and disaster
management.
8. GPS Navigation:
Web-based navigation maps use GIS data to provide the public with useful information.
Web maps are regularly updated per GIS information and are used consistently in
everyday life.
10. Flood damage estimation
Governments use GIS data to map flood risk areas and can use the information to
coordinate relief efforts.
11. Natural Resources Management
With the help of GIS information, forests can be adequately maintained and managed. It is
especially crucial for the allocation and geographic distribution of water, one of the more
critical environmental constituents.
Pros

(Assignment for Pros and Cons of GIS)

Cons

Hypermedia:
Hypermedia is the computer-based information retrieval system that enables a user to gain
or provide access to texts, audio, and video recordings, photographs, and computer
graphics related to a particular subject. It is also anything that allows the user to gather
information in a nonlinear way. This means that the user has a choice as to what path he or
she takes in order to gather information. The user has the option of skipping certain items
or can go through every piece of information that is listed. Examples of hypermedia include
the World Wide Web and Encarta.
The most common type of hypermedia is an image link. Photos or graphics on the Web are
often linked to other pages. For example, clicking a small "thumbnail" image may open a
larger version of the picture in a new window. Clicking a promotional graphic may direct you
to an advertiser's website. Flash animations and videos can also be turned into hyperlinks
by embedding one or more links that appear during playback.
You can tell if an image or video is a hyperlink by moving the cursor over it. If the cursor
changes into a small hand, that means the image or video is linked to another page. Clicking
the text, image, or video will open up a new location in your Web browser. Therefore, you
should only click a hypertext or hypermedia link when you are ready to leave the current
page. If you want to open the link in a new window, you can usually right click the link and
select "Open Link in New Window."
Example of Hypermedia:
Hypermedia is the extension of Hypertext which includes multiple forms of media such as
text, graphics, audio or video etc. rather than only text based like hypertext. It provides a
facility to connect the web pages to create a network with multimedia elements with a
simple click for a better multimedia experience. Hypermedia allows links to be integrate in
multimedia elements like images and videos and when we click on that it takes us to that
page.
Example of hypermedia is that when we use e-commerce site say Amazon and when we
click on any product it takes us to the specific product page which belongs to that. So here
the link is embedded to the image.
(For your information – Hypertext:
Hypertext is a cross referencing tool which connects the links to other text using hyperlinks.
Hypertext is non-linear and multi sequential and it is different from our normal text. By the
help of hypertext one organized way is achieved to present information. This makes the user
to move from one part of the information to another part of the information which is in
same page or any other page. It makes the documentation simple by providing a way of
easy accessible to the end user.)

Advantages of a hypermedia: (Assignment)

Ambient Intelligence:
Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is a vision of the future that assumes technology will be an
integral part of human interactions to the extent that tech will “disappear” and become
invisibly integrated into our day-to-day lives. AMI is the technology that uses the properties
of AI for the problem-solving methods.
AmI is the intersection of two important trends.
1. The first is the so-called "Internet of things" - networked devices like Wifi-enabled
lightbulbs, Internet radios, smart homes, smart appliances, and wearable technology
that make it easy to present data to the user in a variety of ways.
2. The second is big data analytics and increasingly powerful artificial intelligence tools,
which can absorb the flood of data from all of those sensors and devices and turn it into
useful insight that can be used to drive helpful behavior without human intervention.
Imagine, for example, buying wifi-enabled speakers that you can place around house that
handshake with smartphones via bluetooth, and pick playlists according what it predicts will
be liked by every person in the room. Imagine a smart thermostat and light controller that
has a statistical model of your behavior at various times and in various situations, and
selectively lights and climate controls the house to suit your mood and comfort level, while
saving energy.
Five key features characterize the environment;

• Awareness of the presence of humans.

• Knowledge of contexts (e.g., weather, news, and traffic).
• Recognition of individual identities.
• Recognition of individual and group activities.
• Adaptation to the changing needs of individuals and groups.

The “intelligence” features, meanwhile, were identified as follows;

• Adaptability
• Computational intelligence
• Contextual awareness
• Fault tolerance
• Natural interactions
• Robustness
• Security
 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
With the foundation set, it’s only a matter of time before we reach a complete ambient
intelligence stage. However, there are a few things that will determine how slow or quickly
we get to that stage;
Usability
From the word “ambient,” you can tell that the AmI environment should be unobtrusive.
Users shouldn’t need a manual to participate in the environment. Just like you now use your
credit card to make payments without any significant impediments, so should the ambient
intelligent environment work. The more usable AI and IoT technologies become, the faster
we’ll achieve AmI.
Technical feasibility
The ambient intelligence environment must also work efficiently within the constraints of
state-of-the-art technology. Factors such as hardware efficiency, speed, and environmental
sustainability must all be kept in mind. Accuracy and capacity are other factors that are
critical in the successful implementation of the AmI environment.
Trust and confidence
This, too, is central to the success of ambient intelligence. The people for whom these
technologies and systems are designed must have trust and confidence in the systems.
Andrew Ng, former MD at BAIDU, says it should work like electricity. The way we trust and
have confidence in electricity, so should we have confidence in the ambient intelligent
environment. This makes factors such as security, privacy, and system reliability top
priorities.
Positive socio-economic impacts
Finally, no technology is worth any attention if it doesn’t improve society’s social and
economic position. That rule applies to ambient intelligence too. AmI must contribute
positively to the wellbeing of the individual for it to gain a footing in society. Only when
populations see socio-economic benefits in the technologies will they adopt them.

Robotics
Robotics is an interdisciplinary sector of science and engineering dedicated to the design,
construction and use of mechanical robots. Our guide will give you a concrete grasp of robotics,
including different types of robots and how they're being applied across industries.
Robotics is the intersection of science, engineering and technology that produces machines,
called robots, that substitute for (or replicate) human actions. Pop culture has always been
fascinated with robots.
WHAT IS A ROBOT?
A robot is the product of the robotics field, where programmable machines are built that can
assist humans or mimic human actions. Robots were originally built to handle monotonous
tasks (like building cars on an assembly line), but have since expanded well beyond their initial
uses to perform tasks like fighting fires, cleaning homes and assisting with incredibly intricate
surgeries. Each robot has a differing level of autonomy, ranging from human-controlled bots
that carry out tasks that a human has full control over to fully-autonomous bots that perform
tasks without any external influences.

Robot’s Functioning:

• Independent robots
Independent robots are capable of functioning completely autonomously and
independent of human operator control. These typically require more intense
programming but allow robots to take the place of humans when undertaking
dangerous, mundane or otherwise impossible tasks, from bomb diffusion and deep-sea
travel to factory automation. Independent robots have proven to be the most disruptive
to society, eliminating low-wage jobs but presenting new possibilities for growth.
• Dependent robots
Dependent robots are non-autonomous robots that interact with humans to enhance
and supplement their already existing actions. This is a relatively new form of
technology and is being constantly expanded into new applications, but one form of
dependent robots that has been realized is advanced prosthetics that are controlled by
the human mind.
Characteristics:

• Sensing: First of all your robot would have to be able to sense its surroundings. It would
do this in ways that are not unsimilar to the way that you sense your surroundings.
Giving your robot sensors: light sensors (eyes), touch and pressure sensors (hands),
chemical sensors (nose), hearing and sonar sensors (ears), and taste sensors (tongue)
will give your robot awareness of its environment.
• Movement: A robot needs to be able to move around its environment. Whether rolling
on wheels, walking on legs or propelling by thrusters a robot needs to be able to move.
To count as a robot either the whole robot moves, like the Sojourner or just parts of the
robot moves, like the Canada Arm.
• Energy: A robot needs to be able to power itself. A robot might be solar powered,
electrically powered, battery powered. The way your robot gets its energy will depend
on what your robot needs to do.
• Intelligence: A robot needs some kind of "smarts." This is where programming enters
the pictures. A programmer is the person who gives the robot its 'smarts.' The robot will
have to have some way to receive the program so that it knows what it is to do.
Types of Robots
Mechanical bots come in all shapes and sizes to efficiently carry out the task for which they are
designed. All robots vary in design, functionality and degree of autonomy. From the 0.2
millimeter-long “RoboBee” to the 200 meter-long robotic shipping vessel “Vindskip,” robots are
emerging to carry out tasks that humans simply can’t. Generally, there are five types of robots:
1) Pre-Programmed Robots
Pre-programmed robots operate in a controlled environment where they do simple,
monotonous tasks. An example of a pre-programmed robot would be a mechanical arm on an
automotive assembly line. The arm serves one function — to weld a door on, to insert a certain
part into the engine, etc. — and its job is to perform that task longer, faster and more
efficiently than a human.
2) Humanoid Robots
Humanoid robots are robots that look like and/or mimic human behavior. These robots usually
perform human-like activities (like running, jumping and carrying objects), and are sometimes
designed to look like us, even having human faces and expressions. Two of the most prominent
examples of humanoid robots are Hanson Robotics’ Sophia and Boston Dynamics’ Atlas.
3) Autonomous Robots
Autonomous robots operate independently of human operators. These robots are usually
designed to carry out tasks in open environments that do not require human supervision. They
are quite unique because they use sensors to perceive the world around them, and then
employ decision-making structures (usually a computer) to take the optimal next step based on
their data and mission. An example of an autonomous robot would be the Roomba vacuum
cleaner, which uses sensors to roam freely throughout a home.

EXAMPLES OF AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS

Cleaning Bots (for example, Roomba)
Lawn Trimming Bots
Hospitality Bots
Autonomous Drones
Medical Assistant Bots

4) Teleoperated Robots
Teleoperated robots are semi-autonomous bots that use a wireless network to enable human
control from a safe distance. These robots usually work in extreme geographical conditions,
weather, circumstances, etc. Examples of teleoperated robots are the human-controlled
submarines used to fix underwater pipe leaks during the BP oil spill or drones used to detect
landmines on a battlefield.
5) Augmenting Robots
Augmenting robots either enhance current human capabilities or replace the capabilities a
human may have lost. The field of robotics for human augmentation is a field where science
fiction could become reality very soon, with bots that have the ability to redefine the definition
of humanity by making humans faster and stronger. Some examples of current augmenting
robots are robotic prosthetic limbs or exoskeletons used to lift hefty weights.
Pros

Cons: (Assignment for Today)