IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) is a computer titan that has become stock in the world of business and supercomputers. After being founded in mid-1911, their main focus was providing top-quality tabulating and computing machines for professional businesses; this was far before the days of personal computing as no average consumer could afford or understand how to use a computer for themselves. Unlike the other big names in the technological revolution, IBM is based in New York, and according to a recent article on their site, they have some big plans for the next 5 years.

IBM is proposing a cognitive computing system will be developed and introduced to consumer electronics within the next 5 years. Cognitive computing consists of, as IBM states,:

“…systems [that] learn instead of passively relying on programming.”

With such a system, IBM is claiming that computers will be able to emulate and react to the 5 senses that humans hold so near and dear to interact with the world. Now we take a look at how IBM believes computers will use the sense of touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell to improve upon how we use our personal devices today.

Touch:

You will be able to touch through your phone.

As smartphone technologies become more complex with greater cameras, voice-activated personal assistants, and accessibility for the sight/hearing impaired, is it crazy to think they will be able to emulate touch in the next five years. 5 years ago, the iPhone was introduced and a new age of mobile computing was born; now, IBM researchers believe that different textures and touch-feelings can had mimicked through the vibrations made by your phone. Shopping for clothes on your smartphone will be a whole new experience as you can feel the various fabrics of the cute outfit on sale or the ream of cloth needed for your next inspirational design.

Sight:

A pixel will be worth a thousand words.

Cameras on smartphones, computers, and other electronic devices have improved vastly over the past few years; now they can tell when you’re smiling, scan gift cards onto your account, capture beautifully-crafted meals to share with your followers. In 5 years, cameras and computers should be able to use minute details in what they see around them and comprehend what they mean for an assortment of situations. It may be able to tell if you’re in the middle of the city or the middle of your neighborhood, by the beach or in a sand-volleyball pit, or where you are in your home. This attention to detail is what leads IBM researchers to assume computers will have the assets needed to recognize skin cancer from a mole or alert authorities in the case of a traffic accident or mugging.