New Toys: The Shift In Human-AI Interaction

Welcome to this week’s Deep-fried Dive with Fry Guy! In these long-form articles, Fry Guy conducts an in-depth analysis of a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) development or developer. Today, Fry Guy is exploring the shift in human-AI interaction. We hope you enjoy!

*Notice: We do not gain any monetary compensation from the people and projects we feature in the Sunday Deep-fried Dives with Fry Guy. We explore these projects and developers solely for the purpose of revealing to you interesting and cutting-edge AI projects, developers, and uses.*

Many spent their childhoods adjusting radio dials, sifting through static so they could hear their favorite songs, or at least some song. Those craving entertainment spent their time adjusting the classic “bunny ear” antennas, trying to get enough signal to see the score of the game. A remote? What’s that? Pay your kids $5 to sit in front of the TV and flip through the channels. This was the way of life.

Fast forward to today, where you can play any song you want at the touch of a screen or the command of your voice, where even cable TV has become so outdated that streaming services have taken over the industry. In fact, people are even beginning to abandon TV for the likes of virtual reality (VR). It’s not enough to watch the game from the couch in High-Definition; people want to experience the game as if they were there, all from the comfort of their own homes. Technology allows us to have the best of both worlds, whatever we desire and more. In fact, when my TV lags behind even a few seconds during a football game, I find my blood starting to boil … I expect more from this technology.

Is this what technology does? It runs, but not like us humans—not even like a cheetah. Technology runs faster than mere mortals could. We chase it with our expectations, and time and time again it delivers. Why? Because it is driven not by our abilities, but by our minds—our creativity. And with new technological innovations, like that of AI, our creative minds wander far. We look for every way we can implement it, and it begins to consume every industry, revolutionizing not only what happens behind the scenes, but also how we interact with it. Throw out the old way of interacting with tech—with your life—because AI is ushering in a brand new way of living.

INNOVATIONS THAT HAVEN’T MADE HEADLINES

There’s no doubt that AI is immersing itself into all kinds of software functionality. However, as the inside of computer systems get a makeover, the outsides are as well. Say goodbye to the box TVs you thought were revolutionary, and say hello to something new—something unexpected! As AI continues to transform the programming sector, we will continue to see the marriage between AI’s innovative software solutions and creative hardware initiatives, transforming the way we interact with this new technology.

Over the past year, we have seen an emergence of new hardware solutions, looking to leverage the way humans interact with this groundbreaking AI technology. Some of these include the Rabbit R1 (an AI pocket companion), the Galaxy S24 smartphone lineup (featuring a significant integration of AI tools), and the Humane AI pin (an AI wearable with the potential to replace the smartphone). Not to mention, Apple is ushering in the Vision Pro in just a few weeks, set to marry AI with VR. AI is also being incorporated into existing products, like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. These major innovations are just the start of a new craze to revolutionize the way humans interact with this new technology. The field is ripe with new ideas, boosted by unique creativity. Let’s explore some of the AI solutions that haven’t yet made headlines!

BMIND SMART MIRROR

Developed by Baracoda, the BMind Smart Mirror seamlessly integrates AI and natural language processing (NLP) to analyze the emotions of the person facing it, interpreting expressions, gestures, and tones. Based on this analysis, it tailors its responses to improve your mood, providing light therapy sessions, guided meditations, and self-affirmations.

MOTION PILLOW

The Motion Pillow utilizes AI to address snoring issues and enhance sleep quality. Its AI Motion System identifies snoring and gradually inflates built-in airbags, lifting the user’s head to open the airway and reduce snoring. The accompanying app monitors various sleep metrics, such as snoring time, airbag operation time, sleep score, sleep duration, and even records snoring for playback.

To complement this technology, the company introduced the Motion Ring, which monitors sleep status in real time and sends data to the motion system for a seamless experience. The combined solution, known as motionsleep, received the CES 2024 Innovation Award in the Smart Home category.

SMART TOILETS

The royal throne has gotten an AI upgrade. As Kholer says, “When’s the last time your toilet made you feel like royalty?” Kholer’s Smart Toilets not only offer hands-free opening and closing, heated seats, and a built-in warm-water bidet, they also have a warm-air dryer to finish your experience, eliminating the need for toilet paper. If that’s not enough, the Smart Toilet has a self-cleaning wand that uses a UV light to clean the bowl every 24 hours, making for a hygienic experience. To further ensure a sanitary space, the toilet is installed with “a whisper-quiet fan that pulls air from the toilet bowl through a carbon filter to remove odors,” so you don’t have to worry about leaving a smelly scent. To top it all off, the system comes with a wall-mountable touch-screen remote that gives users easy access to all these amazing features.

MINITAILZ SMART DOG COLLAR

Invoxia’s Minitailz Smart Dog Collar goes beyond the traditional dog tag. This smart collar not only keeps track of the dog’s GPS location, ensuring they never wander too far, but also provides valuable health insights, including resting heart rate and breathing patterns. Remarkably, the company asserts that the collar can even detect early signs of heart failure before any symptoms manifest. Going beyond traditional tracking, the collar also employs AI-driven activity detection, sending real-time alerts to pet owners of what their dog is doing, offering a glimpse into the daily adventures and well-being of their beloved four-legged friends.

HELIO RING

The Amazfit Helio Ring is the ultimate health monitoring and training tool for athletes and those chasing fitness goals. As Amazfit states, “From your training load, to your sleep quality, to the mental side of your game, this smart ring is the ultimate in athletic recovery analysis and guidance.”

The Helio Ring offers a comprehensive analysis of one’s activity and training, sleep quality, and mental well-being. As a sleep tracker, it provides a Readiness Score and insights based on recovery, guiding users to either leap into action or plan relaxation time. The ring, paired with a mobile app, uses machine learning to enhance the recovery process with customized sleep sounds that adjust based on how the user’s body responds to them, provides detailed reports on physical and mental health, outlines personalized meditation options, and also gives the user access to a wellness coach via an AI chatbot, which gives tailored answers based on the user’s data. The Helio Ring also serves as an elite athlete training tool, tracking performance data for various workouts and generating training plans to help users reach their goals. With features like electrodermal activity sensing, accurate heart rate tracking, and water resistance, this smart ring is engineered for intensity and can withstand any lifestyle, whether in the water, cold, or heat, making it an essential component to any type of training. It truly is like having a team of personalized trainers at your disposal, 24/7, to help you achieve your fitness goals.

A NEW WAY TO INTERACT

When people think of AI, they often think of chatbots. Not anymore! As these innovative hardware solutions continue to emerge, AI is changing the game completely, not only in terms of chatbots that we talk to over text, but that we can incorporate into all aspects of our life. AI is making its way to our smartphones (heck, even replacing them in some cases), revolutionizing the way we sleep, caring for our pets, and even enhancing our restroom experience!

As AI’s abilities continue to develop, we can expect it to be integrated into almost anything. It’s truly time to throw out the old and look ahead towards a new path, ripe with innovative AI products. As creative human engineers continue to find new uses for this revolutionary technology, we should expect to see the physical world change before our very eyes!