Walk into Building 99 on Microsoft (MSFT)'s Redmond (Wash.) campus, and you'll be greeted by a dark-haired receptionist named Laura. She isn't a real person. She's a digital creation peering out from a computer screen. Yet she talks and interacts with visitors. She responds to a nod or shake of the head, as well as other gestures and voice commands. The technology behind Laura is one example of how companies are looking to free consumers from keyboards and remote controls in favor of more natural interaction with computers, TVs, and mobile devices.
But the enormous popularity of Nintendo (NTDOY)'s motion-sensing Wii game console and Apple (AAPL)'s touchscreen iPhone has many people predicting that mainstream electronics controlled by gestures and voices will become common in the near future. [BW]
Starbucks can replace its workers with a vending machine-like, where "someone" would take orders virtually and vend your order at the end. If that's true, just imagine Starbucks in every buildings, not just every corners. Similarly for McDonald's? Many services can be accomplished online already. Customer services are automated. So, only a matter of time before machines replace human?
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