Think Research

Cover Story Talking to machines Fundamental understanding of speech recognition gleaned by Research over the past quarter-century is leading to products that satisfy customer and market needs. Recently, Research has helped to develop systems that recognize continuous speech in specialized applications, such as creation of radiologists' reports. Research has used further advances in continuous-speech recognition to create telephony applications. The ultimate goal is giving computers the ability to act on complex, naturally spoken queries and commands. Features The secrets of agents A team at IBM's Tokyo Research Laboratory has created a breed of mobile agents. "Java aglets" can be sent out across the Internet to glean information from Web sites, coordinate the activities of remote teams and even participate in Internet auctions. The TRL team is developing standards for aglet activity and collaborating with IBM development groups to simplify the creation and use of aglets. The Body Electric Technology under development at IBM's Almaden Research Center is designed to pass digital information between two individuals or between an individual and a device via a simple touch. To develop such personal area networks, or PANs, Almaden scientist Thomas G. Zimmerman developed technology that, in effect, transforms the human body into a copper cable. Zimmerman foresees initial use of PANs to identify people to devices that they own, such as automobiles and telephones. New strategy for the matching game Recognizing items that are similar, but not identical, in a database is one of the crucial challenges for computer vision programs. Digital disc diplomacy Using technical and diplomatic skills, IBM researchers and executives helped to create a single new format for a technology relevant to the entertainment and computer industries. Columns Perspective The Value of Exploratory Research Editor's corner Communing with computers Viewpoint Five key opportunities in the PC market Departments Research News Patents on the web; Industry Solutions Labs showcase Research's technological advances; and ultrafast chip, tuning circuits automatically; light emission from silicon circuits; new initiatives; Honors; LabNotes. Net Results AlphaWorks is revamped to reflect its growing role as a forum for cuttinf-edge Internet technologies; PanoramIX gives users the big picture.