Method Inventor

In the Pennsylvania Gazette: Method Inventor

With an innovation portfolio that ranges from medical devices to folding bicycles to social-impact enterprises to junk food, Wharton professor Karl Ulrich has every justification to bask in entrepreneurial mystique. Only that’s exactly what he sets out to demolish in the classroom.
By Trey Popp

" ... Ulrich puts a great deal of emphasis on simply defining the problem. Consider the example I encountered (along with untold thousands of other virtual students) in his Coursera class, for which he proposed to design a better ice cream scoop. Only “design a better ice cream scoop” was in fact an example of how not to define a problem. Better to start with a more specific statement, like, “How do we create a better handheld tool for forming balls of ice-cream from a bulk container?”

From there, he teaches a method called “The Five Whys,” in which would-be entrepreneurs channel their inner four-year-olds to ask, over and over again: Why? As the exercise played out on Coursera, he found his way from “We want to provide convenient access to tasty desserts at home,” to “We’d like to enjoy meals at home more often,” to “We want to build family togetherness.” Then he narrowed down his specifications for a tool capable of accomplishing this, rejecting “improve ergonomics” in favor of “find a better way to transmit axial force from the user’s arms to a tool.” ... '

Driverless Cars Interacting with People

Ultimately all systems interact with people.  Of course a driverless car has an interaction that implies levels of safety.  Does it blow its horn, or display a scrolling sign?   What are the implications?

Cheap Frig Cams

What we have all been looking for in the Smarthome?  Probably not, but another example where cheap simple cams can be be added to an attentive systems as part of the IoT.

Cheap Fridge Cam
" .... Smarter used to show to launch their latest product TheFridgeCam, a wireless fridge camera that allows users to see the contents of their fridge from wherever they are via the app. The camera takes a photo of the contents of the fridge every time the door is shut, which is them displayed via the Smarter app  .... "  

The Unilever Consumer Connection

Unilever advertises a number of their products through Supermarket News called The Consumer Connection.  To help "Unilever Advance Health, Well-Being and Category Growth".

Internet of Robotic Things

I remember an effort that sought to share the learning of robots, this is different:

The latest Internet of Things (IoT) sub-segment to emerge is the Internet of Robotic Things, where intelligent robots operate with relative autonomy.

As reported by ZDNet, ABI Research is championing the emergence of IoT-powered robots.

In essence the Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) describes devices that are able to combine data from various sources, monitor events, determine a best course of action and manipulate objects in the real world.

And though the IoRT concept has been kicking around for a few years, ABI’s practice director of robotics Dan Kara says the technology is still in the early stages.

However, he says new innovations are starting to appear in this space, like iRobot which uses Amazon Web Services to connect consumer robotic devices to the cloud.   .... " 

IBM and Chevy Generating 'Positivity'

Anther example of the text analysis of social media streams  ...  although the resulting measure seems quite general.   In AdAge:

Chevy and IBM Will Rate Your Social Media 'Positivity'     By E.J. Schultz

" ... The global campaign -- which is rolling out today -- allows participants to visit a mobile or desktop site to obtain a positivity score based on their social media posts.

Users are asked to enter either their Twitter or Facebook account names at the site. Within seconds the program returns a positivity score. The output also identifies a user's least positive and most positive posts as well as their five most used positive words. Also provided is a detailed social personality summary. At the end, Chevy recommends an experience based on the output, such as "master a new language."   ... " 

Baidu's Paddle

Via O'Reilly:

Baidu's Paddle
Baidu's deep learning framework, Paddle (PArallel Distributed Deep LEarning), has been open sourced.

Reducing Traffic with Reinforcement Learning

Our group looked at related problems in traffic and industry.    In Engineering.com

Machine Learning Techniques Aim to Reduce Traffic  by Michael Alba

It's a problem we can all relate to: sitting in traffic and waiting for a green light. While waiting, you may have even pondered how you would try to improve traffic efficiency—surely there's got to be some way for everyone to get to work on time.

But ponder no longer, because a team of engineers from Tsinghua University in China has handed the problem over to machines. The team’s recent study makes use of deep reinforcement learning algorithms to optimize traffic signaling, and its promising results suggest there may be a way to arrive on time after all.

Deep Reinforcement Learning

Let's be clear: traffic is a complex problem to solve, and traffic control engineers have long worked on improving efficiency. The difficulty arises because there are two distinct and challenging tasks involved—the first step is to create a useful model of traffic flow, and the next is to somehow find a way to optimize it.

The team modeled traffic flow using a simplified simulation of an eight-lane intersection, with only red and green lights (no yellows) and vehicles only allowed to go straight through (no right, left, or U-turns were permitted).

Using this simplified scenario, the team implemented reinforcement learning algorithms in order to determine signaling actions that were most beneficial to the system. This was evaluated by measuring the queuing length of traffic in both directions. By simulating different signaling situations, the algorithm aimed to minimize the length of traffic queues and therefore decrease driver wait time. ... " 

Reinforcement Learning and AI

This bears some relationship to looking directly at business process and attempting to control it directly.  A kind of context simulation with rewards.   Thus similar to game play and process control.   I will follow in a post with a real world example.

Reinforcement Learning and AI   Good piece with many related examples.
Posted by William Vorhies

Summary:  At the core of modern AI, particularly robotics, and sequential tasks is Reinforcement Learning.  Although RL has been around for many years it has become the third leg of the Machine Learning stool and increasingly important for Data Scientist to know when and how to implement. ... " 
" ... The key to understanding when to use Reinforcement Learning is this:

Data for learning currently does not exist
Or you don’t want to wait to accumulate it (because delay might be costly)
Or the data may change rapidly causing the outcome to change more rapidly than a typical model refresh cycle can accommodate.

What problems fit this description?  Well robotic control for one and game play for another, both a central focus of AI over the last few years.   ... " 

(Read the full article)   See also in the WP, which does a good broad overview.

Alexa Dot Now Being Sold in Volume

 Add Alexa to any room.  Only $49.99

The All-New Echo Dot uses the same far–field voice recognition as Echo and is a convenient addition to any room of the house. Directly connect Echo Dot to speakers with an audio cable or via Bluetooth, and add voice–control to your home stereo system. With its built–in speaker, you can place Dot in the bedroom and use it as a smart alarm clock that can also turn off your lights, or use Dot in the kitchen to easily set timers and add items to your shopping list using just your voice. Learn more about Echo Dot.   (They are also selling six-packs of the devices)

This seems to point to more multi point, communications and control examples that could be put in play.  House or household wide.  Most of the examples being shown are music control examples, rather than 'serious'.  Would like to see more of the latter developed for voice control.  Have some ideas in the area of health and elder care.

Virtual Assistants Adapting to Us

Ultimately we will need more of this,  although it is still probably a very subtle thing.  Today, like in search, we just want an  answer.   As the answer becomes more complicated,  the conversation will have to change to teaching.

Customer Service Bots Are Getting Better at Detecting Your Agitation   by Signe Brewster

A virtual assistant that can tell you’re frustrated can slow down and help you out. SRI International, the Silicon Valley research lab where Apple’s virtual assistant Siri was born, is working on a new generation of virtual assistants that respond to users’ emotions. ....  " 

Columbus Ohio Wins Smart City

In the CACM:

" .. And The Winner Is...Columbus!  By Gary Anthes

Rust Belt city Columbus, OH, emerged as the high-tech winner among 78 U.S. cities competing in the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Smart City Challenge. DOT will award $40 million to Columbus for programs ranging from smart intersections to autonomous vehicles to vehicle electrification.

Columbus's response to the Challenge also drew a $10-million grant from Vulcan, Inc., the private investment company run by philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen.

The DOT grant extends over four years and will fund a variety of projects shared by the city and a number of high-tech corporations. The idea is to develop and integrate applications that will help citizens get to their jobs, provide transportation-related information to citizens and visitors, facilitate the shipment of goods, and generally make transportation in the city quicker, more cost-effective and less polluting.  ....  "

GE Smart Appliances

GE Smart Appliances are now controllable through the Amazon Alexa Commands and IFTTT.   New integration of smart home and Intelligence.

Data Science and Cortana Intelligence

Cortana Intelligence and Machine Learning Blog

Recent Updates to the Microsoft Data Science Virtual Machine
September 13, 2016 by Cortana Intelligence and ML Blog Team
Posted by Gopi Kumar, Principal Program Manager in the Microsoft Data Group.

It’s been over 9 months since we first released the Data Science Virtual Machine (DSVM), a custom virtual machine image we published in the Azure Marketplace with a host of popular data science tools pre-installed and pre-configured. We’ve made a few updates since then, and now offer the DSVM in both Windows and Linux editions. There’s been a tremendous response to this offering by the data analytics community across the globe and we continue to iterate and improve the experience. This post provides a quick update on some of the newer features that should further improve your productivity and let you accomplish more with the DSVM. ....  "   (Considerable detail follows)

Retailers Struggling with Big Data

In Retailwire: 

When RSR recently asked retailers about the status of capabilities related to capturing and analyzing Big Data, we found that no capability was reported to have been “implemented” by up to 50 percent of retailers and less than a quarter claimed to be “satisfied” with what they had implemented.

The industry has a “half empty or half full” problem. The optimistic view is we’re in the very early days when it comes to truly leveraging non-transactional data. The pessimistic view is that retailers are just too slow to change.  ....  "

May also depend on your definition of big data.   Operational data based on the stream created by costs, sales and ongoing decisions may make much more sense.

I see our colleague Peter Fader at Wharton commented on this:

" .. it’s simple: retailers are obsessed with one and only one thing — operational efficiency. Big Data can be somewhat helpful in this regard but the real payoff from it, as noted in Brian’s introductory comments, is in different kinds of personalization/customization. Retailers are notoriously bad at doing this (because these activities go against the grain of operational efficiency).

Until retailers are willing/able to change their core strategies in a fundamental manner, they will never reap the rewards of Big Data. ..." 

Identity Graphs for Marketing

Admit I had not heard the term 'identity graph' in terms of marketing before, but now I am intensely interested in the graphical implications.  Still considering that.   Where do you start?

Marketers Need 'Identity Graphs,' but Are They as Accurate as Advertised?
By George Slefo

Nearly everything is expected to become connected over the next decade. Kitchens. Cars. Watches. TVs. Wearables. Smartphones -- the list can go on and on. Consumers already use at least six different connected devices each day, according to Nielsen.

But if marketers want to deliver a seamless experience to the same individual across different devices, they'll likely need to understand, and use, identity graphs.

Identity graphs help marketers match multiple devices to the person who uses them. The question is whether they're as accurate as often advertised.

"I think we are in the very early stages of data," Julie Fleischer, managing director at OMD, told Ad Age at OmniDigital, a conference held by Ad Exchanger in Chicago last week. "We're at the point where everybody recognizes that data is the key to everything."

"But we're in these early stages where all of the focus is on the pipes and how we do the accessing," she added. "Not enough focus is on if the data is correct, and if the data is wrong, which happens so often, then everything spins out of control."  .... ' 

AI Will be Whispering in your Ear

Interesting point about the the recently announced Dash earbuds for iPhone.  Is this really a play to get AI in your ear?  You could suggest that this is a better way to deliver AI than Echo or Cortana,  by making their side of the conversation confidential. An ear bud that is also an intelligent bot, and provide tailored information.  In CWorld:  by Mike Egan: 

" ... Every major consumer electronics company is building A.I. earbuds.

Google is working on a secret initiative called Project Aura. (Don't confuse Project Aura with Google's Project Ara, a modular smartphone research program discontinued this week.) Project Aura is rumored to involve an enterprise version of Google Glass, plus one or two audio-only wearables -- often described as Google Glass without the glass -- essentially screen input replaced by voice and Google Now.

Microsoft is reportedly building a hearable device, possibly aimed at women, called the "Clip." The earpiece would enable hands-free interaction with Microsoft's Cortana virtual assistant.

Sony's long-awaited Xperia Ear product is expected to ship in two months. The device is being designed around a "voice agent," which will tell you the news and weather, update you on your schedule for the day, provide turn-by-turn directions, send text messages and answer your trivia questions. One very cool feature that I expect will soon be nearly universal on wireless earbuds is the ability to respond "yes" or "no" to your in-ear virtual assistant silently by nodding or shaking your head.

These consumer electronics giants are trying to head off a wave of insurgent startups who want to own the interface of the future.

A startup called LifeBEAM successfully crowdfunded this year what it calls the Vi headset. The hardware comes with artificial intelligence software that functions as a fitness coach. It can also monitor your temperature, heart rate and other metrics while you're working out. You can also do Siri-like things such as using voice commands to initiate a call. LifeBEAM's Vi is expected to ship next year. ... "

Too Much Data? First Use Right Measures

In era of hunger for bigger data, we can still get it wrong.  Its more important to have the right metrics.  Via Think with Google:

Weekly Thought-Starter
Too much data can make for muddled metrics. To drive business growth, focus measurement on your brand’s true KPIs, such as sales and lifetime value.  ....   

Marketers are capitalizing on this by delivering digital marketing strategies to meet consumers in these moments of need. But with mobile taking center-stage for many brands, a new set of challenges has arisen around how to quantify digital's value and capture growth opportunities. We chatted with Adam Lavelle, Chief Growth Officer at Merkle (a leading performance marketing agency) to discuss how they help clients not only measure the impact of digital campaigns, but also drive real business growth.    ... ." 

Preparing for More Computational Thinking

Never heard precisely of 'computational thinking' , but as an engineer have done it for years.  Stephen Wolfram describes it in much detail using their systems.     Our past has been computational still, but now many more people are using such methods, because they are readily available.    But we will need to check applicability of the results.  Also, we are entering the world of virtual assistants, which further extends the reach of computation.  Then how do we get kids, not usually interested in math, ready for these changes?    Very good piece I am reading:

How to Teach Computational Thinking  by Stephen Wolfram: 

The Computational Future
Computational thinking is going to be a defining feature of the future—and it’s an incredibly important thing to be teaching to kids today. There’s always lots of discussion (and concern) about how to teach mathematical thinking to kids. But looking to the future, this pales in comparison to the importance of teaching computational thinking. Yes, there’s a certain amount of mathematical thinking that’s needed in everyday life, and in many careers. But computational thinking is going to be needed everywhere. And doing it well is going to be a key to success in almost all future careers.

Doctors, lawyers, teachers, farmers, whatever. The future of all these professions will be full of computational thinking. Whether it’s sensor-based medicine, computational contracts, education analytics or computational agriculture—success is going to rely on being able to do computational thinking well.

I’ve noticed an interesting trend. Pick any field X, from archeology to zoology. There either is now a “computational X” or there soon will be. And it’s widely viewed as the future of the field. ... " 

Thinking First Impressions

How to Make a Great First Impression  by Rebecca Knight  In the HBR

The saying “You only have one chance to make a first impression” holds true in many situations, from job interviews to sales calls. How can you make sure that you start off on the right foot in any of these scenarios? What should you actually say? And what’s the best way to follow up?

What the Experts Say

First impressions matter so much because they happen fast, and they are stubborn, says Whitney Johnson, the author of Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work. “We make judgments [about other people] in a nanosecond.” And once that impression is formed, it’s “very, very hard to change it.” Simply put, your relationships and interactions will be a lot easier if you’re able to immediately start off strong. “You get the benefit of the doubt,” says Dorie Clark, the author of Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future. “So then if you ever say the wrong thing, make a mistake, or arrive at work late, the other person is more likely to assume the best.” A strong first impression, she says, “gives you more latitude to be human.” Here are some strategies to help ensure others see the best in you from the beginning.  ... "