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Patents AI Microsoft

Microsoft Patents Sensor-Filled, AI-Assisted Backpack 14

Microsoft has patented an AI-powered backpack design featuring a plethora of sensors that may include cameras, microphones, GPS, and a compass. Tom's Hardware reports: Additionally, Microsoft thinks it may be useful to add in LEDs and speakers, as well as a haptic actuator, into the straps. Some real-time processing is deemed necessary to the smart wearable. Thus, various recognition modules are proposed to provide image, text, speech, facial, and cognitive recognition. As well as real-time monitors feeding data to the built-in processing power for AI smarts, the system housed in the backpack also will boast a recording device (using on-board storage), wireless connectivity, battery power / charging and more.

With all the above sensing and processing on your person, in the backpack, it is envisioned that wearers will benefit from AI enhanced object identification and analysis, nearby device interaction, and be able to gain contextual insights. A flow chart shows how the backpack and its data feed might work alongside personal computers and cloud servers. Other illustrations show the wandering backpack wearer navigating a ski resort, and checking out supermarket prices, as well as considering booking concert tickets. Sometimes the user may interact with the backpack's on-board AI via speech, e.g. "Hey Backpack, add this poster to my calendar." Alternatively some AI actions or contextual tasks may be instigated by interacting with sensors on the straps.
You can view the patent application here.
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Microsoft Patents Sensor-Filled, AI-Assisted Backpack

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  • "Dispensing micro mines, Rogue."

  • by jddj ( 1085169 ) on Friday September 01, 2023 @10:05PM (#63816205) Journal

    ...and Google Glass makes you look like a Glasshole, why does a backpack fill of shit make any sense at all?

    Hell, make a thin client instead Microsloth, and sell your own Azure cloud services!

  • So it seems like we're back to the good ol' days of patent nonsense, where they "invent" something that is nothing other than "do this, but with AI".
    • You got it in one. This is just purely idea squatting. They can probably build a meaningful solution to demonstrate this right now (and likely have done, even) and will use it as the basis to sue others for portable "AI" assistant projects.

      • I did something similar with a Depth Camera and a Raspberry Pi 4 back in 2018-2019. No "AI" just a small DLSR camera backpack, a VR headset battery, 1TB external usb 3.0 HDD, an external IMU (with GPS), a portable HDMI IP camera monitor, a handheld wireless ball mouse, a backpack strap camera mount (for a GoPro), and the aforementioned Intel RealSense D435i / Pi4.

        Hooked it all together for making 3D room scans using RTAB-Map [github.io]. Worked pretty well, although in my case the software needed to be compiled manua
        • Over the past few decades, I don't get the impression that the US patent office cares too much about prior art anymore, if they ever did at all.

          When I learnt IP law in university (only one semester, in Australia, almost 20 years ago), one of the actual tests was "novelty", of which prior art was one consideration. We were taught that if your "average engineer" could develop something on their own, then that was one indication that the "invention" did not warrant a significant novelty or inventiveness fac
  • And the blind shall lead the blind and both shall fall in the ditch....
  • How about an AI-assisted operating system that doesn't display a goddamn progress bar for 40 seconds when I change directories?

  • ... work alongside personal computers and cloud servers.

    So a giant phone that connects to the internet: Would you trust the TSA or the local traffic cop or a mall security-guard to treat it like a phone? Maybe they'll confiscate it and download all its data. You'll definitely want that AV recording feature, then.

    If one needs a backpack-sized computer (think of the heat) to provide simple AI, then maybe, simple AI isn't ready for the real world.

  • Dora was ahead of her time!

Truly simple systems... require infinite testing. -- Norman Augustine

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