European energy company EDP has deployed a technology to enhance operational efficiencies, to better resolve customers’ issues, and to carry out remote site surveys prior to the installation of solar panels.

The technology to be deployed is Vodafone Visual Assistance. It will be provided to consumers and field technicians in multiple EDP subsidiaries and will be powered by Portugal’s TechSee.

The technology will enable consumers and technicians to receive augmented-reality based visual guidance through their smartphones using patented browser-based technology. This will decrease technical dispatches, enhance the customer experience, improved margins with increased sales, as well as reduced service costs.

The technology allows users to instantly stream their mobile device camera or screen via web connection, for real-time, interactive visual engagement between customer and technician. This will reduce repetitive customer inquiries such as meter readings, billing queries and troubleshooting, while reducing customer effort.

EDP is exploring the possibility of expanding Vodafone Visual Support to additional subsidiaries and other geolocations in the future. Jorge Simões, EDP’s Head of Digital Factory, said: “We are excited to launch this new and innovative service, providing visual assistance to our end users for more efficient operations and enhanced customer experience.

“Vodafone Portugal is committed to providing EDP with an innovative contact center technology to further enhance an optimal customer experience. With Vodafone Visual Support our agents will be able to provide a more complete and efficient service that will lead to greater customer satisfaction.” according to Mafalda Alves Dias, Vodafone Portugal’s Head of Large & Public Sector.

fonte: https://www.smart-energy.com/industry-sectors/customer-services-management/edp-employs-augmented-reality-to-improve-customer-experience/

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Think about this: Facebook is dedicating one-fifth of its staff to augmented and virtual reality—that’s about 10,000 people.

More importantly, they are building a reality that will shape our reality in the near future.

Our ability to “function” in and throughout the virtual and augmented world is advancing and this is establishing a new domain for our engagement in the digital world.

From the days of the punchcards, to the keyboard, to touch screen, and even voice, we are both detaching and attaching to this technological reality. Gaming may be the best example of that “other” reality that sometimes looms larger than our own world—whatever that reality may be.

One aspect of human engagement—gesturing, remains an essential and enduring component of human communication.

From a simple “come here” to other more vulgar signs, a gesture can be a very powerful, effective, and powerful tool. And now, the electronic gesture is taking shape.

As the mouse takes a backseat to touch screens, the interactions of the user—with the device and others who may be watching—yield a new aspect of e-body language.

Reaching, pointing, touching, and grasping will no longer be part of our physical world, but will be part of the virtual construct that will be central to the user experience and live alongside that “point and click” reality that defined the early days of our computer engagement.

The gesture—in open air—will emerge. As funny as we may find someone walking down the street seemingly talking to him or herself while on a call, soon we will find those animated talkers gesturing with abandon as they navigate the technological world that consumes them in both time and space. The digital gesture or gesticulation has emerged.

Enter eticulate, the e-version of gesticulate.

Gesticulation is the act of gesture and now this notion of the computer gesture is emerging and living in and with technology. Touch, push, move, stretch, and point are now becoming part of the “body language” of the computer.

The interesting thing is that this new method isn’t just a step forward in technology, but a step back to humanity. It integrates the device with the individual. It’s the internet that you hold like a pet or shake hands with.

It’s a very real an extension of yourself and establishes a direct neural connection with the way your brain functions. It’s your chance to include a “hug” in your technological engagement. And that may even drive your body’s creation of powerful chemicals such as oxytocin, sometimes called the “cuddle hormone.”

The new techno-gestures bring us closer to technology itself and expands our participatory role in a very human way. It’s called eticulate, and it touched you here first!

fonte: https://www.bbntimes.com/technology/advances-in-ar-and-vr-will-make-human-gestures-the-new-computer-interface

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Hua Zhibing, la prima studentessa virtuale cinese sviluppata dalla Tsinghua University ha incontrato i fan giovedì quando ha aperto un account sulla piattaforma cinese Sina Weibo (sito di microblogging cinese).

Nel primo post su Weibo, la studentessa virtuale di nome Hua Zhibing, ha salutato i netizen cinesi e ha detto che inizierà a studiare nel laboratorio di informatica della Tsinghua University, attirando ben duemila follower in appena nove ore.

Un video di presentazione di Hua Zhibing è stato pubblicato nel suo primo post su Weibo. In esso, una giovane ragazza vaga per il campus mentre una voce femminile si presenta. “Sono stata dipendente dalla letteratura e dall’arte da quando sono nata. Gli scienziati non solo mi hanno dato il mio aspetto e la mia voce, ma mi hanno anche insegnato a comporre”, ha detto Hua Zhibing, notando che la musica di sottofondo nel video è stata composta da lei.

Tang Jie, professore presso il Dipartimento di Informatica della Tsinghua University, uno dei principali sviluppatori di Hua Zhibing, ha detto durante un forum sull’intelligenza artificiale tenutosi tra martedì e giovedì a Pechino, che La ragazza nel video era una persona reale ma il volto e la voce erano virtualmente sintetizzati.

Hua Zhibing si è ufficialmente registrata ed è diventata uno studentessa della Tsinghua University martedì. Gli sviluppatori hanno detto al forum che hanno grandi aspettative per Hua Zhibing, sperando che possa continuare ad imparare, esplorare e coltivare le abilità di creatività e comunicazione in futuro. Gli sviluppatori pensano anche ad un possibile impiego per la studentessa virtuale dopo la laurea.

Hua Zhibing si basa sull’ultima versione di un modello di “deep learning” sviluppato in Cina, Wudao 2.0, che letteralmente significa “comprensione delle leggi naturali”. Può elaborare 1,75 trilioni di parametri, battendo il record di 1,6 trilioni precedentemente stabilito dal modello di linguaggio AI Switch Transformer di Google.

fonte: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1225392.shtml

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