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CHAPTER 13 / CONCLUDING REMARKS 187
When a Japanese customer visits a New York virtual shop via the network and talks
with staff in the shop, they will have to speak English, otherwise they will be
unable to communicate with the staff. In that case, it will be desirable to provide
a language interpreter to translate between Japanese and English.
Participants will be able to go to Waikiki, for instance, for a virtual swim by
means of HyperReality. A disabled person will be able to go to a HyperArt Museum
to enjoy the painting, even while staying at home.

13.4 IMPACT OF THE INTELLIGENT COMMUNICATION
SYSTEM ON SOCIETY

Our daily lives have been changing rapidly due to the introduction of information
technology. The number of dot-corn companies is increasing. Book stores, variety
stores, general stores, and food stores all open in cyberspace. Hotel or airline flights
reservations can easily be booked online. The broadcasting of TV programs is now
monitored by computer. The small office/home office has become a typical exam-
ple of telecommuting. Thus has information technology been applied to a variety
of business fields. The intelligent communication system is a more advanced system
that combines artificial intelligence and communication technology. How it will
change our lives is described in this section.

13.4.1 HyperShopping

A workstation with a large screen will be installed in each customer's house, with
the station linked to any shop via the Internet. Customers will open the Web page
of a store that sells the goods they want to purchase. They retrieve information
about the goods, view the goods in 2D or 3D images or stereoscopically on screen.
They will grasp them by hand and look at them from any angle. If they like what
they see, they can purchase the items. If a woman wants to buy a dress, she can try
it on her virtual image, which is exactly her size.

13.4.2 Getting the Latest Information
By accessing a Web page, people can get the latest information on business, enter-
tainment, shopping, and the like. But through the introduction of the intelligent
communication system, the access will be more human friendly. Search engines will
be enhanced by the introduction of intelligent technology. Hotel or airline reser-
vations will be made over the Internet via a human-friendly interface.

13.4.3 Small Office/Home Office (SOHO)
HyperReality will change the small office/home office (SOHO) substantially.
Through the installation of a HyperReality-based workstation with a large screen,
a home will become a small satellite office. The workstation will be linked to the