Page 219 - Intelligent Communication Systems

1 88 INTELLIGENT COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
main company for exchange of information between the small office and the com-
pany. The employee will be able to have a videoconference with colleagues via the
network. A virtual space will be created on screen where one or more virtual objects
will be displayed. Wearing a data glove, participants will be able to grasp such an
object by hand. They will be able to change its shape or color or texture. If needed,
they can do cooperative work over the network as if they were in a same place.
They will be able to link to any site anyplace in the world and collaborate with part-
ners around the world. Therefore SOHO will become global.
In the future, the screen will be large, and workstations will have shutter
glasses, a data glove with sensors, a mouse, a joy stick, and a keyboard. The work-
stations will be efficient and less expensive, too. The Internet will provide high-
speed transmission and be less expensive. Three-dimensional images of ourselves,
of goods, and of scenes of cultural heritage will be transmitted over the Internet in
real time and processed in real time by our workstations.

13.4.4 Changing a Hierarchically Structured Company
into a Networked Company

Companies are typically highly structured organizations, with individuals organized
into sections and the sections organized into departments. Orders from top man-
agement are communicated to the departments and then from each department to
its sections. Finally the orders are communicated to members in each section. All
of this type of communication from top to bottom takes time.
In the information age, information flow will be changed substantially. Anyone
can communicate with anybody else over the Internet, enabling an order to be com-
municated to any member directly from top management. And answers or com-
ments can be sent directly back to top management in a short time. This means that,
via the Internet, communication among members of a company is easily and quickly
accomplished. The Internet enables interaction and communication among part-
ners spread around the world, enabling all to extend their field of business. This
interaction and communication among people enlarges the possibilities for creat-
ing new businesses, ideas, or job opportunities.
All of this requires the development of more human-friendly interfaces. The
intelligent communication system, because it provides human-friendly interfaces,
will play an important role in achieving this.

13.5 MULTIMEDIA-BASED SOCIETY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Technology advanced greatly in the 20th century. Heavy industry, the steel indus-
try, and the computer industry played major roles in enhancing our lives, as did
high-tech devices and the growth of the economy.