Page 220 - Intelligent Communication Systems

CHAPTER 13/CONCLUDING REMARKS 189
All of this involved a huge consumption of energy, especially petroleum. As
a result, we have the greenhouse effect: average temperature on earth rose 4°C and
sea level rose about 1 meter during the 20th century. If we continue to use petro-
leum on the same scale, the earth's temperature will rise more than 6° this century.
We have to change the style of our activities and find new methods if we're to
survive.
One solution is to make information technology the basis of our activities. In
the 21st century, information technology will greatly advance. Broadband net-
works will be constructed and put into practical use at lower cost. At the same time,
computers will be improved, and all information, including multimedia informa-
tion, will be easily and efficiently handled. In every household, a workstation that
is efficient and less expensive will be installed. Information will be rapidly trans-
mitted among workstations over the network.
People will be able to get involved in virtual space, going anyplace in the
world—virtual museum, a virtual school, a virtual shop, a virtual company. They
will be able to view great paintings, study mathematics, purchase apparel, and do
collaborative work with partners in foreign countries. They will be able to watch
a three-dimensional television program, able to enter the scene and act along with
those on the broadcast. They will be able to wear a data suit—a combination of
a data glove, a small screen, a computer, a graphic engine, and communication
equipment—by which to communicate anywhere with a company, a customer, a
store, or a school. This wearable computer and communication equipment will
enable them to visit a virtual Waikiki Riviera and enjoy sightseeing or shopping,
go to a golf course, or play with friends just as if they were actually there.
Newspapers will change substantially, too. Online newspapers will be deliv-
ered over the Internet to every home. Customers will be able to read the paper or
display an object in the paper on the screen stereoscopically and not only enjoy
watching it but also handle it by hand gesture and look at it from all around.
People will be able to study whenever they want. HyperClasses will be brought
to people's homes via the Internet. A teacher and students at different locations will
be brought together over the Internet as if they were gathered in the same class-
room. It will be unnecessary for people to go abroad to study. They will be able to
attend any class, even if conducted in a foreign country. Thus people will be able
to go anywhere to attend a class, go shopping, travel, or do business. The experi-
ence of traveling abroad will be enhanced by HyperReality.
The intelligent communication system will penetrate all human activities
and change our lives. Through HyperReality, human beings will be able to break
the barriers of time and space.
The following areas will need to be developed to establish a multimedia-based
society.

(1) Information infrastructure: Equipment such as ATM switching systems
and fiber-optic networks have been constructed to provide broadband services,
especially in advanced countries. In order to transmit multimedia information in