4 New Developments That Could Change The Way We Live & Work

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Some developments hit my feed this week that struck me as having the potential to, not to put too fine a point on it, utterly change the way we live. Not bad for mid-August. Let's get into it.

1) Researchers from both the US and UK have created a new way to depict human skin that makes facial expressions more lifelike. In the short run, this means more realistic computer generated animation... and in the long run, we've just seen a strong step toward escaping the Uncanny Valley, the psychological phenomenon that has kept humans from feeling comfortable around increasingly realistic human simulation.

From a graphic and design standpoint, this is a very big deal indeed, and accelerates all kinds of fields beyond animation. It also creates the possibility of all kinds of unintended consequences, such as, well, an alternative to model photography in any number of usages, enhanced avatar service in smartphones and video games, and a more high-touch level to automated service at ticket kiosks and in stores. Scaling the Uncanny Valley is no small feat, and has been the dream of design pros for decades. Someday soon, you will not be able to tell the difference between a real person and a representation. Clunky polygon images will be one more way for future generations to look back in nostalgia at a bygone era.

2) A Canadian company called Nymi announced a successful credit card payment through biometric authentication... which, in this case, meant the use of wearable technology (a wristband) to use a person's heartbeat to replace the signature, or PIN number. (It turns out to be, like a fingerprint, unique to the individual.)

On the face of it, this seems like an approach fraught with issues. Some will flinch at an apparent lapse in privacy. Others will have health concerns based around the use of near field electronics. But unlike other authenticators that seem dependent on technology that's relatively niche, with little in the way of benefit (I'm looking at you, Apple Pay), this seems like it has more bang for the buck. Faster and more secure transactions, and getting us further away from what comedian Patton Oswalt has rightly dubbed "the magic of squiggly letters"... well, this seems fairly inevitable, assuming you believe in a cashless economy.

3) Microsoft announced a facial recognition breakthrough for Windows 10 that, combined with the Internet of Things and smarthome technology, will allow for doors to unlock though a simple scan.

Again, the initial application seems underwhelming, but with some thought, it grows in importance. Getting groceries in the house just got a lot easier, and since it's presumed that multiple faces can be given clearance, so did the whole insecure business of hide-a-keys and clearance codes to disable alarms. V2 of this technology could easily move into diagnostics for independent senior living, and maybe lead to advanced warning of stroke or a slip and fall. Finally, we also make the whole business of changing the locks in the event of a housing change a lot easier, and the technology would also make its way into businesses, where personnel would be able to open a store without requiring another set of keys or passcodes. Once the technology is in place, it will move from novel to accepted with the same hyperspeed that we now use on things like mapping technology, electronic transfers and automotive diagnostics, and so on.

4) Finally, a good friend of mine, Joe Recchia, has taken up with a great new start-up idea, CImagine. This company enables augmented commerce, in that you can easily see what a purchase might look like in your own home, rather than just rely on web site photography. Check it out.

The first and easiest application here is for furniture and household purchases that always seemed to have a dicey approach in e-commerce -- how were you supposed to choose colors to match your home before this? -- but I think it can easily go into a host of other plays. Apparel is a pretty simple plug and play, along with jewelry, fine art, and maybe even more esoteric plays like personals, electronics and collectibles. CImagine's partner companies could easily see lower return issues to go with higher sales. Like everything else in this week's list, the potential for ubiquitous use is high.

The challenge for marketing and advertising personnel isn't just to think about how to use these advancements with your own brand, but how they may impact how consumers interact with your product. Virtual assistance that's out of the uncanny valley might make you re-think your Web site customer service. Biometric authentication might point to new ways to speed customers through checkout in brick and mortar, especially if your brand is leading edge. Facial recognition and augmented e-commerce could spread like wildfire.

Oh, and there's also this. If your customers want to use these tools, and you aren't able to match a competitor's speed in implementation? Not exactly a great moment -- either for your brand, or your career. Speed isn't just for tech.

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