At HARMAN, we have a motto: “expect brilliance.” This means many different things (as a good motto should), but one of the big ones relates to the idea of innovation. Innovation is a term people use a lot (we have a whole series on the topic ourselves), but it is really hard to quantify. Brilliance and innovation are high standards, and ones that you can only meet now. What’s brilliant today will no longer be innovative tomorrow. You must push forward to the new thing. It’s a hard standard to achieve once, much less continually (as we’ve done for more than 70 years), but at HARMAN, our goal is for our customers to expect brilliance. Innovation is what we do.

That’s what I think about when I hear about HARMAN’s partnership with IBM. By integrating HARMAN’s connectivity solutions with Watson, IBM’s innovative cognitive technology, the AVL solution in a room can, to use IBM’s words, “think like a human.”

The first manifestation of this innovative new technology is at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. IBM and HARMAN are doing pioneering work to use IBM Watson IoT to create voice-enabled cognitive patient rooms. Patients can use voice commands to adjust the feel of their room, altering the temperature, turning out the lights or even asking whether their test results have come in yet. The cognitive system is able to respond to their inquiries based on the huge depth of built-in knowledge about the hospital itself, the room, the connected devices within the room, the employees and much more. The voice-activated assistant can tend to many of their non-medical needs, freeing up medical professionals when they are most needed.

This is what I think of when I expect brilliance: an innovative solution that solves real-world problems in a way no other manufacturer has done before. This is just one of many such solutions HARMAN is working on, as we find ways to provide solutions that offer a truly connected lifestyle. With pioneering work like HARMAN is doing with our partnership with IBM, we are simplifying the way people interact with technology and connect to the world around them.

Together, HARMAN and IBM are working to use AVL systems along with IoT and cognitive computing to improve the lives of workers, consumers and patients around the world. Of course, there are obvious and immediate applications for HARMAN systems enabled by IBM Watson IoT in hotel rooms, hospital rooms and conference rooms, but you can also imagine the possibilities in practically every enterprise and entertainment market we serve.

In the words of Mohit Parasher, President of HARMAN Professional Solutions, “This is just the beginning.”

Learn more about the artificial intelligence solution at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital:

 

S. Kyle Davis

Kyle has been involved in AV in one way or another for 20 years, working as an audio engineer in various capacities, as well as a university AV tech, camera operator, and live video producer. Kyle is an integrated AV solutions expert, and is an avid fan of technology in all its forms. Follow Kyle on Linkedin or Twitter.