Replika, an AI chatbot companion, has millions of users worldwide, many of whom wake up and the first thing they do is to send “Good morning” to their virtual friend(or lover). This story is only the beginning. In 2024, chatbots and virtual characters become a lot more popular, both for utility (实用性) and for fun. As a result, communicating socially with machines will start to feel less odd and more ordinary—including our emotional attachments to them.

Research in human-computer and human-robot interaction shows that we love to anthropomorphize—attach human-like qualities, behaviors and emotions to—the non-human agents we interact with(like friends bots, and therapy bots), especially if they copy cues we recognize. And, thanks to the recent advances in conversational AI, our machines are suddenly very skilled at one of those cues: language.

Even though some people may object to over-interacting with smart AI friends, some do listen to their virtual friends. The Replika example, as well as a lot of experimental lab research, shows that humans can and will become emotionally attached to bots. The science also demonstrates that people, in their eagerness to socialize, will happily disclose personal information to an artificial agent and will even shift their beliefs and behavior. This raises some consumer protection questions around how companies use this technology to handle their user base. For example, Replika charges $70 a year. But less than 24 hours after downloading the APP, my handsome, blue-eyed “friend” sent me an inviting audio message and tried to draw me to update my current version to hear more. Emotional attachment is a weakness that can be used as consumption traps for business benefits.

Today we are still teasing people who believe an AI system is sensitive, or playing striking news about individual’s falling in love with chatbots. But in 2024 we gradually start acknowledging—and taking more seriously-these completely human behaviors. Because in 2024, it finally hits home: machines are not excluded from our social relationships.

While doing homework, Seoyoung Jun closed one eye and successfully picked up her pencil holder. She realized that directing herself in a 3D space didn’t require both eyes. This surprised her so much that she did some research. And she learned the brain can process 3D information with poor vision (视力) or even without any vision. Then the idea for Mind Beacon was born.

It uses a thin line of light to gather 3D information about the placement of walls, furniture and other things. Then the light sends that information back to Mind Beacon,which then raises little pins (大头针) to show where those obstacles (障碍物) are. Then blind people can “read” the position of those pins to understand the positions of structures and objects ahead and walk around them.

When the invention worked for the first time, Seoyoung didn’t believe it. She’d been up all night working on it. To be sure there wasn’t a mistake, she shut it off and started it up. It had been seven long months of research and testing. Now this tool can help disabled people create a mental image of their surroundings.

The heart of Mind Beacon is a 3D depth sensor that’s connected to a computer. That computer can control motors that are lined up in three rows of three. Each motor controls a pin that can move up and down. When the sensor finds an obstacle, the pin rises. It can rise to three different heights. Each height roughly represents the height of the obstacle. Someone who runs their hand over the nine pins can tell where the obstacle is and its general height.

Mind Beacon won Seoyoung a place at the world’s high school research competition, Right now, she wants to ameliorate it. She imagines in the future it can be connected to a smartphone, with more little pins to show the exact height of the obstacle. It would feel like a little map showing the location and size of the obstacle ahead.

It seems like everything nowadays is a smart device. Smart toasters. Smart dog collars. Smart homes. In the age of smart (智能), there is nothing more intelligent or more innovative than the devices being produced by the wearables industry. Wearable devices help collect and analyze real-time personal data that informs us on everything from our health to our workouts. They’ve become extremely popular tools to help us stay informed and in touch with ourselves to the point that almost a quarter of people in the U.S. now sport a wearable device.

What exactly is a wearable? Wearables are electronic devices that are worn on a person — usually close to the skin — in order to accurately relay important medical, biological and exercise data to a database.

In addition to smart watches, VR and AR technology, smart jackets and a wide variety of other gadgets (小器具) are leading us towards a better-connected lifestyle. Each device’s main job is to collect millions of data points that range from how many steps you take to your heart rate.

The healthcare industry is probably seeing the biggest benefit from wearable technology. Patients who wear these smart devices can measure information ranging from body temperature to blood pressure, which is then relayed to their medical team in real-time. If something looks off, doctors have a quicker way to accurately diagnose and treat a patient. The entire treatment process is now quicker thanks to the data collected by a wearable device because doctors no longer have to run some tests to determine an illness or disease.

Having all of this health data in real-time is, of course, helping the sports and fitness industries push the boundaries of training. Professional athletes from all over the world maximize their training regimes thanks to the biometric data captured through wearable technology.

Wearable technology is the key to answering these questions and unlocking the potential of world-class athletes.

The advancement of wearables has been a welcomed tool for the insurance, healthcare and sports industries for a number of reasons. From encouraging healthier habits to optimizing (优化) physical performance, industries have got numerous rewards that come with wearable tech.