Microsoft – AI wearable backpacks

Microsoft is looking into AI-assisted smart wearables that work as a hands-free digital assistant. Specifically, the patent filing explores a smart backpack.

Why backpacks?

Microsoft specifically wants to build digital assistants that people can carry with them as they go about their life, without requiring theem to divert their attention away from whatever task they’re performing. For instance, with digital assistants on a smartphone, users need to stop what they’re doing, obtain their device, interact with the digital assistant (either with voice or touch), and then put the device away. Microsoft sees this as a limiting factor to the usefulness of assistants.

Microsoft also wants the assistant to be ‘context aware’. Through cameras and microphones on thee backpack, the assistant can better understand the user’s surroundings, and therefore any user commands can be understood in their proper context.

For example, imagine a user is on the ski slopes with the smart backpack. If they’re not sure which direction they’re allowed to travel, they could ask the backpack. Once this question is picked up and processed by the microphone, the backpack’s camera could be activated in order to understand the environment. The AI assistant could then work out where the user is, access a ski resort database, determine which direction is allowed, and then direct the user to where they are allowed to ski.

Besides helping out people skiing, Microsoft also imagine the wearable benefitting people with disabilities, particularly people who are visually impaired. For instance, the backpack could help a blind person navigate a busy city, providing haptic or auditory feedback for where to turn, or when it’s safe to cross the street.

In the filing, Microsoft set out to address any privacy issues that arise from users carrying cameras and microphones with them in a backpack – all video recordings will be stored temporarily and user-specific data will be encrypted. To be honest, this is more than I’ve seen on other filings from the likes of Facebook and Amazon.