I’ve written before about how technology and the Internet makes possible individualized, personalized experiences that weren’t possible in the past.
Now comes along an experiment in one of the iconic mass media of the 20th century – radio.
The folks in the R&D lab of the BBC have been working with what they describe as “perceptive radio." It is something that looks like an old radio, but has a computer built into it. That computer, in turn, is aware of its environment and will adjust the audio delivered by the radio.
See and hear this at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p018pj2c and http://futurebroadcasts.com
This is personalization in not quite the way that Google and Facebook do it, which is by analyzing the text you enter into your computer. Instead the BBC’s Perceptive Radio senses the environment you’re in.
Of course, it won’t be too long before the "radio” can also sense your body’s vital signs and adjust to the physical signs of your mood.
I’m not sure where this experiment is going, but they are onto something. In this form and/or in other forms, we will be seeing more of this kind of personalization.
Here’s the picture from the BBC website …
Are you ready for it?
© 2013 Norman Jacknis
[http://njacknis.tumblr.com/post/52219705757/perceptive-radio]