Harness new technology for insight into clients
MOBILE and wearable sensors for monitoring physiological signals, such as heart rate and galvanic skin response, are becoming more affordable and readily accessible for general population.
I have been involved in recent research studies which analysed data collected from real-life (non-laboratory) contexts and environments and shown that mobile sensors are capable of monitoring physical activity and identifying patterns from brain signals to discover current emotion, cognitive load, and perceived stress.
These findings recommend that mobile devices are reliable enough to be used for future applications, which can start adopting these devices for studying activities of humans in their contexts.
For example, in health, we can investigate which outdoor and indoor physical activities can help improve an individual’s positive emotions and mental alertness.
In commerce and tourism, we can study whether certain advertising content and channels can attract the intended audiences and make them more inclined to be excited about the products or services offered.
In education, we can monitor which particular content and delivery style can best improve learners’ experience. Such studies will have a profound impact on current businesses that rely on the use of big data for customer insight.
Virtual reality and augmented reality devices enable holographic visualisations and immersive user interfaces for better experience and more intuitive interactivity with big data. Imagine if doctors and nurses were able to look at a summary of a patient’s physiological data and medical images being mapped and overlaid on top of the actual body parts; they would be able to make better decisions and a more accurate diagnosis.
Together with mobile wearable sensors, virtual- and augmented-reality devices will help future businesses to transform how information is collected, analysed, and used for making decisions and interact with their customers.
The next generation of IT professionals and digital business specialists need to harness the latest technologies for digital transformations. At Southern Cross University, our Digital Enterprise Lab is equipped with some of the latest mobile wearable sensors and virtual/augmented reality devices, and we have the crossdisciplinary expertise for analysing the data, recognising patterns, and detecting events like when a person is stressed or upset, using cutting-edge machine learning techniques.
As part of Gold Coast Small Business Week and the IT Forum Gold Coast, Southern Cross University will host a Digital Enterprise Lab Showcase for the public on May 16, showcasing new technologies, current innovative projects and opportunities for collaboration with Gold Coast businesses. For more information, visit www.itforumgoldcoast.com.au/events.