Weekly Watson: Smart T Shirts and Maybe Digital Unmentionables

January 25, 2016

IBM’s economic news has been an island of stability for doom sayers. The company’s 15th consecutive quarter of revenue declines does not require an economic Stonehenge to predict.

I was delighted to see a bit of good news about IBM’s continuing effort to publicize Watson. As you know if you read this blog, Watson is a confection of open source, home brew code, and acquired technology. Assembled in a Lego like fashion, Watson does recipes, cures cancer, and performs miracles which would make St. Jerome, the patron saint of librarians, uncomfortable.

The latest medical achievement-to-be of Watson is described in “IBM and Under Armour Look to Transform Healthcare Tech.” I love the use of the words “look” and “transform.” Each is full of promise, hope.

Here’s the passage I highlighted in sunshine yellow:

Backed by IBM Watson, UA Record will serve as a personal health consultant, fitness trainer and assistant by providing athletes with timely, evidence-based coaching around sleep, fitness, activity and nutrition, including outcomes achieved based on others ‘like you’. A future version of the UA Record app powered by IBM Watson could be the first system to assess and combine a variety of factors that affect health and fitness programmes such as physiological and behavioural data, nutrition, expert training and environment.

And what does UA do to make money?

According to the company’s Web site:

These tools…provide the most comprehensive ecosystem of fitness products yet made.”

The tools complement the tops, bottoms, shoes, and accessories for athletes and those who yearn to be athletes.

Watson is a versatile technology it seems. The only hitch in the git along is that the Web site of Watson’s new best pal appears to feature an Apple iPhone app. Well, perhaps Watson is on the job, just not yet front and center.

The IBM PR machine cares not. Watson it appears has a contribution to make in the shoe, undershirt, and unmentionable department. Ah, Watson, you are a frisky sort.

Stephen E Arnold, January 25, 2016

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under IBM Watson, Marketing, News

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.