Deck 04

Input Devices: BCI, Wearables, and Haptics

ICT 110: IT for Business

Today's Learning Objectives

    By the end of this lecture, you will be able to evaluate how advanced input devices create value across various business functions.
  

✅ Define Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), Wearables, and Haptics and their core technologies.
✅ Analyze how these devices enhance data collection for improved business decision-making.
✅ Evaluate their application in Finance, Operations, and Human Resources, not just Marketing.
✅ Discuss the practical and ethical challenges businesses face when implementing these technologies.

Beyond the Keyboard and Mouse

Traditional input devices are limited. Businesses today require richer, faster, and more intuitive ways to interact with data and systems.

Traditional Input

Manual data entry
Slow and prone to error
Limited data types (text, clicks)

Advanced Input

⚡ Automated & contextual data capture
⚡ Real-time and continuous
⚡ Rich data (biometric, environmental, neural)

This evolution is not just about convenience; it's about unlocking new levels of operational efficiency and strategic insight.

1. Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI): A direct communication pathway between the brain's electrical activity and an external device, allowing users to control computers or machines with their thoughts.

How it works (Simplified):

Sensors (often in a headset) detect brain signals (EEG).
Software analyzes these signals to identify patterns or intent.
The system translates this intent into a command for a computer.

For business, the primary interest is in monitoring cognitive states and enabling hands-free control in specialized environments.

BCI in Business: The Next Frontier?

Potential Applications 💼

Finance 💰: Monitoring trader focus and stress to prevent high-risk errors during volatile market conditions.
Operations ⚙️: Controlling complex machinery or robotics in a manufacturing plant with thought, increasing precision and safety.
HR/Training 🧠: Assessing the cognitive load of employees during complex training simulations to optimize learning and prevent overload.
Marketing 📊: Gauging genuine, unfiltered emotional responses to new product designs or ad campaigns (Neuromarketing).

Key Business Challenges

High Cost & Complexity

Ethical Concerns (Mental Privacy)

Accuracy & Reliability

Significant Training Required

2. Wearable Technology

Wearables: Smart electronic devices, worn on the body as accessories or implants, that collect data and connect to the internet to provide real-time feedback to the user and third-party systems.

Common Examples:

Smartwatches

(Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch)

Smart Glasses

(Vuzix, Meta)

Fitness Trackers

(Fitbit, Garmin)

The business value of wearables lies in their ability to continuously and passively collect data from employees and customers in their natural environment.

Wearables in Operations & HR

Enhancing Efficiency & Employee Safety

Operations (Supply Chain) ⚙️

Smart glasses can provide hands-free instructions to warehouse workers, displaying pick-lists and scanning barcodes directly in their line of sight.

Business Impact: Faster order fulfillment, 15-30% reduction in errors, improved inventory accuracy.

Human Resources (Wellness) 🤝

Wearable sensors can monitor worker posture, fatigue, and proximity to hazardous machinery, sending alerts to prevent injuries.

Business Impact: Lower workplace accidents, reduced insurance premiums, improved employee well-being.

Wearables in Finance & Marketing

Streamlining Payments & Understanding Customers

Finance & FinTech 💰

Smartwatch apps enable contactless payments and provide real-time stock or account balance alerts.
Biometric data (e.g., heartbeat pattern) from wearables can be used for highly secure authentication.
Business Impact: Increased transaction speed, enhanced security, greater customer convenience.

Marketing & Customer Insight 🔍

Location data from wearables (with consent) allows businesses to send location-specific offers.
Analyzing biometric responses (e.g., heart rate) can show how customers engage with products in a retail store.
Business Impact: Highly personalized marketing, deeper understanding of the customer journey.

3. Haptic Feedback Technology

Haptics: Technology that simulates the sense of touch and motion. It's an "output" technology that creates a physical sensation as a form of "input" for the user, making digital interactions feel real.

Examples:

Vibrations on a smartphone or game controller.
Haptic gloves that let you "feel" virtual objects.
Haptic suits for fully immersive VR experiences.

Business Goal:

To make virtual training more realistic, product design more intuitive, and remote operations more precise.

Haptics in Business: Creating Tangible Value

Applications Beyond Gaming

HR (Training & Development) 🤝: Haptic gloves allow surgeons or engineers to practice on virtual equipment, feeling realistic resistance and textures. This drastically reduces the cost and risk of training on expensive physical machinery.
Operations (Product Design) ⚙️: Automotive designers can use haptics to "feel" the click of a virtual button or the texture of a dashboard material in a VR model, leading to better designs before a physical prototype is ever built.
Marketing (E-commerce) 🛍️: The future of online retail could include haptic devices that simulate the feel of fabric, allowing customers to "touch" clothes before buying, potentially reducing return rates.

Comparison: BCI vs. Wearables vs. Haptics

🧠 BCI

Input: Brain Signals

Key Use: Direct control, cognitive analysis

Business Focus: High-stakes decision making, accessibility

Maturity: Emerging

⌚ Wearables

Input: Biometric & Environmental Data

Key Use: Continuous monitoring, contextual alerts

Business Focus: Operational efficiency, wellness

Maturity: Mature

✋ Haptics

Input: Simulated Touch/Force

Key Use: Immersive feedback, skill training

Business Focus: Realistic simulations, product design

Maturity: Growing

Practical Application in Nepal 🇳🇵

Local Context & Future Potential

Wearables in FinTech & E-commerce

eSewa/Khalti: Imagine tapping your smartwatch to pay at Bhat-Bhateni. This could streamline checkout and gather valuable (anonymous) data on peak shopping times. 💼

Daraz: During the 11.11 sale, warehouse workers using smart glasses could pick and pack orders much faster, reducing delivery times across the country. ⚙️

Haptics & Wearables for Key Sectors

Manufacturing (e.g., CG Foods): Wearable sensors could monitor worker safety around heavy machinery in factories, preventing accidents and improving compliance. 🤝

Tourism & Training: Haptic VR could be used to train trekking guides on difficult routes or offer immersive "Visit Everest" experiences to potential tourists abroad. 🏔️

Ethical & Practical Challenges

Innovation must be balanced with responsibility.

Ethical Concerns

Data Privacy 🔒: Who owns an employee's biometric or neural data? How is it protected from breaches?
Surveillance: Could data on employee stress or movement be used for performance reviews, creating a culture of anxiety?
Bias & Discrimination: Could this data be used to unfairly penalize employees or create biased hiring algorithms?

Practical Hurdles

Cost of Implementation: These technologies are expensive, potentially widening the gap between large corporations and SMEs.
Integration: How do these devices connect with existing business systems like ERP or HRIS?
Reliability & Safety: What happens if a haptic training glove or BCI-controlled machine malfunctions?

Summary & Key Takeaways

⚡ Beyond the Keyboard: Input devices are evolving from simple command tools to rich, contextual data-gathering platforms that are vital for modern business.
💼 Cross-Functional Impact: BCI, wearables, and haptics create value across ALL business functions—improving safety in Operations, wellness in HR, security in Finance, and insights in Marketing.
📊 Data-Driven Decisions: These technologies provide new, continuous data streams that enable businesses to enhance efficiency, reduce risk, and create better customer experiences.
🤔 Strategic Implementation: Successfully adopting these technologies requires a clear business case and careful consideration of the significant ethical, financial, and integration challenges.

Thank You

Any Questions?

Next Topic: Input Devices: Biosensors, Scanners and Digitizers

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