Thank to SWLing Post reader Mike for passing this along. The possibilities of adaptive radio broadcasts in distance learning alone are most inspiring:
(Photo: BBC Technology; Greg Povey)
(Source: BBC Technology)
A radio that is able to change a broadcast depending on where you are and what you are doing has been demonstrated by the BBC.
The Perceptive Radio, produced by the corporation’s Future Media North Lab, is thought to be a world first.
The team produced a computer-generated radio drama where the script altered depending on factors such as weather.
The device was shown off at the Thinking Digital Conference in Gateshead.
The proof-of-concept drama, which used a computer-generated voice for one of the characters, could adapt on the fly according to data pulled from external sources.
For instance, it could make reference to local places which would differ depending on where in the world you were.
Or it would mention weather conditions that were dependent on what was happening in the real world – such as replacing the phrase “it’s sunny outside” with “it’s raining”.[…]
I wonder what BBC employee George Orwell would have thought.