An introduction to companion-technology

Abstract

Companion-technology enables a new generation of intelligent systems. These Companion-systems smartly adapt their functionality to a user’s individual requirements. They comply with his or her abilities, preferences, and current needs and adjust their behavior as soon as critical changes of the environment or changes of the user’s emotional state or disposition are observed. Companion-systems are distinguished by characteristics such as competence, individuality, adaptability, availability, cooperativeness, and trustworthiness. These characteristics are realized by integrating the technical functionality of systems with a combination of cognitive processes. Companion-systems are able to perceive the user and the environment; they reason about the current situation, exploit background knowledge, and provide and pursue appropriate plans of action; and they enter into a dialog with the user where they select the most suitable modes of interaction in terms of media, modalities and dialog strategies. This chapter introduces the essence of Companion-technology and sheds light on the huge range of its prospective applications.