Abstract: An augmented reality system collects sensory data from one or more user devices in a manner that is transparent to the user's augmented reality experience. A customer of an augmented reality system requests sensory data at a specified location. The augmented reality system modifies the augmented reality experience for one or more users to move someone to the specified location. The user device(s) collect the sensory data at the specified location in a manner that is transparent to the augmented reality experience of the user(s). The sensory data is uploaded from the user device(s) to the augmented reality system, which sends the sensory data to the customer.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes modifying at least one aspect of a notification to be displayed on a first portion of a touchscreen of a device in response to a determination that a second portion of the touchscreen includes and/or overlaps with the first portion of the touchscreen. The second portion of the touchscreen os defined by a point on the touchscreen expected to be imminently touched by a user and predetermined areas of the touchscreen adjacent to and surrounding the point.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. The program instructions are executable by a processing circuit to cause the processing circuit to receive collected data from one or more data collection devices, the collected data being aggregated over at least one month and comprising audio data including first voice input of a user of the one or more data collection devices. The program instructions also cause the processing circuit to store the audio data to a computer readable storage medium; determine an identity of the user based on comparing second voice input to the first voice input; and analyze the audio data for indications of hearing loss in the user over the period of time. The analysis includes determining a user's emotion during production of the audio input.

Abstract: In an approach to parsing and analyzing contracts, one or more computer processors receive a policy agreement. The one or more computer processors parse the policy agreement for terms. The one or more computer processors compile a list of items associated with the terms in the policy agreement. The one or more computer processors associate each item of the list of items with one or more categories, wherein each category of the one or more categories defines an extent of coverage for each item. The one or more computer processors determine whether an item of a user is present in the list of items associated with the one or more terms in the policy agreement. The one or more computer processors determine the categories associated with the item. The one or more computer processors determine the extent of coverage for the item of the user based on the determined categories.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products customizing and delivering contextually relevant, artificially synthesized, voiced content that is targeted toward the individual user behaviors, viewing habits, experiences and preferences of each individual user accessing the content of a content provider. A network accessible profile service collects and analyzes collected user profile data and recommends contextually applicable voices based on the user's profile data. As user input to access voiced content or triggers voiced content maintained by a content provider, the voiced content being delivered to the user is a modified version comprising artificially synthesized human speech mimicking the recommended voice and delivering the dialogue of the voiced content, in a manner that imitates the sounds and speech patterns of the recommended voice.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes receiving specification of a type of point of interest in video data, analyzing frames in the video data for identifying a point of interest in the frames of the specified type, adjusting quality parameters on blocks on the identified point of interest for improving a quality thereof, adjusting quality parameters on blocks not on the identified point of interest for reducing a quality thereof, and outputting a compressed video stream having the adjusted quality parameters. A computer program product for compressing video data according to another embodiment includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. The computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se. The program instructions are readable and/or executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform the foregoing method.

Abstract: At an application executing in conjunction with a vSwitch in a host system, using a processor assigned to the vSwitch in the host system, a flow of a number of packets is received from a VM. At the application, a set of CWND values is computed using a corresponding set of congestion control algorithms. At the application, a determination is made whether any of the CWND values in the set of CWND values match the number of packets in the flow within a tolerance value. In response to a CWND value in the set of CWND matching the number of packets in the flow within the tolerance value, a conclusion is drawn that a type of the congestion control algorithm which computed the matching CWND value is the type of a local congestion control algorithm implemented within the VM.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: receiving a complex audio signal which includes an intended audio signal and at least one interfering audio signal. Moreover, the intended audio signal is a voice-based command originating from a user. Information which corresponds to the at least one interfering audio signal is also received. The received information is used to identify portions of the complex audio signal as being the at least one interfering audio signal. Furthermore, the identified portion of the complex audio signal is removed from the complex audio signal, and a remaining portion of the complex audio signal is output.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for automatically protecting portable and wearable electronic devices from potential hazards by predicting when such hazards may occur. Techniques may include monitoring a plurality of sensors on the mobile computing device; receiving, on the mobile computing device, context data from a plurality of context-service applications; selecting a set of device-protection policies based upon an availability of the plurality of sensors and the plurality of context-service applications, wherein the set of device-protection policies are configured to determine a level of risk to the mobile computing device based on sensor data received from the plurality of sensors and the context data; applying, the sensor data and the context data to the set of device-protection policies to generate the level of risk; and triggering a self-protection action if the level of risk exceeds a pre-determined threshold level of risk.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for using a variable perceived distance viewing system includes outputting, by a computer, an image to a display visible via a variable-focus converging lens array. The variable-focus converging lens array sets a focal distance to a first perceived distance whereby the image is perceived as being present at the first perceived distance. Furthermore, the computer-implemented method includes adjusting, by the computer, the variable-focus converging lens array for adjusting a focal distance to a second perceived distance and scaling, by the computer, the image on the display to compensate for the focal distance adjustment. The features in the image at the first perceived distance have substantially the same dimensions as the same features in the image at the second perceived distance.

Abstract: A refrigerator-implemented method for optimizing placement of food items in different compartments of a refrigerator, according to one embodiment, includes: receiving a request to store a first type of food item in the refrigerator, determining, using detection hardware, each type of food item already stored in one or more of the compartments of the refrigerator, comparing a characteristic of the first type of food item with a same type of characteristic for each type of food item already stored in the one or more of the compartments of the refrigerator, selecting a first of the compartments in which to store the first type of food item based at least in part on the comparison, and outputting, using an output device, a recommendation to store the first type of food item in the first compartment. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are described in additional embodiments.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: receiving a complex audio signal which includes an intended audio signal and at least one interfering audio signal. The complex audio signal is converted into text which represents a plurality of words included in the complex audio signal, and at least some of the text is identified as representing words which correspond to the at least one interfering audio signal. The identified text is discarded, and a remaining portion of the text is evaluated to determine whether the remaining portion of the text represents words which convey the voice-based command at an accuracy that is in a predetermined range. Furthermore, the remaining portion of the text is output in response to determining that the remaining portion of the text represents words which convey the voice-based command at an accuracy that is in the predetermined range.

Abstract: A type of a request that is currently being processed at a system is determined. A distribution is selected from a set of processing time distributions, the distribution forming a model that is applicable to the type. A threshold point is computed for the model. A processing time that exceeds a threshold point processing time is regarded as exhibiting tail latency. Tail latency includes a delay in processing of the request due to a reason other than a utilization of a resource of the system exceeding a threshold utilization and a size of a queue in the system exceeding a threshold size. An evaluation is made that the request will experience tail latency during processing at the system and the processing of the request at the system is aborted. The request is offloaded for processing at a peer system in a load-balanced group of systems.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products customizing and delivering contextually relevant, artificially synthesized, voiced content that is targeted toward the individual user behaviors, viewing habits, experiences and preferences of each individual user accessing the content of a content provider. A network accessible profile service collects and analyzes collected user profile data and recommends contextually applicable voices based on the user's profile data. As user input to access voiced content or triggers voiced content maintained by a content provider, the voiced content being delivered to the user is a modified version comprising artificially synthesized human speech mimicking the recommended voice and delivering the dialogue of the voiced content, in a manner that imitates the sounds and speech patterns of the recommended voice.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: detecting two or more users, and determining a location of each of the two or more users with respect to a current configuration of a curved display screen by determining a distance between each user and a respective reference point on the curved display screen, and determining, for each user, an angle between a radius of curvature which extends from the respective reference point on the curved display screen and a line extending between the user and the reference point. The locations of the two or more users are further used to determine an optimal configuration of the curved display screen. One or more instructions to rotate the curved display screen according to the optimal angular position are sent. Moreover, one or more instructions to adjust a curvature of the curved display screen according to the optimal curvature are also sent.

Abstract: A determination is made at an application executing in conjunction with a switch that a request packet sent to a virtualized computing entity (VCE) connected to the switch should be offloaded to a second VCE. A destination of the request packet is changed from the VCE to the second VCE, to form a first modified request packet. An evaluation is made whether a response packet from the second VCE, which is responsive to the request packet, is usable in the data communication with a sender of the request packet. When the evaluating is affirmative, the first modified request packet is caused to be transmitted from the switch to the second VCE.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes performing a survey of a survey area of a surface in an intended direction of travel of a user, determining whether an obstacle is present in the survey area of the surface within a predetermined distance of the user, and in response to determining that a detected obstacle is present in the survey area of the surface within the predetermined distance of the user, performing a process until it is determined that the obstacle is not present in the survey area of the surface within the predetermined distance of the user. The process includes determining a corrective sensory stimulation for offsetting balance of the user in a direction away from the obstacle, and outputting the corrective sensory stimulation to a sensory user device.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: detecting a first type of food item added to a first compartment of a refrigerator, determining an ideal storage temperature associated with the type of food item added to the first compartment, adjusting an ambient storage temperature in the first compartment to substantially match the ideal storage temperature associated with the first type of food item, detecting a second type of food item added to a second compartment of the refrigerator, determining an ideal storage temperature associated with the second type of food item added to the second compartment, and adjusting an ambient storage temperature in the second compartment to substantially match the ideal storage temperature associated with the second type of food item. The ideal storage temperature associated with the first type of food item is different than the ideal storage temperature associated with the second type of food item.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products to perform an operation comprising receiving, by a fog computing platform, a request from a wireless device to perform a compute task on behalf of the wireless device, determining a first computing resource, of a plurality of computing resources, required to perform the compute task, associating the request with a first level of priority, of a plurality of levels of priority, for accessing the first computing resource, allocating, based at least in part on the first level of priority, a portion of the first computing resource to perform the requested compute task.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes receiving specification of a type of point of interest in video data, analyzing frames in the video data for identifying a point of interest in the frames of the specified type, adjusting quality parameters on blocks on the identified point of interest for improving a quality thereof, adjusting quality parameters on blocks not on the identified point of interest for reducing a quality thereof, and outputting a compressed video stream having the adjusted quality parameters. A computer program product for compressing video data according to another embodiment includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. The computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se. The program instructions are readable and/or executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform the foregoing method.