All that the industry is not doing right now but may be the essential characteristic of a future computer

Data Processing should not be separated from data storage. Memory should be integrated into the kernel. Would you imagine human memory to be a separate unit from the thinking part?

Data processing should be parallel. Instead of raising the clock frequency of execution, a pattern is to be fed to the processing unit and then generate a responsive pattern and revise the memory. This is the ultimate solution for energy efficient computing.

Graphics hardware is one of the most rapid growing parts in today’s computer industry. Yet while better images are being displayed, the capacity to recognize images has not improved at all.

Even if visual and audio inputs are used in computer, it never occurs to the industry that these kinds of inputs need to be multiple and pre-processed to be useful.

The way the computer relies on booting up the operating system to carry the most elementary functions is wrong. Computer should be like dogs, constantly on the alert. Any human voice and movement should be able to elevate its sleeping status to full functioning.

Visual and audio inputs are not to be treated separately. They are to be always jointly processed to improve the quality of recognition. For example, human mouth is a point sound source. If we can locate the orientation of the point, background noises can be more effectively eliminated. Also, the computer needs to understand that the person is only speaking when the mouth moves.

Visual and audio input needs to be multiplied and mobile (pan and pivot) to cover the whole space, not just a limited scope directly in front of the screen. A typical design would be two camera inputs at the two extreme sides of the screen (instead of the one-in- the-center design). As for microphones, at least three are needed: one in the center, for clarity, two almost on the same locations as the camera, open to sounds from even behind the screen. Together they will be able to track the movement of the person and zoom and refocus to always get a good picture of the face.

Face recognition should be the login and password for everything. This identification process may be joined by voice identification (a higher security level) and if needed, finger print and eye scan, etc.

Computer can be the majordomo that controls all electronic equipments in the house, light, room temperature, television and music related gadgets. But it needs to provide a safe and easy way to be overridden.

Multiple camera inputs arranged in a predetermined fashion will render a three dimensional face—what the face really is—and thus facilitate precise expression recognition.

Facial expressions are to be learnt. The learning process never stops. Yet the depth that the computer goes into distinguishing the facial expressions varies according to the exposure frequency—strangers’ faces will be remembered, but their expressions are not examined as closely as those of the frequent user (owner).