 approach is to embed within the machine a highly realistic computer model of the cognitive processes that underlie human situation awareness and DEVICES THAT UNDERSTAND YOU naturalistic decision making. Systems using this technology are tailored to a specific user, including the user's unique knowledge and understanding of the task." The idea borrows from a very successful analogue. When people interact with one another, they modify what they say and don't say with regard to such things as what the person knows or doesn't know, shared experiences, and known sensitivities. The goal is to give machines highly realistic models of the same cognitive processes SO that human-machine interactions have essential characteristics of human-human interactions. "It's entirely possible that these cognitive machines could be incorporated into most computer systems produced within 10 years," Forsythe says. 2.11 DEVICES THAT UNDERSTAND YOU A key step in the development of cognitive telecom products will be the addi- tion of tiny sensors and transmitters to create a personal assistance link (PAL). With a PAL in place, a telecom device can become an anthroscope-an inves- tigator of its user's vital signs. Such a system will monitor its user's perspira- tion and heartbeat, read facial expressions and head motions, and analyze voice tones. It will then correlate these factors to alert the user to a potential problem (such as talking too much during a phone call) and to anticipate ques- tions instead of passively waiting for a request. The system will also transmit the information to other individuals within a virtual group SO that everyone can work together more effectively. "We're observing humans by using a lot of bandwidth across a broad spec- trum of human activity," says Peter Merkle, a project manager at Sandia National Laboratories' Advanced Concepts Group. Merkle is using a Tom Clancy-based computer game, played jointly by four to six participants, to develop a baseline understanding of human response under stress (Fig. 2-2)