If you feel inseparable from your laptop and cell phone today, just wait a few years: the connection between people and machines is about to get much, much closejavascript:DateTimeShortcuts.handleCalendarQuickLink(1,%200);r. This theme underlay much of the panel discussion. Victor Zue’s computers can take subtle visual and conversational cues from a speaker, and respond appropriately (even switching languages at the drop of a hat!). Leslie Pack Kaelbling described the perfect office mate, the “Enduring Personal Cognitive Assistant,” which will someday remind you to press forward on a neglected project or to soothe the ruffled feathers of a snubbed colleague. Martin Schmidt’s lab is finding ways to plug the tiniest circuitry into a boot or a sneaker to harvest the body’s energy for lightweight battery power out in the field. And Rodney Brooks showcased Kismet, a robot who can babble like an appreciative baby and bat her eyes in response to compliments. He also showed a remarkable video of another invention: a prosthetic leg that understands how it’s being walked on and adapts. As a woman tries the leg out for the first time, she laughs with sheer delight.