Virtual Reality
It is a computer-simulated reality. Also, a fast-growing area of artificial intelligence that had its origins in efforts to build more natural, realistic, multisensory human-computer interfaces. So, it relies on multisensory input/output devices.Current application of virtual reality is computer aided design ( CAD )
VR Limitations * It seems limited only by the performance and cost of technology. Ex. Some of VR users develop cybersickness such as eyestrain and motion sickness * Another limitation is the cost of VR system
Intelligent Agents
They are growing in popularity as a way to use artificial intelligence routines in software to help users accomplish many kinds of tasks in e-business and e-commerce. They are software surrogate for an end user or a process that fulfills a stated need or activity. They are also called software robots or bots because of special purpose knowledge-based information systems that accomplished specific tasks for user
They are growing rapidly as a way to simplify software use, search websites on the internet and corporate intranets, and help customers do comparison shopping among the many e-commerce sites on the web. They are becoming more necessary.Intelligent agents like those in Ask Jeeves help you find information in a variety of categories from many online sources
Expert System
It is a knowledge-based information system that uses in knowledge about specific, complex application area to act as an expert consultant to end users.It provides answers to questions in a very specific problem area by making humanlike inferences about knowledge contained in a specialized knowledge base.Knowledge base contains facts about a specific subject area and heuristics that express the reasoning procedures of an expert on the subject
Methods of knowledge Representations * Case based reasoning – representing knowledge in an expert system’s knowledge base in the form of cases * Frame based knowledge – knowledge represented in the form of hierarchy or network frames * Object based knowledge – knowledge represented as a network of objects * Rule based knowledge – knowledge represented in the form of rules and statements of facrs

Software Resources
An expert system software package contains an interface engine and other program for refining knowledge and communicating with users
Interface engine – a program that processes knowledge related to specific problem
Application of Expert System * Decision Management * Diagnostic / troubleshooting * Design / configuration * Selection / Classification * Process monitoring / Control
A knowledge engineer is a professional who works with experts to capture the knowledge they possesses. They build the knowledge base, using an iterative, prototyping process until the expert system is acceptable.
Benefits of Expert System * Captures the expertise of an expert or group of experts in a computer based info system * Can preserve and reproduce the knowledge of experts.