The future of Computer interfaces

[Jynks]

Check out this rather cool looking tech in the form of touch screens!!

Basically it is Minority Report.. but real



http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/152 ... ology.html

[spudthedestroyer]

That link needs some flash updated crap... but i think its that thing with the blocks that you put on a screen, and can drag crap between them? Saw this on fh about a year back. If it is, its very limited, you have sepcific block types that only work in specific ways and the thing is rear projection, you just put the blocks on and it projects upwards. You can't for example put one block on any particular part, if you see them when they aren't being projected onto they have a faint outline on them.

looked very crappy imo, if its the same thing.

edit: oh it might not be, I found the link and it was from sony:
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/6510.cfm
http://video.gprime.net/media/video/sonyrevolution.wmv
http://fileheaven.org/forum/viewtopic.p ... olographic

If you can find a better link i'd appreciate it, one where i don't have to give your pc aids to watch the media/read about it.

[Jynks]

That link needs some flash updated crap... but i think its that thing with the blocks that you put on a screen, and can drag crap between them? Saw this on fh about a year back. If it is, its very limited, you have sepcific block types that only work in specific ways and the thing is rear projection, you just put the blocks on and it projects upwards. You can't for example put one block on any particular part, if you see them when they aren't being projected onto they have a faint outline on them.

Nope you are talking about somthing difftrent.



Multi Touch Interaction research project @ New York Uni

http://mrl.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/

Is there security risks at spiked humor?

[Jynks]

Oh you all thought it was silly when this was posted so long ago.. but here is another developer creating an application using the same tech as the first post. This new tech witch WILL, imo, take over from the keyboard..... like the desk in "The Island" or the screen in "Minority Report". This and voise activation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-RhyopUmc


For more check out

http://mtg.upf.edu/reactable/?media

[spudthedestroyer]

nope, too much effort to do simple tasks. Don't think it stands a chance.

The thing that will take over from keyboard and mouse must be more efficient than a speed typer can do this, and not require any more space. This simply isn't there yet, or will be for ages.

Voice activation will probably not be able to take off for another 20-30 years until the maths is there. Trust me when i say that the maths and filtering just isn't there yet to get the results, i spent years at uni doing speech and AI on and off, and one thing was clear, you just can't get reliable ways of reading voice samples. Look at any existing voice application, they are extremely shoddy or if they work, extremely trained on a single voice... just don't work in general practise. Need some big advances in the feild of HCI and AI to get a viable input that's going to be usable on a large scale.

Keyboard and mouse will be around for a while yet... at least anyway

[Jynks]

Yet more developments on table top computer tech..... This time M$ is on the case.. they of course claim they are the onlye people developing thsi tech.. but as you can see from the above links it is way older..

Still not much done on application... it is all about the tech at the moment..... once they get the touch screen tech done then better apps will follow i guess.

When watching thsi video i saw a nastyt dely in the hand movment and the colours (note the bit where he drawns on the screen using all 5 fingers at once..... compare that to the older vids from mac and that uni research place.

Anyway here is the link.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technol ... 17348.html

Unfortunately like i said it is still all about the tech not applications still as it is such early development.... stuill i think this is going to be huge... .no mouse no keyboard... well you would have a keyboard but it would be a projection on your desk able to be resized and moved and rotated and shit.

[Gem]n[]

I reckon Jean Michel Jarre 'll use it

[Jynks]

More advances by yet another manufacture of the touch screen technology...

http://www.fastcompany.com/multimedia/v ... =769654555

This is the future guys.. get used to it.

[MyK]

Well yeah, my interface is already better by miles and I only use mouse to move around the screen. Add a shift key to the equation and I can do all those nifty tricks while sitting down. He actually had to walk to get to the other end of what was displayed Reminds me of one question I heard once: "Do machines serve mankind or do really men serve the machine?". While such tech looks cool at first glance I don't think it's very practical and not the way forward for many ppl and/or uses. Also, that was shot in the dark. I wonder how nice that screen looks when you switch on the lights with all the greasy fingerprints on it. Now, I know a certain company (IIRC it was NEC ) already developed LCD coating that's fingerprint and what not proof but I don't think that'll be in production any time soon and be cheap enough at that for us common mortals to buy (not even counting that display in the video was of at least double 52" set-up that also don't come cheap). Anything short of that fingerprint-proof tech and this novelty is rather a step back to the days of teal tables, chalk and a sponge

What I would like to see developed is laser projected imaging with motion sensors that would be capable of displaying ultra clear images in bright daylight in selectable image/pixel size ranging from 20-150" and resolution of approximately QWXGA. That'd be neat IMO. No huge and expensive panels, portability, no scratches, no fingerprints,... it would only have to be positioned right (possibly with more than a single light source) so your hands or whatever won't get in the way. With some sensor tech in place to track viewers head position and capturing background it would also be possible to display images that wouldn't be "transparent" (each pixels colour/luminance could negate for whatever is behind projected image with appropriate software/hardware). And let's start with good ol' 2D and then shift it to 3D when the tech is ready for that.

[Jynks]

I heard all these same arguments when the mouse was invented. No one believed it would catch on and i still say i told you so to those people as well.

Human hand eye coordination will always be far superior to the use of any tool. Being able to pick up and manipulate objects with your hands will always be the most efficient way to interface with anything in the world.. real or virtual. (excluding automatic interfaces like say voice activation)

You got to remember that there is no use for any of this stuff yet it is just the development of the tech at the moment. The ability to sort and resize photos is so NOT what the demo is about.

[MyK]

Sorry but I don't see this thing ergonomic enough for everyday and throughout the day use. It is an interesting concept for say convergence devices like coffee table serving as interface for shit load of devices that can be found in an average home nowadays, but using it for more than a few hours straight and you run into problems that will be far more difficult to address than with plain mouse and keyboard set-up. Try holding your arms out for half an hour and you'll know what I'm talking about. It's just not the natural position for human arms to be in for any extended periods of time. You could address this "issue" by moving such display lower but that'd be strenuous to your neck, possibly the whole spine. Besides, it'd ruin the image of your typical tech geek if they were to have shoulders wider than their arses

[Gem]n[]

Bare in mind Jeff Hann only invented this last year (or so) and the internet has gone berserk with DIY Touch Screens based on his FTIR (Frustrated Total Internal Reflection) invention ...

Jeff's Site:

To actually make a screen like those is simple and cheap ... a projector (if you need visual feedback), a webcam, 10-20 IR LEDs, some Acrylic (Plexiglass) and the opensource software (or write your own) and you have a touch screen of any size you desire ... Just think of the cost of the largest manufactured proper touchscreen you could get today and bear in mind it's NOT 'Multitouch' either ...

Micro$ofts SURFACE is based on this technology but it's only as good as the software written for it ... as MS shows in their demo the applications are endless ... also they have the brains to come up with some cool apps ... still hate them tho ...

MS Surface: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Kl3_aU1bY

I have been following this FTIR concept for quite a while now and I believe this will be the future of Interfaces ... it's needed ...

I might even make my own in the future ...

[MyK]

Don't get me wrong... I do think this is one kick ass interface only I don't think it'll replace mouse + keyboard we're used to in all applications, at least not any time soon. It's suitable for many uses like handling large datasets, arranging files... and that's all nice. Only I don't see how it could be as accurate as optical/laser mouse so, I guess, it won't be used for desktop publishing apps, gaming (except for pong or mah jongg ),... and any apps that depend heavily on keyboard input (developing tools come to mind) as there's no tactile feedback when using on-screen keyboard (Nokia developed some sort of touch screen with tactile feedback recently but that's years away from commercial production and will prolly be too expensive to be used on large screens. It also has terrible limitations, like you still won't be able to type without looking at what keys your fingers are on, you'll just have enough info to feel if you actually pressed the damn key or not). It's nice tech tho... it just won't replace keyboard and a pointing device like mouse. At least not until this tech merges with some sort of thought-conveying device or at least a sensor that would be capable of accurately following eye movement, but it would most possibly require both. Then the keyboard and mouse could truly become obsolete There are techs described in development and shouldn't require of you to rob a bank before buying them, but are still immature and in early stages of development so it'll be years, decades prolly, before they see the light of day. Military uses them already tho

[Jynks]

the idea of touch screens isn't complicated.. you can in fact build your own for your computer right now really cheap if you have a digital camera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzNh31q61gc

I think this tech will span computers past there current confines. Imagine a teacher in a school / uni with a black board like this... Doctrors having the data from scans projected into a screen like this instead of film? These are two apps I just though up on the spot while making this post.. i am sure that people developing this tech have some amazing stuff.. stuff that could reall change the way the computer is used and perceived.

Like i said before i find the argument " that will be far more difficult to address than with plain mouse and keyboard set-up." is exactly the same thing people said when the mouse came out... "Oh why would you use a mouse.. that is stupid.. it is faster just to type" well.. the mouse is now everywhewre... applications for it have sprung up beyond the dreams of those that invented the tech. This will be the same.

Also no one is saying that the mouse and keyboard will disapear... just that imo this tech will soon be everywhere.... from information displays in shopping centers to your desktop. (as in the TOP of your desk)

[Jynks]

Also as for games imaging a RTS multiplayer game like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7w7ycxJ ... re=related

heh awesome!!