Blue Eye rocks a scanner with a gesture-based interface

Sure, it's by no means the first gesture-based interface that we've seen, but the combination of a scanner with a Minority Report-esque setup comprise this invention, which its Dutch inventors are calling the "Blue Eye." From what we can tell based on the Eindhoven University of Technology's video, Blue Eye is a glass table and a camera mounted overhead all rolled into a slick touch-based UI. Once an object is placed on the table and you push a button, the camera takes a quick snapshot of that object, cropping out the background. Further, you can take pictures of an object in various orientations to create a simple animation right on the table -- ok, so it's not that crazy powerful even compared to the PS3 demo at E3, but go watch that hypnotic video of theirs already and groove to the hip background music.

[Via NewScientist]

[Jody @ Oct 10th 2006 3:46AM]

I gotta say I enjoyed the video. Part of me wonders what this could be used for... magazine industry I suppose. Part of me wants to say fake. I don't know. I guess I'll wait for other's input.

-Jody-

[nizzy1115 @ Oct 10th 2006 3:52AM]

I am a little weary to believe this as totally real, but then again it's not that far-fetched. I still can't see much use for it though, even for a magazine industry.

http://futuretechnologynow.blogspot.com/

[tehuberone @ Oct 10th 2006 4:04AM]

Two words. Awesome.




-tehuberone...

[Zwieke @ Oct 10th 2006 4:08AM]

This was actually a first-years project at the Industrial Design Faculty of Eindhoven University of Technology. The project was about finding new ways to create moodboards in mixed reality environments.
Believe me, it is not fake; I've seen it in action.

[Tobias @ Oct 10th 2006 4:57AM]

I think this is very real. It looks a lot like this one: http://studiolab.io.tudelft.nl/cabinet/ which is also from Holland. And I have seen that one at the Reboot8.0 conference earlier this year.

[kappa @ Oct 10th 2006 5:03AM]

mad fake. the technology is easily possible, but you can watch this dude try to match the animation, and (especially when photographing his own body parts) there's a pause, then a jerky cut before he presses the little green button.

Besides, even if it is real, this thing isn't a scanner, it's taking pictures.

[Zwieke @ Oct 10th 2006 5:13AM]

Well ofcourse this is just a mock-up prototype; a proof of concept as we call it... It gets the idea across.
It is the product of only 6 weeks of development from scratch by a team of 4 to 6 first year students, so a technical prototype could not be realized in that short period of time.

[Bernard @ Oct 10th 2006 5:23AM]

Why does everyone on the internets always think everything is fake? Of course it isn't fake, can you imagine how much time and effort would go into faking that, and for what benefit?

[cunfy @ Oct 10th 2006 6:39AM]

Why on earth do you use the word "rocks"? What does that even mean? It sounds fucking awful. Can't you just use the English language properly?

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 10th 2006 8:05AM]

I would love some time at one of these tables.
I can see them bringing out the hidden graphic artist in any of us!

Creativity rocks!
That is to say that it carries with it a manic energy not unlike but still ascribable to rock music.
(for all of you living under one)

[Garman @ Oct 10th 2006 8:38AM]

The tune you hear in the background is the Finnish Group Pepe Deluxe. The track is called "Woman in Blue" I own the album and recognized it instantly. FYI a very good debut album made of ingenious samples & studio wizardry.

[oshean @ Oct 10th 2006 8:54AM]

Blue(Blu) is the new i.

[OriginalAdric @ Oct 10th 2006 3:22PM]

I don't know whether the unit actually works, but the video is very definitely a mock-up. If you take a close look, all the images on the screen are the sides of the items facing *away* from the scanner. Most notably, the coke can's scanned image is of end with the tab, and the mouse image shows all the buttons and scroll wheel.

[MrTambo @ Oct 10th 2006 3:59PM]

"camera mounted overhead"

[Jeff Foster @ Oct 10th 2006 6:09PM]

damnit - you guys REALLY need to start giving a warning when the link is to a crappy WMV... you know, like you do for pdfs.

yuck.

[dotty @ Oct 12th 2006 7:11AM]

hey, i played with something like this in Innovationation Singapore yesterday... no taking of picture.. but just navigation on a glass table... not very intelligent but its novel and can become better in the future...