How does Jamie Zigelbaum, a former student at MIT Media Lab, celebrate freedom from tyranny, drool-worthy accents and "standing in the queue?" By creating Slurp, of course. In what's easily one of the most jaw-dropping demonstrations of the year, this here digital eyedropper is a fanciful new concept that could certainly grow some legs if implemented properly in the market place. Designed as a "tangible interface for manipulating abstract digital information as if it were water," Slurp can "extract (slurp up) and inject (squirt out) pointers to digital objects," enabling connected machines and devices to have information transferred from desktop to desktop (or desktop to speakers, etc.) without any wires to bother with. We can't even begin to comprehend the complexity behind the magic, but all you need to become a believer is embedded after the break. It's 41 seconds of pure genius, we assure you.
@kekkaishi from the guy who put up the YouTube vid: "Hi all -- this is Jamie one of the developers of slurp. Writing to clarify -- there is some trickery here, though we don't mean to misguide. We didn't have a resistive touch screen around during filming so we simulated it. I am moving the mouse with one hand while using slurp with the other. If I had a touch screen to use I wouldn't have needed to simulate it and it would work as you might expect. "The file is still being transported using IR, we're only do the simulation to get x/y position."
I'm pretty sure they still need wires (or at least to be on the same network) for this - the device is merely a way to initiate data transfer or as they describe it like a pointer in C.
@akn320 Good catch! I met Jamie at a tour of Oblong Industries with the guys from Mindshare.LA and Syyn Labs. One of the founders of Oblong was the science advisor for Minority Report. We got a chance to play on the Gspeak project that is the current incarnation of that same idea.
I'll be impressed when he does it between two computer's and a music playing device he has never seen (aka, set up specific software on) before. As it is now, it looks like an ir remote to me with some leds for fun.
@TCC Wait, you want him to be able to transfer files between computers with no software installed on the computers to support the transfer? Nothing can do that. Some specialized software for file transfers is just more standard.
@stoffer For people who read a gadget website about cool, but, well, nerdy stuff, many of you don't understand the concept of rickrolling. This was entirely set up. He's using the mouse, the "gadget" is just to distract/mislead you. Which in itself, just seems to flash lights.
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posted July 5th 2010 5:19PM
WOW! unreal!
Gongggggg
@rjsimons123
Crazy... Dreamed of this for so long.
Is a whole file (like say, a 6GB video) sent via IR to the Slurp, and then out again to other device?
Or does the Slurp simply show what is going where and relies on a WiFi connection between the two devices?
@rjsimons123
That's cus it is unreal... you've jus been rickrolled. so was i...
Props Engadget. Props.
@rjsimons123
Wait..have I just been Rolled??
@BrandonHarris
totally rolled
@rjsimons123
lol, this is MIT's superior intelligence at rickrolling the world :D
@rjsimons123
Am i the only one seeing him moving the mouse pointer with his other hand?
@rjsimons123
I am still very confused as to if we were rolled or not. Seriously. Wtf just happened.
BS I don't believe this is real.
*pinch
Nope I'm going with my gut, you can't copy images from LCD screens and paste to speakers as music.
@kekkaishi
Can you all read? Wacth the video again and read the top right corner,
It case you cant, this is what it says: SIMULATED TOUCHSCREEN
@kekkaishi
from the guy who put up the YouTube vid:
"Hi all -- this is Jamie one of the developers of slurp.
Writing to clarify -- there is some trickery here, though we don't mean to misguide. We didn't have a resistive touch screen around during filming so we simulated it. I am moving the mouse with one hand while using slurp with the other. If I had a touch screen to use I wouldn't have needed to simulate it and it would work as you might expect.
"The file is still being transported using IR, we're only do the simulation to get x/y position."
Have I just been duped?
@ImVerified
Yes, a former MIT worker did, in fact, RickRoll you.
@ImVerified
LMAO. wow. I was at first wondering, WTF, but then when he RickRolld us, I thought, What a jackass.. He got us good.. :P
What? How?
sweet ! does this only work on touch devices ?
Geeze .... Rick Roll seriously ??
I'm pretty sure they still need wires (or at least to be on the same network) for this - the device is merely a way to initiate data transfer or as they describe it like a pointer in C.
Great Idea,
But I think Engadget just got rickrolled!
Btw... are those Mac Mini's running WinXP?! Hahaha, the irony...
@poppajohn Hahaha, a lot of people do this, it's hardly original and Apple actively support Bootcamp.
P.S. Not irony.
@poppajohn
Oh god, i smell irony arguments in the air.
ENGADGET, you know the rules, and so do I.
Wow. It's like the thing in minority report where you sweep files onto your flash drive, only better
@akn320
I was thinking that, but now it seems more like a version of Sony's TransferJet. Keep the price down, and this can go places.
@akn320 Good catch! I met Jamie at a tour of Oblong Industries with the guys from Mindshare.LA and Syyn Labs. One of the founders of Oblong was the science advisor for Minority Report. We got a chance to play on the Gspeak project that is the current incarnation of that same idea.
It copies and pastes/executes files. Ummm...so it's a combination jump drive/wireless mouse? I agree. Engadget has been Rick Rolled.
Who else thought of the eyePhone after reading the title?
@jappleng
Im a mindless zombie, I thought of the eyePhone 2.0
@Darkroom
Lol, seriously :-D. Nice one, guys :-S
God damn! That is some magical creation!
What just happened....that's....wow.
FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Not sure what I just watched. Why did he go back and forth between 2 computers, for one mp3?
@One Love
Its called reeling you in b4 throwing a RickRoll at ya.. :P
@7r1ck13 : stop playing with my emotions!
Nooooo.. Ive been RickRolled.. Noooooooooo...
is there an app for that ?
...Why...
@JeffB2006
my sentiments exactly. not for product but I'm sure they learned a ton in the exercise
What brand are those speakers?
@max2020
The subwoofer looks like an Altec Lansing. Maybe it's the ACS340.
I'll be impressed when he does it between two computer's and a music playing device he has never seen (aka, set up specific software on) before. As it is now, it looks like an ir remote to me with some leds for fun.
@TCC Wait, you want him to be able to transfer files between computers with no software installed on the computers to support the transfer? Nothing can do that. Some specialized software for file transfers is just more standard.
How? How did he do it? Is it some wireless interface or what? Technical details please/
@stoffer
For people who read a gadget website about cool, but, well, nerdy stuff, many of you don't understand the concept of rickrolling.
This was entirely set up. He's using the mouse, the "gadget" is just to distract/mislead you.
Which in itself, just seems to flash lights.
Pardon my language but this is fucking awesome!!! Wow, someone should take this and push this to the mainstream! Thank you engadget you made my year !
@Twinkle Tits by rickrolling us all? Jeezzz... i know the device is real, but rickroll?
I guess it's a slow newsday. Engadget feels the need to rickroll us.