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.
Seems pretty straightforward. My guess: An IR LED on the end of the dropper is tracked by an IR camera above the screen. When you press the button the computer detects the location of the dropper, associates that with the icon displayed at that location, and transmits a code representing that file to the dropper, which stores it. Aim the dropper at another receiver, press the button, and it transmits the code. The receiving computer sends the code to other machines on the network to locate the file, the hosting computer responds with the contents of the file, and the receiver does whatever it needs to with it.
To anyone that actually thinks this is real, go to the source website. There is another video there. http://zig.media.mit.edu/Work/Slurp At 0:55 he allegedly takes a picture of the bust and then transfers it to a monitor. Notice the angle with which he "captures" the picture. It is from the side. When he goes to the monitor magically the picture is straight on. Does this thing bend space as well? There is a freaking RickRoll song at the end. Do people really think this is real?
Watch the 3rd video, it gives you a better explanation.
It stores a picture in data base of an object, then slurp pulls it up for you, instead of you manually trying to find a pic about of an object among thousands of pictures.
Slurp doesn't take pictures of anything. I believe it uses the IR transceiver to read pre-stored information about an object, file, or anything and transmits it to a display, music player, etc. All of the data are probably stored in a device which that person was pointing the Slurp.
If you watch the next video Slurp Talk CHI'08 there is a narrative where he explains Slurp a little more clearly. Skip forward to 5:17 for the explanation and /or 7:03 for the narrative.
Unless I'm mistaken and I haven't watched the video yet, but this thing looks like it could hollar as a toilet home pregnancy tester.. just place it inside your toilet and change it once every six months.. haha!
You've got the guts of the story wrong, this guy is doing research on interface design:
"We have created Slurp to explore the use of physical metaphor, feedback, and affordances in tangible interface design when working with abstract digital media types."
The thing doesn't actually work like you think... every object is probably tagged with an IR device.
funny thing is, this isnt impossible, go look at G-speak, it does similar things and more. And im pretty sure this is fake, i count see ant signs of sensory anywhere, there would need to be a camera to determine the location/orientation of the dropper etc.
For heavens sake please cut the "Rick Rolling" shit and focus on the article..its super cool and it is sad that it is being undermined by a stupid internet meme
go read youtube video and he explain what he is doing with his other hand and telling that the the transfer is done via the IR but he simulated a resistive touch screen with is hand....
I saw this and thought...uh, he's got himself a squeezy webcam that's somehow linked into his graphics program-of-choice and it's sampling texture and color for him ta use... Still, this is also cool.
Ladies & Gentlemen I present to you . . . The 1st ever wireless flash drive with a bad name!!! . . . But real talk Steve man THIS is magical & revolutionary
If you'd like to see a demonstration of a similar prototype, enter 'bytehook' as a search term at youtube.com. You'll find 1 min and 9 min demonstration videos. These illustrate bytehook, a copy/paste application running on an Android phone. No custom hardware is used! And there's no slight of hand -- it's all real and functional!
Impressed by the technology. Not impressed with the fact that it'll go nowhere.
I can do this with rather meager equipment without the widget, but a mouse... I'll be impressed when he does this with motion control, and no widget at all.
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posted July 5th 2010 5:19PM
seriously, shut up about the rick roll.
this is amazing.
Well.. it might be really cool or it might not.
It depends on what is going on.
Whatever it is it will need to standardize b4. We can really do magic we see in this vid. This is best rick rolling I have ever seen.
Seems pretty straightforward. My guess: An IR LED on the end of the dropper is tracked by an IR camera above the screen. When you press the button the computer detects the location of the dropper, associates that with the icon displayed at that location, and transmits a code representing that file to the dropper, which stores it. Aim the dropper at another receiver, press the button, and it transmits the code. The receiving computer sends the code to other machines on the network to locate the file, the hosting computer responds with the contents of the file, and the receiver does whatever it needs to with it.
@grahamj
In other words: he did what you can do with a mouse, but less clicking and more walking.
really cool idea but why does it have to look like a mini turkey baster... feels like Thanksgiving for the digital age.
I bet my ass he also Rick Astley
@Delirium Trigah
He accidentally the whole Rick Astley?
I bet my ass he also listens to Rick Astley
To anyone that actually thinks this is real, go to the source website. There is another video there. http://zig.media.mit.edu/Work/Slurp
At 0:55 he allegedly takes a picture of the bust and then transfers it to a monitor. Notice the angle with which he "captures" the picture. It is from the side. When he goes to the monitor magically the picture is straight on. Does this thing bend space as well?
There is a freaking RickRoll song at the end. Do people really think this is real?
@SneakeSnake
Watch the 3rd video, it gives you a better explanation.
It stores a picture in data base of an object, then slurp pulls it up for you, instead of you manually trying to find a pic about of an object among thousands of pictures.
Think of it as a Bar Code but with pictures.
@SneakeSnake
Slurp doesn't take pictures of anything. I believe it uses the IR transceiver to read pre-stored information about an object, file, or anything and transmits it to a display, music player, etc. All of the data are probably stored in a device which that person was pointing the Slurp.
@SneakeSnake @grahamj has the idea.
If you watch the next video Slurp Talk CHI'08 there is a narrative where he explains Slurp a little more clearly. Skip forward to 5:17 for the explanation and /or 7:03 for the narrative.
http://zig.media.mit.edu/Work/Slurp
@Darkroom
Has Engadget been rickrolled? or have Engadget readers been rickrolled?
Make it Squirt!
I'll take eight.
now THATS awesome lol
Well if this is real, it is the coolest piece of tech I have ever seen! If it isn't real, it is the coolest piece of tech I have ever seen imagined!
Unless I'm mistaken and I haven't watched the video yet, but this thing looks like it could hollar as a toilet home pregnancy tester.. just place it inside your toilet and change it once every six months.. haha!
I can't believe people are buying this....rick rolled....every last one of you...lol
It's like a wireless USB flash drive? His computer set-up is confusing. He has Mac minis, but runs Windows.
WOW. That is all.
Looks like a nerdy pipe! Puff puff!
Wasn't this announced in 2008? A little behind the times engadget but thanks for bringing it to the mainstream!
I want one...
Am I the only one to have realise that the video is over three months old?
not really being rick rolled, they are just trying to show the idea behind the CONCEPT.. it even says in the video its simulated
Nooooo Rick roll'd already my streak has been broken.
Kinda rick-rolled...
You've got the guts of the story wrong, this guy is doing research on interface design:
"We have created Slurp to explore the use of physical metaphor, feedback, and affordances in tangible interface design when working with abstract digital media types."
The thing doesn't actually work like you think... every object is probably tagged with an IR device.
@geometrikal Yeah,thats what I also thought.The speakers seem to have a IR receiver on top of them.
funny thing is, this isnt impossible, go look at G-speak, it does similar things and more. And im pretty sure this is fake, i count see ant signs of sensory anywhere, there would need to be a camera to determine the location/orientation of the dropper etc.
For heavens sake please cut the "Rick Rolling" shit and focus on the article..its super cool and it is sad that it is being undermined by a stupid internet meme
Rolled! Either case, omg. future, please?
I'll trade you my credit card for one : )
It looked like each screen, including the speakers had some type of sensor on it
This miniature gadget is amazing and Jamie looks cool.
I NEED this!!!!!!!!
Wow, all it took was MIT and a bunch of leftovers hangning around their lab to rickroll all of engadget...
Touche
This is MAC, I knew it!
i new definition of wireless there...
go read youtube video and he explain what he is doing with his other hand and telling that the the transfer is done via the IR but he simulated a resistive touch screen with is hand....
I saw this and thought...uh, he's got himself a squeezy webcam that's somehow linked into his graphics program-of-choice and it's sampling texture and color for him ta use... Still, this is also cool.
did we all just get rick rolled? sneaky bastard...
Ladies & Gentlemen I present to you . . . The 1st ever wireless flash drive with a bad name!!! . . . But real talk Steve man THIS is magical & revolutionary
REALLY cool concept! My question is how do the other devices pick up the 'deposits' being made to them?
Ugh.... tech-rolled :/
Cool!
If you'd like to see a demonstration of a similar prototype, enter 'bytehook' as a search term at youtube.com. You'll find 1 min and 9 min demonstration videos. These illustrate bytehook, a copy/paste application running on an Android phone. No custom hardware is used! And there's no slight of hand -- it's all real and functional!
Soooo... this is a physical copy/paste widget?
Impressed by the technology.
Not impressed with the fact that it'll go nowhere.
I can do this with rather meager equipment without the widget, but a mouse... I'll be impressed when he does this with motion control, and no widget at all.
i want one...