Hitachi shows off new gesture-based interface, touts grand plans

Hitachi's already dipped its toes (or hands, as it were) into the gesture-based waters before, but it looks to have refined things quite a bit for its latest Minority Report-esque demo, which the company is showing off as part of its 100th anniversary celebration. While complete details are a bit light, the system does seem to be reasonably responsive, and appears to rely on a projection-based system and a single camera to track movements. Perhaps what's most interesting, however, is that Hitachi eventually sees systems like this being used in everything from digital signage to medical applications -- and, yes, even TVs and desktop computers (though not before mid-2011 at the earliest). Head on past the break to check it out in action.

[buffalosolja42 Posted Jul 29th 2010 4:59PM]

So this is Microsoft surface on thinner display?

[kineticdamage Posted Jul 29th 2010 6:13PM]

@buffalosolja42
Now it's an evidence : Moore's law also applies to technological improvement.
(which is logical in some way)

[ZLiberator Posted Jul 29th 2010 7:21PM]

@buffalosolja42 Imagine the Video Games !!!!!

[Gad Get Posted Jul 29th 2010 7:52PM]

@buffalosolja42

Umm, no. Microsoft's Surface works by allowing the user to interact with a large touchscreen (hence the name). Hitachi's system works by interpreting three-dimensional hand gestures over the screen; you never touch it. So they're actually completely different technologies.

[Sarcasme Posted Jul 29th 2010 4:59PM]

The futur is funy.

[Nn4458 Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:00PM]

Looks similar to what Microsoft is making. Would be cool to see this on phones and computers and other things.

[fpad77 Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:00PM]

Very cool. Slightly un-nerving that the picture he was interested in at the end was a deer's bum...

[crawcraw Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:00PM]

similar to capacitive screen but no fingerprint smudges.

underwhelmed....

[Scouse Pricey Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:02PM]

looks laggy and inaccurate.

[One Love Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:04PM]

Can't wait till we stop comparing everything to "Minority Report". :|

...Nice lag BTW.

[Dante of the Inferno Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:23PM]

@One Love

All that's required is for someone to create a vision of computing that looks better than Minority Report.

[sonnyz Posted Jul 29th 2010 6:03PM]

@One Love I don't get the obsession with Minority Report either. I want to use the least amount of effort when working (productively) on a computer. That's why I use a mouse and keyboard. If I wanted to wave my arms around all day I wouldn't be a Software Dev, I'd be a traffic cop or something.

[loocas Posted Jul 29th 2010 6:26PM]

@One Love They did a pretty damn good research on Minority Report. That's why we see such devices now and that's why they're being compared.

At some stage, the Minority Report R&D team was sponsored by companies such as... TADAAAAA... Microsoft etc... So, no wonder.

[prometeum Posted Jul 29th 2010 10:29PM]

@sonnyz but you wouldn't look like Tom Cruise... or cool. Hitchi needs to improve this by adding finger motion... as in Minority Report duh! It would be important to be able to grab things, merge them or separate them.

Still, keyboard and a mouse are unbeatable!

[hell hound Posted Jul 30th 2010 9:57AM]

@sonnyz choice is always a good thing.

[Kuipo Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:06PM]

Most importantly I'd venture to say that most of these gestures weren't intuitive...

Not to mention that a good portion of them weren't "new" (other than you swipe left in the air instead of touching the screen), and a lot of them seemed unnecessarily slow or tedious to use (zooming out by raising your hand only zooms out at a set speed).

Nice try... glad to see people thinking about new things, but back to the drawing board with this one.

[geolemon Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:14PM]

Ah, big deal. TV cop shows have had this for 10 years at least.

[techlord Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:15PM]

this probably good to use for restaurant menu.

[keplenk Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:16PM]

Or right folks, go grab some barbells. It's time exercise and build more muscles, were going to need it!

[mojopagoda Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:22PM]

Ah .... We have had "gesture based inputs" for years. Eg clicking the mouse button.

[Fenikkusu Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:27PM]

I don't see the point to this really. He had to get so close to the screen that he might as well touch it. It'd be cool if there were no physical part to the display and he were manipulating a projected display or something like that.

[IcyTexx Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:33PM]

Whaat?
This thing is useless. It uses stupid waving around, and your arms start to hurt after a while I guess.

[Gobot Posted Jul 29th 2010 5:54PM]

Germophobic Google earth users around the world rejoice!!! *yawn*

[zomg0t Posted Jul 29th 2010 6:10PM]

@Gobot
Don't yawn! do you know how many pollutants enter the mouth during the average yawn?!

[Gobot Posted Jul 29th 2010 6:49PM]

@zomg0t actually, it was one of those closed-mouth/flared-nose yawns :)

[Kuipo Posted Jul 29th 2010 7:01PM]

@Gobot All the Germophobic Google Earth users just stood up to cheer about this breakthrough in interface technology and then realized that they were still too scared of the germs in the real world to travel anywhere and all sat back down, exhausted and out of breath.

[esp Posted Jul 29th 2010 6:21PM]

Well I was just walking down the street the other day, when I saw a couple of people ... so I thought, I know I will just scan through slices of their bodies right there on the pavement. When I got bored I turned and wandered off along the street ... leaving their entrails behind me ... truly bazaar ;)

[Kalt Posted Jul 29th 2010 7:03PM]

We need our cheap mice and keyboards for stress relief purposes... It's easier to beat them in anger than to shake your fist at the screen.

[kingranch06 Posted Jul 29th 2010 7:12PM]

Porn sites developers will love this.

[Gobot Posted Jul 29th 2010 7:19PM]

@kingranch06
brontosaurus shadow-puppet theater?

[PsYcHoNoVa Posted Jul 29th 2010 10:08PM]

Might as well just touch the screen, considering his hands are only inches away from it.

[Ownaginatious Posted Jul 29th 2010 10:42PM]

lol, at first I thought that I was looking at a screen with a smashed digitizer in the article's picture.

[AlexHG Posted Jul 29th 2010 11:08PM]

This would be useful for doctors who want to keep a sterile environment.