HumanComputerInteraction
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Apple secures multitouch-related patent dating back to 1995 from inventor
Apple has come into possession of a number of patents owned by Canadian inventor Timothy R. Pryor in recent years (see the More Coverage link below for a few examples), and it's just today been granted another that's particularly interesting. Described rather broadly as a "method for providing human input to a computer," the patent (filed in July of 2009) is a continuation of one dating all the way back to 1995, and appears to cover some fairly basic multitouch-related functions. As detailed in the patent's claims, that includes controlling a virtual object on a screen with two simultaneous touch inputs, as well as virtual controllers displayed on the screen that can also respond to touch input. The patent also describes responses to touch input, including both visual and force feedback cues, and it offers a whole range of possible applications beyond the independent claims, including an aircraft cockpit or vehicle display. Those independent claims are clearly focused on general computer interfaces, though, not specific implementations. Naturally, all of this has simply been revealed by the USPTO -- we wouldn't expect to hear anything from Apple or Mr. Pryor on the terms of the deal.
Arduino-powered glove brings real sound effects to your make believe gun show (video)
The days of air-punching invisible Daleks and making your own sound effects are over: a team from Carnegie Mellon's Human-Computer Interaction course have built a glove that does it all for you. The Augmented Hyper-Reality Glove can identify upper-cuts and karate chops using flex and tilt sensors and play the accompanying sound effect using an Arduino-powered Adafruit wave shield. We can see some potential downsides -- flirtatious finger-gun fusillades accompanied by the sound of cannon fire might just ruin your date. If you're undaunted by such social faux pas, see the toy your inner-child always wanted in action after the break.
Game Over!: An exercise in futility (by design)
Don't you hate it when a decent game is ruined by one horrible, overriding problem? How about a game with 21 of those problems?The FORTH Institute of Comupter Science designed Game Over! to be the world's first universally inaccessible game. Each level of the simple, reverse-Space-Invaders-clone is intentionally saddled with a major game design flaw -- touchy controls, horrible resolution, instructions in Swahili, etc. -- that makes it nearly unplayable. In doing so, the levels explicitly outline the importance of the institute's Universally Accessible Games guidelines.It's a strange concept, but the strangest thing about Game Over! is that it's actually kind of fun. With the deck stacked so ridiculously against you, the pressure to succeed turns off and the desire to just try to beat the system kicks in. There's something perversely addictive about wanting to keep playing a game just to get a positive score. Kind of like the perverse pleasure of watching the Star Wars prequels -- you know they'll be bad, but you have to keep watching to find out just how bad it can get.Previously: Making games universally accessible[Via GameSetWatch]
