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A mind-controlled robot arm doesn’t have to mean brain implants
A robotic arm smoothly traces the movements of a cursor on a computer screen, controlled by the brain activity of a person sitting close by who stares straight ahead. The person wears a cap covered in electrodes. This "mind-controlled" robot limb is being manipulated by a brain-computer interface (BCI), which provides a direct link between the neural information of a brain that's wired to an electroencephalography (EEG) device and an external object.
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.
Minority Report at 10: a look at technology from today to 2054
Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, based on the Philip K. Dick short story, opened in North American theaters 10 years ago today. It was preceded by the director's A.I. a year earlier, which was famously a pet project of Stanley Kubrick's for decades prior, and was followed up by Spielberg's version of War of the Worlds a couple of years later. Together, they formed an unofficial trilogy of sorts that represented a turn to darker science fiction for a director noted for his more optimistic excursions into the genre. Of the three, Minority Report was the best-received out of the gate, both as a film and as a detailed vision of the near-future unlike any since Blade Runner. That reputation has largely held up in the decade since (while A.I.'s has grown quite a bit), during which time it's also become a sort of technological touchstone. For all its bleakness, the future of Minority Report was one that we could recognize, and one that we were reaching towards -- at least when it came to the technology. Human-computer interaction would be more natural than ever, advertising would be everywhere and more personalized, and smart cars would deliver us to our smart homes. Today, it's almost as common for a new technology to be described as Minority Report-like as it is to be described as Star Trek-like. That was hardly just the result of good luck.
Microsoft Research's MirageTable brings some augmented reality to your tabletop
We got a look at a holographic telepresence project from Microsoft Research earlier this week, but that's far from the only Kinect-enhanced rig it's working on these days. This setup dubbed a MirageTable was also shown off at the Computer-Human Interaction conference in Austin, Texas this week, offering a glimpse of one possible future where two people can interact with virtual objects on a table as if they were sitting across from each other (or simply do so on their own). To make that happen, the setup relies on a ceiling-mounted 3D projector to display the images on a curved surface, while a Kinect on each end of the connection both captures the person's image and tracks their gaze to ensure images are displayed with the proper perspective. You can check it out in action after the break, although some of the effect is lost without 3D glasses.
HCI Roommate III puts Android powered TVs in hospitals
Many companies have tried their hand at Android-powered TVs and set-top boxes outside of the Google TV ecosystem before, but HCI's Roommate III is apparently the first line destined for the sterile environment of hospitals. These 22- to 42-inch wall mounted LCD HDTVs run an unspecified flavor of Android that supports apps, web browsing, and a built-in whiteboard. Things like accreditation status, outcomes studies, and incidence of medical errors will probably still be our main concerns in picking a hospital, but if these displays catch on then our doctors can describe our next elective surgery with the help of Google Body.
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.
SmartNav units control PCs with just your noggin'
It's not as if there has been any shortage of conceptual contraptions conjured up to control computers with just the brain, but it has been increasingly difficult to find units ready for the commercial market. Enter NaturalPoint, who is offering up a new pair of SmartNav 4 human-computer interface devices designed to let users control all basic tasks with just their head. The AT and EG models are designed to help physically handicapped and health-minded individuals (respectively) get control over their desktops by using their gord to mouse around, select commands and peck out phrases on a virtual keyboard. The sweetest part? These things are only $499 and $399 in order of mention, so you should probably pick one up just to give your mousing hand a rest.[Via EverythingUSB]Read - SmartNav 4:EGRead - SmartNav 4:AT
Broadcom packs Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and FM transceiver on 65nm combo chip
You can just tell from the wording in Broadcom's latest press release that it's still beaming from the late September court ruling involving it and Qualcomm, as we've never seen any one company so excited about a piece of silicon. The BCM2049 combo chip is built on 65-nanometer technology and combines Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and an FM transceiver in one convenient place. Obviously, the chip is being aimed at up and coming music phones, and it also features SmartAudio voice processing, Bluetooth audio streaming and an FM transmit function that will surely be next to worthless in mid- to large-size cities. Whoever made it onto Broadcom's early access list can get samples now, but you'll have to bypass the bouncer in order to get pricing.
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]
Xbox 360's third-party support may suffer, says analyst
In his morning research report, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities backs up our own conjecture that Sony's PS3 controller (dubbed "dual shake" by bloggers) is going to make Microsoft's life difficult. He writes, "The Xbox 360 controller is a conventional controller with no motion sensors built in. Ultimately, we think that many developers will opt to make games for the PS3 and the Wii, and will not make the same game for the Xbox 360, giving Sony and Nintendo a content advantage over Microsoft." We agree that Microsoft's reaction to this announcement is critically important. Will the company be able to speak to this issue at all today? (Update: added image to the post.)
PS3 investing in tangible user interfaces
During the Sony press conference earlier today, there was a sneak preview of a technological concept that takes the PS2's current motion detection (EyeToy) one step further. Using a camera and barcoded physical cards, a card game can become digitally visualised. Augmented reality and tangible user interfaces are two research areas that various academics have been pursuing for some time, but are only just making it into the mainstream. While these ideas seem cool in theory, in reality we have to ask ourselves what value is added to a game by providing this interface. Perhaps we'll see this technology being used to strike out in innovative, unusual directions -- or perhaps, like many research ideas that are nice in theory but fall flat in practice, it will become a selling point that isn't taken any further.
Sony confirms plans to chuck boomerang controller (and it won't come back)
Sony today confirmed they plan to toss the much-reviled boomerangamajig PS3 controller thingy, according to CNNMoney.com reporter Chris Morris. A redesigned controller is expected to be unveiled at E3, in May. What's funny about this is that the decision was most likely fueled by gamer reaction to the controller's mere looks. The controller might have turned out to be the most comfortable ever released, but the world will never know because gamer reaction to the design of the thing was nearly unanimously negative after its unveiling at E3 in May 2005. Was Sony unfairly slapped down by gamers and the video games press for being too forward-thinking? We all sure talk a big game about wanting change, but we've shown (over and over again) very little acceptance of schemes that represent a true visual or mechanical departure from the norm. The Nintendo DS touch-screen interface, for instance, also faced quite a bit of negative reaction prior to its release. [Image comes from Joystiq PS3 controller redesign contest. This particular concept was designed by Joystiq reader Adam Portilla of Chicago.] [Via Engadget]
