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Cirque's proximity and grip sensor knows your left from your right, won't let you turn up your car stereo
Today's driving laws are awash with restrictions designed to help cut down on distracted driving -- no texting, no TV, no phone calls and no fun. The good 'ol car stereo has managed to stay off the ban list, but rest easy, cautious driver, if it were to be outlawed, the folks at Cirque could build one that wouldn't respond to the driver's commands. The outfit's latest sensor tech can distinguish the user's right hand from their left, making it possible for future vehicle controls to ignore input from the driver. Cirque says the "proximity sensing with grip detection" technology will allow devices to react contextually to how they are used, creating more customized interactions for future automobiles, medical terminals and other consoles. Fine by us, as long as they don't ban our beats. Peep the video up top for a quick demo, or read on for the outfit's official press release.
Cirque shows off its Glidepoint NFC trackpad built into a laptop, we go hands-on (video)
Each year, CES always seems to circle around a few common themes, and NFC -- Near-Field Communication -- is getting a large chunk of the spotlight this week, and it's not all completely about mobile payments. In fact, we're just scratching the surface of what NFC is truly capable of. We stopped by the NXP booth and found a treasure chest full of the latest innovations in the world of NFC, the first of which is the Cirque Glidepoint NFC trackpad. The company had a fully working trackpad that's actually built into a laptop, as well as an external model that can be plugged into any USB port (tablets, for instance). We navigated to Engadget's home page on our Galaxy Nexus and placed it on the pad, and just as expected, Android Beam activated and our touch initiated the data transfer. Within two seconds, the browser pulled up and loaded the site. We also used a business card with a NFC tag built-in and accomplished the same task. But it doesn't stop there -- the concept can be applied to other NFC applications, such as YouTube videos, maps and even the Activision critter seen above. The unit we demoed was a prototype that's still a long ways from final hardware, so don't expect to see them embedded into a laptop until mid-2013. External trackpads, according to Cirque, should be seeing the market in four months.
Cirque's GlidePoint NFC trackpad makes online shopping even lazier (video)
We've seen NFC technology pop up in everything from smartphones to windshields, but a company called Cirque has now expanded it to desktops, as well, with its GlidePoint trackpad. Cirque's system is relatively straightforward, consisting of its GlidePoint module (with an onboard NFC antenna) and a simple touch sensor. With these two elements working in harmony, users can scan a compatible card by hovering it over the module, while simultaneously using the trackpad to execute onscreen functions. The company has applied the same concept to its proprietary glass touch panel, as well, which could be integrated at payment terminals, or within tablets and touch-based smartphones. It remains unclear whether we'll see this kind of technology pop up on the commercial level, but for more details, check out the demo video after the break, followed by the full press release.
