capacitive touch
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Disney Research's Botanicus Interacticus adds capacitive touch to ordinary plants, we go hands-on
Sure, you spend plenty of time talking to your plants, but have you ever made them sing? In partnership with Berlin-based Studio NAND, Walt Disney's experience development arm, coined Disney Research, has found a way to take human-plant interaction to an almost freakish level. The project's called Botanicus Interacticus, and centers around a custom-built capacitive sensor module, which pipes a very low current through an otherwise ordinary plant, then senses when and where you touch. Assuming your body is grounded, the device uses more than 200 frequencies to determine exactly where you've grabbed hold of a stem. Then, depending on how it may be programed, the sensor can trigger any combination of feedback, ranging from a notification that your child is attempting to climb that massive oak in the yard again, to an interactive melody that varies based on where your hand falls along the plant. Because this is Disney Research, the company would most likely use the new tech in an interactive theme park attraction, though there's currently no plan to do much more than demo Botanicus Interacticus for SIGGRAPH attendees. This week's demonstration is giving the creators an opportunity to gather feedback as they try out their project on the general public. There's four different stations on hand, ranging from a stick of bamboo that offers the full gamut of sensitivity, including the exact location of touch, to an orchid that can sense an electric field disruption even as you approach for contact. While interactive plants may not have a role in everyday life, Botanicus Interacticus is certainly a clever implementation of capacitive touch. You can see it action just past the break.%Gallery-162014%
Bananaphone touch synthesizer replaces ring ring rings with chiptunes (video)
If you're tired of bananaphones that just make calls, the crew at Gadget Gangster now has a homebrew project to use them for musical escapades. A custom-coded (and appropriately named) Adafruit Propeller board turns a bunch of bananas into the Bananaphone TouchSynth, a synthesizer using the same capacitive touch principles that let a MaKey MaKey turn anything into a controller. The project as it's built won't be rocking stadium-sized crowds anytime soon -- not with those beeps and that lone speaker -- but there's nothing stopping it from scaling up to bigger sounds. Just remember that your fresh beats will turn very brown within a few days.
Droplet and StackAR bring physical interface to virtual experiences, communicate through light (hands-on)
Light-based communication seems to wind throughout the MIT Media Lab -- it is a universal language, after all, since many devices output light, be it with a dedicated LED or a standard LCD, and have the capacity to view and interpret it. One such device, coined Droplet, essentially redirects light from one source to another, while also serving as a physical interface for tablet-based tasks. Rob Hemsley, a research assistant at the Media Lab, was on hand to demonstrate two of his projects. Droplet is a compact self-contained module with an integrated RGB LED, a photodiode and a CR1216 lithium coin battery -- which provides roughly one day of power in the gadget's current early prototype status. Today's demo used a computer-connected HDTV and a capacitive-touch-enabled tablet. Using the TV to pull up a custom Google Calendar module, Hemsley held the Droplet up to a defined area on the display, which then output a series of colors, transmitting data to the module. Then, that data was pushed to a tablet after placing the Droplet on the display, pulling up the same calendar appointment and providing a physical interface for adjusting the date and time, which is retained in the cloud and the module itself, which also outputs pulsing light as it counts down to the appointment time. StackAR, the second project, functions in much the same way, but instead of outputting a countdown indicator, it displays schematics for a LilyPad Arduino when placed on the tablet, identifying connectors based on a pre-selected program. The capacitive display can recognize orientation, letting you drop the controller in any position throughout the surface, then outputting a map to match. Like the Droplet, StackAR can also recognize light input, even letting you program the Arduino directly from the tablet by outputting light, effectively simplifying the interface creation process even further. You can also add software control to the board, which will work in conjunction with the hardware, bringing universal control interfaces to the otherwise space-limited Arduino. Both projects appear to have incredible potential, but they're clearly not ready for production just yet. For now, you can get a better feel for Droplet and StackAR in our hands-on video just past the break.
Intel Ivy Bridge touchscreen Ultrabook reference design hands-on (video)
Interested in replacing both your tablet and that clunky notebook with a svelte all-in-one portable? Intel might have just the gadget for you -- an Ivy Bridge Ultrabook with a built-in 13.3-inch 1600 x 900-pixel capacitive-touch LCD. We happened upon such a device in the bowels of Intel's gaming-centric CeBIT booth, and had a chance to go hands-on with the company's one and only (at this show, at least) reference design touchscreen Ultrabook. The device we saw appeared to be no larger or thicker than similar portables, but integrated a gorgeous 13.3-inch touchscreen, along with that elusive 1.5GHz Ivy Bridge processor. Unfortunately Intel was mum on detailed specs, though the prototype we saw did include a pair of USB 3.0 ports, SIM and SD card slots, and an HDMI port. And according to the system info page, the touch feature supports up to 10 individual input points. We're also told that there might be NFC functionality on-board, though the only visible confirmation of this hardware feature was a piece of medical tape with the letters "NFC" inscribed.The touch functionality worked just as expected -- if you've used touch on a high-end tablet before, you're already familiar with the experience here. We were able to navigate the installed Zinio app with ease, flicking through magazine pages and pinch-and-zooming our way around a cover. You can of course use the touchscreen to adjust system settings, drag-and-drop files or input text with the on-screen keyboard, though we found the trackpad and hardware keyboard to be more practical here. Overall, this appears to be a no-compromise solution -- it will surely add to the manufacturing cost for next-gen Ultrabooks, but if you opt for a touch-equipped model only to find that you prefer traditional input controls, there's not much lost on the feature front. And, if you do happen to enjoy flicking your way around a notebook, you're definitely in for a treat. You'll find our hands-on video just past the break.
Audi A3 with MMI Touch gesture-based entertainment system hands-on (video)
CeBIT isn't an auto show in the traditional sense, but we are in Germany after all, so we weren't terribly surprised to see Audi roll up with a brand new car. The latest A3 made its worldwide debut today, bringing with it that wheel-based menu navigation interface we saw in its prototype phase. The touchpad sits atop the jog-wheel and shrinks things down considerably compared to the original version found in the 7-series. To keep things nice and safe, Audi devised a system that recognizes letters you draw with your finger, enabling drivers keep their eyes on the road while selecting music, making calls or setting a destination in the GPS. Also, as is apparently the norm these days, there's Facebook and Twitter integration -- the car can even read updates as you drive. If you know, you can't wait until you're parked.As you might have gathered, the A3 is a connected vehicle, with a SIM slot or Bluetooth connection providing the car's link to the outside world. It offers another curious addition, too: a "Phone Box" signal boosting system. Details are sparse, but we do know there's an external antenna that relays the signal back to the handset. That particular feature is compatible with any phone you care to toss inside, and requires a wired connection only for charging (the box itself is amplified, so anything that sits within the enclosure will reap those boosting benefits). We managed to get the first hands-on demo with the car, and you can see all those new toys in the video and galleries below.
Nukotoys introduces two physical card sets for interacting with iPad apps
One of our first appointments here at CES this week was with a company called Nukotoys, which co-CEO Rodger Raderman told us was interested in asking the question for today's children: "What is a toy?" As we've reported here before, more kids than ever are interested in getting iPod touches and even iPads as gifts, so Nukotoys wants to come up with toys and products that sit in that space, coming up with new types of toys for children to play with and learn from on Apple's devices. Raderman said his company was going after both "virtual play patterns and physical play patterns," trying to combine "the power of physical objects" with all of the virtual computing play that the iPad and its various features can offer. To that end, the company's first product consists of two lines of cards for two different apps coming up on the App Store in March. The first is an Animal Planet-branded line called Wildlands. With this system, kids will be able to buy cards (at select Walmart and Target retailers, among others) in packs of either 3 or 7. The way the game works is that the cards are pressed against the iPad's touchscreen, and then whatever animal is on the card will appear in the app's virtual savanna. The technology to make the cards work is proprietary ("it's magic," Raderman teased when pressed for exactly how it worked), but we presume it works by using capacitive touch patterns embedded (or printed) on the cards themselves. The whole process is seamless -- just a second after the card is touched to the screen, without ever using the camera, the iPad responds in kind. If there is some sort of capacitive touch pattern on the card (and again, Raderman didn't reveal at all how it works), presumably it might be spoofed by putting your fingers in the same patterns, but of course until the product is actually out and people have a chance to analyze it, we don't know exactly what's happening. At any rate, it works well -- press a card on the screen with, say, a lion on it in the Wildlands app, and boom, a lion will appear on the screen, which children can interact with, actually control from a third person view, or even pull up educational information and facts to read through. In the Wildlands set, there will also be cards like "Rain" and "Dust Storm" that will enable environmental effects, rather than actual animals. And animals will react to each other as well: Summon a gazelle and a lion, and the lion will realistically chase down the gazelle. The other title from Nukotoys will be Monsterology, drawing from UK publisher Templar Publishing's line of popular fantasy-based reference books. In this game (produced with input from a Wizards of the Coast founder and Pokemon card game creator), the cards will represent various monsters and spells, and then scanning them into the iPad adds them to a collection, which can be summoned in a turn-based strategy campaign. Across 60 levels, players will be able to fight the evil wizard Vidius Muldervane across the "Oloverse," summoning various creatures that have been "tapped" on to the screen already. If players don't want to buy real cards to tap in, there will also be virtual cards to play available via in-app purchase, but Raderman did say that the virtual cards will be weaker than the physical ones, so there's still incentive to buy the real thing. Both games will be free, but of course you'll need to buy the cards to get the full experience. Raderman points out that both games have elements of educational value to them -- the Wildlands game does have real animal facts, and the turn-based game does have some number-crunching and math elements to it (each creature has its own stats, and can be guided around the map at different speeds, depending on your current strategy or goal). Nukotoys' goal isn't just education -- their bigger goal is fun, which they say is what parents are looking for in interactive toys as well. The whole system looks very interesting. The "tap" technology is definitely intriguing, and hackers will no doubt want to rip into the cards to see exactly how the company has developed this communication through capacitive touch. Kids may get into a "collect-em-all" mindset on the games, but at launch, at least, there are 60 cards for the Animal Planet set, and 100 for the Monsterology game, so it's not a huge, overwhelming system to get into. That may change, though -- we'll see what the response is like on this one, and obviously Nukotoys has more plans for both these sets and other games in the future. We'll take another look at the game once it is released, and see if the final product in March matches up to what Nukotoys aims to do about crossing the physical and virtual space.
HP TouchPad review
As things get older they tend to get bigger. It's the same for people, corporations, models of cars, budget deficits... and so it is for webOS. As Palm was in the process of being subsumed its great mobile operating system was being eyed for much broader things, far bigger than the little phones it had previously been flashed on. Things like printers and desktops and laptops, but for its first proper foray outside of a phone it has a tall task: compete in the brutally vicious tablet space. Its weapon is the TouchPad, a 9.7-inch tablet from HP that got official back in February and will be available July 1st (if you don't manage to find it earlier) -- $499.99 for the 16GB model, $599.99 for 32GB. That's exactly on parity with the WiFi iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, current kings of the tablet court. Does this plus-sized Palm progeny really have what it takes to hang at that price point, or is this just a chubby pretender that's outgrown its britches? Read on to find out. %Gallery-127378%
RoboTouch brings a wired NES controller to a wireless iPad (video)
Oh Arduino, is there anything you can't do when put in the right hands? The hands in this case belong to a guy named Joven of ProtoDojo, and they whipped up the contraption you can see in the video below. Basically, it's a wired NES controller that goes to an Arduino board, which in turn controls a set of servos. Those servos articulate conductive arms to touch the screen in just the right places. The whole contraption enables a rather playable version of Reckless Racing, making it feel all the more like the RC Pro Am successor it's trying to be. Check it out in the video below, and then hope that Jovan hurries up and posts the instructions so we can start building our own. [Thanks, Chad]
Audi's next-generation, Tegra-Powered MMI Touch is coming to Audi A3 first
When it comes to the proliferation of fancy infotainment systems into cars there are two schools of thought. Some, like Ford, believe that these systems should start at the lower range cars and spread across the brand. Other marques, typically higher-end ones, go the other way 'round, and Audi is definitely guilty, launching its MMI on the higher-end sedans and SUVs, like the A8 and Q7. That's changing with the next version of MMI Touch, starting on the (relatively) attainable A3. NVIDIA was quite proud to show off the system, with Tegra providing the power behind the scenes as we saw last year. That means lovely rendering of Google Earth, in 3D no less, and of course responsive performance. According to Autoblog it looks like the system's capacitive touchpad is being integrated into the scroll wheel, which should offer a solid usability improvement. No word on when we'll get to experience it, though, but we wouldn't be surprised to learn more next week in Detroit.
Synaptics Fuse concept handset puts a new squeeze on touchphone interaction
In case you weren't aware, Synaptics dabbled in the touchscreen handset game way back in 2006 with the Onyx concept, before phones like the LG Prada and Apple's iPhone came along and proved the idea so convincingly. However, Synaptics thinks innovation has stagnated since, and has girded itself once again to attempt another trend-setting concept. This one's a bit more wild: the "Fuse" involves contributions from Alloy, TAT, Immersion and Texas Instruments, and includes squeeze, tilt and haptic interaction. The big idea is to approach single-handed and no-look operation on a touchscreen handset, no small feat to be sure. The result is a pure kitchen sink of sensors, including a touchpad on the back of the phone, touch and pressure sensitive strips along both sides of the phones, dual haptic feedback motors, a 3-axis accelerometer and of course a new-generation Synaptics touchscreen in front. The TI OMAP 3630 processor powers the TAT Cascades 3D UI Engine which attempts to contextualize UI interaction with perspective tilts and fancy motion, and the haptics feeds back to let you know where your finger is on the screen -- an attempt to emulate feeling out the correct nub for keypad orientation on a button phone. We'll have to play with it to find out if Synaptics is really on to something, but even if the Fuse isn't the next best thing, we could certainly see somebody using some of these sensors to improve existing handset interaction. Check out a quick video after the break.
