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Tangible 3D UI being developed in Japan (video)
People have been trying to sell us 3D this and 3D that for ages, but for the most part it's always been the same flat surface we're looking at and poking with our fingers. Some restless souls in Japan, however -- including Engadget's very own Kentaro Fukuchi -- have begun developing a way for computers to recognize a person's interactions with real objects and to respond accordingly. The essence of this new technique is to use translucent rubbery objects, whose diffraction of specially polarized light is picked up by a camera. Thus, relatively subtle actions like squeezing and stretching can be picked up by the different light results produced. Still in the early stages of design, the system is hoped to assist in surgery training, though we've got video of its more fun potential uses after the break.[via New Scientist]
NES gamepad mouse is the most amazing piece of industrial design in the history of humankind
Apparently as of right now, this stunning piece of high art is just a foam model mock-up, but listen to us, mouse manufacturers of the world: if you build this, we will give you every penny we have to own it. Our only gripe? The D-pad should definitely be up top for navigation duties. Still... where's the waiting list? [Via Technabob]
Alps Electric's "non-contact touchpad" needs no touch
When looking to dazzle your friends with humorous examples of oxymorons, make sure you insert Alps Electric's new "Non-Contact Touchpad" right after "military intelligence" and before "jumbo shrimp" (that last one always gets 'em laughing). Alps' prototype (shown without the hand model after the break) breaks linguistic and laptop convention by letting you control your machine with fingers waving about an inch above it. Right now it seems to have limited precision, with one sensor on either side of a rather more traditional pad picking up digits as they move from left to right or in a circle. So, touch-free retouching of images in Photoshop isn't quite possible yet, but with a few years of refinements anything is possible.
Microsoft Wireless Arc Mouse folds up, makes you look cool
Microsoft has had its share hits and misses as far as product design goes, but this Arc Mouse due this winter looks to be a slick little input device. Wireless and collapsible, the Arc Mouse promises to combine both portability and style for those of you on the "fashion edge" (their words, not ours). Hyperboles aside, this $59.95 optical jobby seems to be the real thing, and comes in both red and black. Look for it for the holiday season littering holiday gift guides.
Logitech's V470 Bluetooth mouse landing in September
For those of you waiting on a totally plain-Jane, middle of the road, wireless laser mouse, perhaps you should turn your gaze to the Logitech V470; the shiny blue mouse of your dreams. Forgoing the typical USB dongle, the V470 links up via Bluetooth 1.2, thus avoiding unsightly protrusions from your PC, and conserving valuable desktop space -- which you'll need when utilizing the mouse's elegantly named "Side-to-Side Scrolling Plus Zoom," which apparently lets you scroll... and, uh, zoom. The V470 will be available in September with a price tag of $49.99.[Thanks, Ankur]
