Straw-Like User Interface
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The Straw-like User Interface (SUI) is an interface device that allows us to virtually experience the sensations of drinking. Researchers at the University of Tokyo's Inami Laboratory first recorded the pressure changes and sound associated with sucking various foods and beverages--including a milkshake, a piece of cake and a slice of pizza--through a straw. They then built a small drinking-glass-sized device with pressure valves and a speaker to recreate these effects. Users simply insert an ordinary plastic straw into the SUI and suck on it to activate the device.
The physical sensations of drinking each food are indeed startlingly realistic, but what on earth is it good for? Inami researchers identified several possible future uses for the SUI, from entertainment to beverage product development. In fact, they even suggested that it might be a useful therapy for those with taste or eating disorders. For now, admits a laboratory spokesperson, "it's mostly entertainment."
TouchLight
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Seen Minority Report? Then you'll recognize the concept behind this direct manipulation display interface, which allows users to scan and manipulate images simply by touching the screen. Hold a document in front of the device and cameras will snap a picture of it; you'll then be able instantly to turn, move and zoom in and out of the virtual image with movements of your hand.
TouchLight's hardware is surprisingly uncomplicated: two to four digital cameras, a commercially available transparent projection material and a standard Hewlett-Packard computer. "It's about finding completely different ways of interacting with your computer," says Microsoft researcher Andy Wilson, who built the system last year. Coming soon to a police department near you…
Virtual VJ
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With simple vertical and horizontal hand movements--and the help of special lighted glove--this device allows virtual video jockeys to manipulate both still and moving images on a large video screen. Users can move images or mix them together, apply special effects such as color splitting or swirls, and even "scratch" a moving image like an old vinyl record, rewinding and forwarding it at will.
The project is the brainchild of French engineer and event designer Philippe Gérard, who designed the application in order to spice up the awards ceremony of the seventh annual Laval Virtual Reality Conference last April. Since then, he has used the technology in several nightclubs and has several more appearances planned.
"I want to put the technicians onstage," says Gérard.
Haptic Video
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Haptic Video, a project developed by Satoshi Saga at the University of Tokyo's Tachi Laboratory, is a hands-on approach to training--literally. “Haptics” refers to the science of touch, and this machine lets you feel exactly what it’s like to perform surgery or draw masterful calligraphy.
To do this, a force sensor and a video camera must first record the force, trajectory and visual information of an expert's hand as he or she performs their task, be it carving a wooden block or cutting a piece of sushi. The trainee must then attempt to duplicate that task while the system sends force opposite of the direction of the expert's original path. Thus, in order to successfully complete the task, the trainee must cancel out the expert's force by repeating the movements with the precisely the same trajectory and force. The result: a dynamic and proactive lesson.
"Instruction is most effective when the haptic sense is active," explains Saga, who notes that there are relatively few methods to transmit physical skills. Saga views his device as a potential replacement of more conventional methods of instruction such as videos and teaching demonstrations, though he says it will be a while before the device is ready for commercial use.
Shaking The World
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Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Communication Science Laboratories researcher Taro Maeda built "Shaking the World" to exploit the effects of a kind of electrical stimulation known as Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation, or GVS. When a weak DC current is delivered to the mastoid behind your ear, your body responds by shifting your balance toward the anode. If the current is strong enough, it will not only throw you off balance but alter the course of your movement.
Maeda and his colleagues constructed a headphone-like apparatus to deliver the electrical current and a small radio control to direct the strength and direction of the signal. And voil*! Remote-controlled human beings! In reality, the device can only force you to you to lurch to the right or the left, not make you move forward or backwards.
Five Cutting-Edge UI (User Interfaces).
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