Friday, May 3, 2013
Linkfest (for your tech-reading pleasure)
Here's an update of links to posts from my Interactive Multimedia Technology blog. Similar content can be found on my Pinterest boards.
OpenPilot: A Next-Gen Open Source Autopilot Approach to Aerial Videography
XBox Kinect in the OR: Kinect supports gesture interaction with 3D imaging of the patient, while operating.
Telemedicine in Schools: Promoting Health (and Mental Health)
InteractiveTV Today (ITVT): Links to information and updates about CES 2013, via Tracy Swedlow.
Gesture Markup Language (GML) for Natural User Interaction and Interfaces
CCRMA Summer Workshops: Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics
Disney Research: Touche, Touch and Gesture Sensing
AirHarp for Leap Motion, a Responsive Musical Natural User Interface
Tips for Apps and the Web: Designing for Teens, Part I
Part II: Websites and Apps for Teens and Education
Designing for Touch & Gesture: Tips for Apps and the Web (Updated)
Affinity+: Semi-Structured Brainstorming on Large Displays, from Pacific Northwest National Library
Call for Papers: Human-Computer Interaction and Learning Science
Update: What's New for Kinect? Fusion, real-time 3D digitizing, design considerations, and more.
Interactive MaKey MaKey: "An Invention Kit for Everyone" - Video Preview
Google Glass and Kids- BYOGG? Quick links to MIT Tech Review Post - and more
Leap Motion: My Dev Kit Arrived - Now What? Thoughts About "NUI" Child-Computer Tech Interaction
Google Earth and Leap Motion
Quick Post/Videos: Evolving Soft Robots (Cornell's Creative Machines Lab); Leap Motion + Google Earth Experiment (PO-MO)
Little Digits Counting and Early Math App, by Cowly Owl- Chris O'Shea
Interesting Videos I Almost Missed (Future/Emerging/Creative Tech)
The Uncanny Valley is Here! Activision's real-time character demo is chilling real.
What happens when a 2-year-old wakes up to the sound of the Google Map Lady? "I CAN'T turn left right now!"
Pixel Press: Draw, create, play and share games, without code, now on Kickstarter.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Immersive Cocoon Interaction: "It's people who are now the interface"
I found the above quote from the Immersive Cocoon website and smiled.
When I first learned about the Immersive Cocoon in 2008, I thought it was just another technological fancy that probably would not come to market anytime soon. Although it still is in the concept stage, I think it has a chance of making it, given the rapid advances in interactive technology over the past few years.
It wouldn't surprise me to see i-Cocoons finding a place in libraries, educational settings, museums, and other public spaces within the next 5-8 years, given an economic turnaround.
What is the Immersive Cocoon?
"The Immersive Cocoon is a future concept study by Tino Schaedler with design collective NAU; an idea to push the envelope and provoke a new conception of interface technology...Directed and 3D CG by Oliver Zeller. More info, behind the scenes and full credits at i-cocoon.com." -adNAU"
What is inside the cocoon?
Photo: arch.nau.coop
Photo: arch.nau.coop
Teaser Video:
Immersive Cocoon Concept Website
Designers developing virtual-reality 'Cocoon'
Mark Tutton, 9/12/08, Telepresence Options /Human Productivity Lab
Immersive Cocoon-Facebook
"NAU is an international, multidisciplinary design firm, spanning the spectrum from architecture and interior design to exhibitions and interactive interfaces. As futurists creating both visual design and constructed projects, NAU melds the precision of experienced builders with the imagination and attention to detail required to create innovative exhibits, public events and architecture."
FYI:
Concerning interactive technology, things have changed a bit in my corner of the world - as I write this post, there is a Kinect beckoning me to dance in my bonus room. The Kinect was something that came to market much sooner than I expected. I'll have an iPad2 sometime in the near future- another example of how rapidly things are evolving. I skim the news by touch/swiping my now-outdated HTC Incredible. My 88-year-old aunt, has used Skype more than once to "chat" with her baby great-nephew across the miles.
I use a Wii at work at least once a week to support social interaction skills with some students who have moderate-to-severe autism. Every classroom in the main school I serve has a huge, immersive, interactive whiteboard that relies on touch and kinesthetic interaction-my colleagues can't imagine going back to teaching without them.
Cross-posted on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Great Blogs about Natural User Interfaces: Joshua Blake Deconstructing the NUI & Jonathan Brill : Multitouch Maven_ (Point and Do)
Josh Blake is a .NET, SharePoint, and Microsoft Surface consultant for InfoStrat, located in Northern Virginia. If you are interested in natural user interfaces, you'll appreciate his blog, Deconstructing the NUI He posts only a few times a month, but what you'll find is thoughtful insight regarding natural user interfaces that rely on multi-touch or gesture interaction.
Here are a few of Josh's posts:
The Natural User Interface Revolution
Pleasing the Brain with Magical Interfaces
Deconstructing: SilverPAC's Multi-Touch Website
Limiting the Multi-touch Vocabulary
Jonathan Brill is an independent consultant who focuses on multitouch product strategy, design, and development, and previously served as an embedded consultant at Microsoft Surface. His blog, Multitouch Maven, provides a wealth of information regarding multi-touch and gesture interaction and interfaces.
Here are a few of his posts:
New Multitouch Interface Conventions
Creating Intuitive Gestures Using Object Orientation
Using Auras to Maintain User Orientation
Monday, November 23, 2009
GestureTek 's 3D Depth Sensing System for Sprint Interactive Wall, Media artist - Takashi Kawashima
I missed this one! The video and photos below are of the Sprint Center Interactive Wall, powered by GestureTek's 3D depth-sensing system. The media art was created by Takashi Kawashima,a designer/media artist who lives in San Francisco. He has an MFA in Design| Media Arts from UCLA.
The interactive display can be controlled by a cell phone.
YouTube description/plug:
"GestureTeks 3D depth sensing technology powers an attention-grabbing interactive digital signage system for telecom leader Sprint. The 3D depth sensing interactive display screen, with mobile phone connectivity, tracks peoples body movements, and responds by sending a Sprint promotional message that follows them the entire length of the interactive billboard. The interactive motion-detecting advertising message invites users to create their own personalized interactive wall art on Sprints gesture control screen, by calling Sprint on their mobile phone. GestureTeks 3D tracker is the heart of the system. Installation lead: Mission Electronics. Creative: Goodby Silverstein."
The Instant DJ application looks fun! It allows you to mix the music tracks on the large display with your phone.
Phone Painter: Sprint Center Interactive Wall
Instant DJ
Now Widget
RELATED
Sprint Uses GestureTek 3D Tracking & Control System for New Interactive Digital Signage Campaign
GestureTek Announces 3D Gesture Tracking Initiatives for Sprint and Hitachi; Shares New 3D Patent Information
SOMEWHAT RELATED
GestureFX: Next Generation Pediatrics Business Case (interactive floor for a pediatric clinic's waiting room)
AirPoint Hand-Tracking Unit for Mouse Replacement and "Point to Control" Interactivity
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Video Clip: Nokia's Study of Gestures Around the World (6th sense?)
The video explains it all.
The video is from the Nokia Conversations YouTube channel.
(Fritz Desir, thanks for the link!)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The interaction that had me at "hello world": SixthSense TED presentation by Pattie Maes, of MIT's Fluid Interfaces Group
Photo Via Google Images
Although research about multi-touch and gesture interaction has been going on for many years, it took the release of the 2002 movie Minority Report to fuel the recent mini-explosion of interest. Members of MIT's Fluid Interfaces Group have been working on projects that are making the science fiction of the film a reality, and at a reasonable price.
(Similar post on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog)
In the following video, Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry,of MIT's Fluid Interfaces Group, demonstrate SixthSense, wearable technology that incorporates a video camera, a projector, a digital camera. I especially like this application because it supports multi-touch and multi-user interaction. Although it is in the prototype/demo stage, it looks like it is a mobile technology that has potential.
From the SixthSense website:
"The SixthSense prototype is comprised of a pocket projector, a mirror and a camera. The hardware components are coupled in a pendant like mobile wearable device. Both the projector and the camera are connected to the mobile computing device in the user’s pocket. The projector projects visual information enabling surfaces, walls and physical objects around us to be used as interfaces; while the camera recognizes and tracks user's hand gestures and physical objects using computer-vision based techniques. The software program processes the video stream data captured by the camera and tracks the locations of the colored markers (visual tracking fiducials) at the tip of the user’s fingers using simple computer-vision techniques. The movements and arrangements of these fiducials are interpreted into gestures that act as interaction instructions for the projected application interfaces. The maximum number of tracked fingers is only constrained by the number of unique fiducials, thus SixthSense also supports multi-touch and multi-user interaction."
Sunday, February 15, 2009
New York City Visitor's Center: Interactive Tables and Displays by GestureTek
The New York Visitor's Center is sleek and high-tech. The technology is the handwork of GestureTek, a company that focuses on gesture-based interactive surfaces, signs, displays, devices, and games.
Pictures below are from Steringely.com
Picture below is from static.worldarchitecuturenews.com
If interactivity captures your fancy, you might be interested in attending the upcoming Interactive Displays Conference, sponsored by Intertech Pira. This conference will highlight an interesting mix of existing and emerging interactive display technologies and applications. The conference will be held at the Hilton in San Jose, California, from Tuesday, April 21st through Thursday, April 23rd.
The pre-conference seminar will feature Sakuya Morimoto, of CANESTA, who will present his company's innovative single-chip 3D image sensor technology that supports gesture interaction.
Keynote speakers will be Jeff Han, of Perceptive Pixel, and Steven Bathiche, of Microsoft US.
More information about this conference is posted on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog.
