Monday, August 2, 2010
Brain-Computer Interfaces: Link to interview of Francois Vialatte, BCI researcher
Francois Vialatte is a Brain-Computer Interaction (BCI) research scientist at the Laboratory for Advanced Brain Signal Processing (ABSP), at the Brain Science Institute, RIKEN. Beginning in September 2010, he will be an assistant professor in the SIGMA lab, ESPCI ParisTech, in Paris, France. I'd like to share a link to his interview posted on the engineuring blog that focuses on Vialatte's research in the area of BCI, as well as the myths, misconceptions, and truths surrounding this fascinating area of study:
Brain-Computer Interfaces, hypnosis, Mind Machines, synchrony, migraine and publicity of science - Engineuring (Alexandra Elbakyan) 8/28/09
Thursday, October 15, 2009
10/GUI: Multi-touch Interface and Interaction
Take a look at this video and the discussion about it - food for thought!
10/GUI: Another Twist to Multitouch Interface and Interaction
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Layar for Android, an Augmented Reality Browser for Android: 3D version coming in November 2009
"Eventually, the physical and the virtual worlds will become one"
The power of location-based services is harnessed by Layar, working on mobile phones that have a compass, GPS, and a camera. The first version of Layer targets mobile devices with the Android operating system.
Layar, world's first mobile augmented reality browser:
TechCrunch Video: Layar: Augmented Reality Browser for Android
How it works:
In November, Layar Reality Browser will add 3D functionality to its augmented reality platform for Android:
"With 3D, developers can tag real-life objects with 3D text, place 3D objects in real-world space, and create multi-sensory experiences. The addition of 3D enables Layar developers to create more realistic and immersive augmented reality experiences for mobile devices"
Layar3D Augmented Reality Engine Trial: Arcade Game
Layar 3D Augmented Reality Engine Trial: Venue Tagging
How Layar 3D Works
" Layar 3D makes use of OpenGL, the accelerometer, the GPS and the compass of the phone. Developers can place 3D objects in their content layers based on coordinates. Objects can be optimized in size and orientation to create an immersive and realistic experience. The 3D capabilities support live downloading and rendering of 3D objects. Actions such as “open link” or “play music” can be assigned to 3D objects."
I love this concept!
For your convenience, I've provided links from the Layar website:
View all 116 layers that are now live all over the world on Layar 2.1
last update September 25th 2009
- Real estate (17 layers)
- Health care (4)
- Transportation (14)
- Tourism: Places to stay (4)
- Tourism: Tours / Guides (12)
- Eating & Drinking (10)
- Leisure and entertainment (19)
- Games
- Weather (1)
- Retail (12)
- Governmental (2)
- Universities / Schools (5)
- Local search & Directory service (4)
- Social networks & communities (11)
- Other (1)
Friday, April 3, 2009
The Internet of Things can be Cute: MIR:ROR by Violet:
The MIR:ROR application supports memory and interaction with your computers as well as your Web 2.0 applications via a RFID Stamp. You can even figure out the last time you fed your fish!
Here is some of the promotional information from the Violet website:
"Mir:ror makes your everyday objects interactive, intelligent, communicant. Stick RFID Ztamps on them and show them to the Mir:ror: your keys will send e-mail to tell someone you’ve got home, your pills know when you’ve swallowed them, your toys play videos… Thousands of uses you can easily program through a Website."
"Nano:ztags are lovable micro-rabbits with a RFID Ztamp in their tummy. Program them to play any content or application you choose each time you show them to a Nabaztag:tag or Mir:ror."
(Also posted on the Interactive Multimedia Technology Blog)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Why "new" ways of interaction?
Why "new" ways of interaction?
Jonathan Brill, of Point & Do, has several video clips that explain the basics of multi-touch and gesture interaction. He is currently leading a book study of Dan Saffer's "Designing Gestural Interfaces" and is one of a small (and growing) group of people who are looking at ways technology can support human interaction and activities in a more natural, enjoyable, and intuitive manner.
"Mouse-based thinking simply doesn't work here....WIMP best practices slow users down, confuse them, and make multi-touch applications difficult to learn...a new class of applications....make it easier for groups of users to interact with complex information.
In the video clip below, Brill discusses the need to escape from the WIMP mindset. (Windows, Icons, Mouse & Point, the current way most people interact with computers and related devices.)
Here is a transcript of key points from the video:
"It has been 25 years since the first rich multi-touch system was publicly shown. That's a lot of research for a shocking lack of progress. By contrast, 25 years after the demo of the mouse, GUI (graphical user interface)had evolved into Windows, MS Office, Mosaic, Lan, and the Apple Newton, the basis for today's business productivity tools."
"The mouse was successful because early engineers developed a simple, clear interaction framework that everyone could follow. It was called WIMP: Windows, Icons, Menus, & Pointers. WIMP worked. It was cool, and it increased usability and solved key technology issues of the day:"
- Windows were a way to manage content on small displays
- Icons were a space-efficient way to point and click on commands
- Menus hid irrelevant content
- Pointers visually tracked mouse interaction
"Multi-touch needs an analogue to WIMP that makes it easy to use, across platforms. At Point & Do, we think we've found it. It is what we call PATA:
Places
Lighting, focus, and depth, simplified searching and effecting hyperlinked content
Animation
Using animation to subtly demonstrate what applications do and how to use them is a better solution than using icons. Animations makes apps easier to learn.
Things
Back in the days of floppy disks, objects helped us organize our content. This limitation was forced by arcane technology, but it did have one huge advantage. We used our spatial memory to help us navigate content. Things will help us organize content and manipulate controllers across a growing variety of devices.
Auras
Auras will help us track what we are tracking and when an interaction has been successful."
Here are a few more videos from Jonathan Brill:
Multi-touch Design Techniques Part 1 of 3
Multi-touch Design Techniques Part 2 of 3
RELATED:
"Surface and Tangible Computing, and the "Small" Matter of People and Design" (pdf) -Bill Buxton, ISSCC 2008
Designing for Interaction -Dan Saffer
The Computer for the 21st Century Mark Weiser, Scientific American, 09, 1991
(Note: I read this article when I was on a plane from Charlotte to Detroit, years ago, and never forgot about it. If you are just beginning to learn about HCI or ubiquitous/pervasive computing, or off-the desktop interaction design or application development, it is well worth the read!)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Mobile Multi-Touch Computer, E-Reader, Graphics Tablet: The Promise of V12's 2G Canova Dual-Screen Laptop
I want one!
(photos from LaptopMag)
For more information and references about V12's Canova, follow the following link:
V12's Dual-Touch-screen Canova: Multi-touch could support applications for universal design, education, and assistive technology.
V12 is working with a US manufacturer to develop the next-gen version of this notebook, according to LaptopMag.Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Dan Saffer's Upcoming Book: Interactive Gestures: Designing Gestural Interfaces
Dan Saffer, the author of Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices, is finishing up a new book about the design of gestural interfaces. This should be a great book, judging from the quality of Saffer's previous work.
Chapter 1:
Interactive Gestures: Designing Gestural Interfaces pdf
(page21 of this chapter has a picture of a NUI-group member's touch-table)
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Design Considerations: Touch screen interaction, mobile computing, and Synaptics
Keeping with my theme of touch-screen interaction, I thought I'd share some information about the work of Synaptics. I am not sure if Synaptics is venturing into the world of large touch-screen interaction, given their focus on laptops and smaller devices. From looking over the company's documents, it is clear that some of what they do could translate effectively to the large-screen arena.
Example: Synaptic's YouTube video about the use of gesture interaction with laptops:
Synaptics Presents: Things You Can Do with a Gesture
According to the company's website,
"Synaptics is the leading worldwide developer of user interface solutions for mobile computing, communications and entertainment devices. Our mission is to enrich the interaction between users and their intelligent devices. Synaptics products emphasize ease of use,small size, low power consumption, advanced functionality, durability and reliability, making them applicable to a multitude of markets, including notebook computers, PC peripherals, mobile phones, and portable entertainment devices such as MP3 players."
Kevin Arthur's Touch Usability Blog
(Kevin is a usability analyst who works with touch interfaces at Synaptics)
Voltage's Post "Best Practices of Touch Screen Interface Design"
Voltage Creative
Design and the Bottom-Line
Voltage's Post "Your Customers Care about Design, Even if they Don't"
"A 3-year Fortune-500 study conducted by research firm Homepage" href="http://www.peerinsight.com/index.php">Peer Insight found companies focused on customer-experience design outperformed the S&P 500 by 10-to-1 from 2000-2005. One more time for those in the back: that was 10-1. Your customers care about design; a lot; ten-to-one a lot. Even if they don’t (know it)."
Friday, February 22, 2008
Convergence: Digital Out of Home Experience, Marketing, Pervasive Computing...
It is interesting to see how various digital technology sectors are overlapping and converging as make attempts to expand their markets, improve education.or make a social impact.
One example of this convergence is described in a recent post in Future-Making Serious Games, by Eliane Alahdeff about Reatrix, a company that focuses on interactive digital OOH marketing and "brand play". 
Excerpt from the Reatrix website:
"The unique Reactrix advertising and entertainment experience leads to unsurpassed media effectiveness, made possible by proprietary reactive technology that projects vivid branded messages onto 6-foot by 8-foot surfaces. Images instantly respond to movement or gestures, creating a participatory media experience that allows brands to "come alive" and invites people to interact with them."
I haven't come across anything from Reactrix in the course of my daily life, but when I do, I'll be sure to have my video camera ready! I wouldn't want to be disappointed.
Note:
To get a better understanding of this phenomenon, do a search on the following terms or combination of terms:
Off-the-desktop, Internet tablets, interactive whiteboards, web-enabled cell phones, sensors, GPS, GIS, "digital-out-of- home" (Digital OOH),digital signage, interactive kiosks, advergaming, wayfinding, pathfinding, "in the wild", pervasive computing, ubiquitous computing, mobile, interactive, ambient, mScapes, serious games, social spaces, public places, networked real estate, touch screens, intelligent buildings, user-centered design, user-centered content, usability, user experience design, interaction design.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Interaction Design: Link to post and resources
If you are interested designing applications for in off-the-desktop applications, take a look at a recent post on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog. You'll find information and links about Dan Saffer's recent book, "Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices".
