"Minority Report"-Like Control For PC 138
An anonymous reader writes "A startup named Mgestyk Technologies claims that they have an affordable solution for 'Minority Report'-like PC control. They have released a video in which they use hand gestures to play games like Halo and Guitar Hero, as well as perform 'multi-touch' interactions for applications like Google Earth. Engadget and Gizmodo discuss the potential of the technology but point out that the system has visible lag when used for gaming. Will camera-based interfaces ever meet the low-latency demands of gaming? For how much longer will we still be using keyboards, mice and joysticks?"
Energy Expended (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:hmm.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Neil Stephenson had it right in Snow Crash with Hiro's computer/terminal.
Track eye movements. A wink is a click. A two-eyed wink could be back, or escape.
Such a system could work with goggles or sci-fi contact lenses.
If we need to add hands on top of that for gaming or CAD or Photoshop, that would be fine.
But the basics start with what we're looking at, with our eyes.
OF course that doesn't make such an easily cool looking moving scene.
Not really viable for long term use... (Score:4, Insightful)
The biggest problem facing in-air hand gesturing is that it requires some level of stamina to maintain continual use. For sifting through data that could be done via other means, this just isn't practical due to the eventual strain it places on the user. It's sort of like trying to paint a ceiling. At first you're fine, but the longer you do it, your efficiency starts drop at a sharp curve.
Technologies like multi-touch and Microsoft's "surface" simply make more sense for extended use, since they allow the user to rest against the surface they're interacting with. The same is true of mice, keyboards and track pads.
Another example of this is to compare the Nintendo Wii's motion control setup against more traditional controllers, such as those on the Xbox 360. In a marathon gaming session, the user is going to tire out far quicker and need more breaks on the Wii side, while the worst you might get from the more traditional controller setup is an uncomfortable cramp a few hours in.
This is the same reason why virtual reality never really took off during the early 90s. It put too many physical demands on the user.
Re:the future of gaming is almost here (Score:2, Insightful)
New/Old Tech (Score:3, Insightful)
We've been using pencils and paper how long now? Just because a cool tech shows up doesn't mean the old tech will go away.
Re:Of course the latency can match (Score:5, Insightful)
People seem to think that keyboards and mice are lower on the totem pole than hand gestures. That's just rediculous. Hand gestures are all but useless for the vast majority of interfaces, and it has nothing to do with latency or technology in general. I've been yelling at minority report since it was released. Have you ever tride boxing? At your local fitness gym for example? You can't keep your arms up for an hour -- your shoulders aren't built for it. Ten minutes of using hand gestures, and you'll be too exhausted to work anymore.
Aside from physical strength, there's the obverse side of the coin. If you did have the muscles to hold up your arms, they'd be too strong for any degree of precision. Keyboards have a great feature besides tactile feedback -- they have discrete commands. If you try to press the letter "T", you aren't going to miss. You'll know that you've pushed it. And if you do miss, you'll know that you've missed.
Consider trying to draw a straight line with hand gestures. It's going to be nearly impossible. Really easy with a keyboard.
All of these "advanced" interfaces are nice for some specific scenarios, and tehy are all great gimmicks for consumer garbage. But they are rarely appropriate for real business. Voice recognition is a great example. There's one simple proof to why voice recognition won't ever be a as accurate as a keyboard -- talking isn't as accurate as writing. It's that simple. People mis-speak, and mis-hear all the time. Would you accept a voice recognition system that interupts you to say "sorry, what was that last word? I missed that." Of course not.
Voice recognition certainly has uses, of course. If you lack fingers, or the space for a keyboard, or your hands are busy doing other things -- like flying a fighter jet -- certainly. But if you're composing an essay, or a report, or doing anything where accuracy matters. . .why not type up your resume by throwing a frisbee -- one foot for the letter A, two feet for the letter B., and so on.
"pushing a button" is incredibly simple, incredibly easy, direct, and discrete. It's quantifyable, by all parties.
Re:Headed in the wrong direction (Score:4, Insightful)
typing into a keyboard or sliding a mouse around all day isn't particularly exciting either. but input devices aren't meant to be exciting or interesting. they're supposed to be useful/practical.
touch screens are so popular because they're intuitive and easy to use. the more natural an input device feels, the more transparent it becomes, and the more effective it is at its job. ideally, the input device should be unnoticeable to the user. they should feel like they're directly manipulating & interacting with the virtual content on the screen.
the ball-mouse was adopted so quickly because it greatly reduces the effort needed to interact with computer software. when your hand is on the mouse, the cursor becomes just an extension of your arm. moving the pointer becomes effortless and natural. whereas, with a keyboard you have to fiddle with a bunch of clumsy arrow buttons, and this creates a virtual & psychological gap between the user and the software they're trying to interact with.
the touch screen is an evolution of the mouse cursor. with it you can directly point and touch items on the screen to interact with them. there's no need for a mouse or pointer. that eliminates another gap between the user and the virtual environment.
Not the first ... (Score:3, Insightful)
A startup named Mgestyk Technologies claims that they have an affordable solution for 'Minority Report'-like PC control.
The tech in Johnny Mnemonic predates Minority Report by a number of years, and Keanu Reeves hand-waving while interfacing with the global network was prophetic, it sounds like.
For how much longer will we still be using keyboards, mice and joysticks?
Forever, or until we get a direct neural interface. Most people don't want to hold their hands up in the air all day. It's tiring.