Microsoft Patents Foot Computing 107
theodp writes "Microsoft Research has made it possible for a mother to surf the web while nursing her newborn, thanks to its newly-patented 'foot-based user interface' (FUI?). 'In addition to causing health problems,' explains Microsoft in the patent, 'the traditional keyboard and mouse interface can be simply inconvenient in certain situations as well. In one instance, a mother with a baby in her arms is unable to easily perform simple tasks, such as checking email, on a computer.' Users of the 'Foot-Based Interface for Interacting With a Computer,' however, will be able to move their feet and step on the floor a la DDR to execute various commands, such as deleting email or scrolling down the screen. Due to the usual foot-dragging on the part of the USPTO, the patent — filed for in 2006 — was essentially obsolete by the time it was issued on Tuesday, a week after Microsoft's Kinect launch."
Good story about a young kid and Kinect (Score:3, Interesting)
http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/I-think-Kinect-is-OK2c-but-its-the-best-24150-I-spent-on-a-console/Item20369.aspx [gamingnexus.com]
One of the areas I figured Kinect would excel would be in rehabilitation and those who cannot use normal input devices. Seems this guy's kid is a great example of it. Controllers for the most part are just wrong. The Wii came close but the feel is broken as many times the motions one makes with the controller don't match up well if at all with on screen action.
So, yeah, this MS patent is a bit old, out of date, whatever. It is just more of programmers and such learning how people can, will, and do, interface with computers. the keyboard and mouse have got to go one day.
Re:Kinesis Foot Switch (Score:3, Interesting)
Read the patent. The patent speaks about electromagnetic waves not switches. YOu need to use light or IR (kinect uses IR)
So then its KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex all over again. Anyone schooled in the art would swap one signaling layer for another in a heartbeat (radio for wires), and having wireless keyboards for years means no one would come out with new devices requiring wires when a simple USB/Bluetooth dongle would suffice.
I still say this goes down upon first challenge.