TI Plans Minority Report UI Using ARM SoC + Projector

siliconbits writes "Texas Instruments wants to deliver a Minority Report-like user interface by combining its just-announced OMAP 5 platform, which is based on two Cortex A15 cores, with one of its own DLP pico projectors and a camera. The US semiconductor giant wants to pioneer the use of so-called next generation natural user interfaces by adding hardware support for stereoscopic 3D, gesturing including proximity sensor and interactive projection. This is reminiscent of the SixthSense, a wearable device invented by Pranav Mistry, which was demoed back in March 2009 by the then-PhD student of MIT's Media Lab Fluid Interfaces Group at TED."

Stop Griping

[BJ_Covert_Action]

Yeah, we know, for all the data entry, heavy computer use/coding jobs an interface like the Minority Report one is stupid and inefficient. But at least it's a step in the right direction. For those of you that have been posting about how nice it is to sit in an office chair and click a mouse all day, I have to ask what kind of ecstasy you're popping to make that a pleasant experience.

I fucking hate the typical cubicle set up. It makes my lower back hurt after 5 hours. My shoulders constantly ache from being crouched over a tiny POS keyboard. My right hand is significantly fatigued by the end of the day, whereas my left elbow is killing me from leaning my weight on it constantly. Sitting on my ass all day puts enough pressure on my prostate (okay, I have a bony ass) that I wonder if it might have negative effects on the libido. Squinting at monitors that blast my face with bright white backgrounds all day makes me hate the color white.

When it comes down to it, the typical cubie setup is a completely shit arrangement to be stuck in for 8 hours on end. So to fix it, we have to get up every hour and stretch or walk about for 5 minutes. We pay for massages and chiropractic adjustments to fix our strained backs. And don't even get me started on the amount of tension we hold in our jaws. What TI is proposing, here, is an interface that could let you stand up for a period, then sit down for a period. It could use an 'on-screen,' split keyboard for when you need to type in info. It would be capable of projecting onto a cubicle wall, so I wouldn't be tethered to a monitor on a desktop. It will be clunky and a PITA for the first generation or two, but give it some time and some prototypes and we could really be working our way towards a useful engineering interface that frees us from the ergonomic hell that is the cubicle lifestyle. Personally I'd like to see more research go into this field.

I know a lot of engineers that wet themselves when they watched the first Iron Man where Tony Stark designs an exoskeleton using a 3-D holographic touch interface. That was damn cool and you know it. If projects like the one TI is proposing get us closer to that kind of modeling interface little by little, I'm all for it. Bring it on TI!