Magic Finger Turns Any Surface Into a Touch Interface 47
cylonlover writes "A trip on public transport or to the local coffee shop might give the impression that touchscreens are everywhere, but scientists at Autodesk Research of the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto are looking to take the ubiquity of touch interfaces to the next level. They are developing a 'Magic Finger' that allows any surface to detect touch input by shifting the touch technology from the surface to the wearer's finger. It's a proof-of-concept prototype made up of a little Velcro ring that straps to the wearer's fingertip with a trail of wires leading to a box of electronics. On the ring there are a pair of optical sensors. One is a low resolution, high-speed sensor for tracking movement, the other a high-resolution camera, which is able to detect 32 different surface textures with 98 percent accuracy."
There are so many naughty implications... (Score:5, Funny)
Doesn't help that we were discussing the naughty ads that British beer brewer "Bishop's Finger" uses...
"I derive untold pleasure from a Bishop's^H^H^H^H^H^H^HMagic Finger."
Re:There are so many naughty implications... (Score:4, Funny)
Pull my MAGIC finger!
Horrible future (Score:5, Funny)
An annoying smartphone ringing can be muted by touching the bag that it’s in. The wearer can start an app or send a saved text message by touching a logo on their shirt.
I'd be afraid to scratch myself or use a urinal without safe search on.