Transparent OLED display + Kinect=3D interactive destop

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Kinect Minority Report UI 2 520x245 Transparent OLED display + Kinect = 3D interactive desktop

The tech world is all about touch right now: tablets, laptops, smartphones. But what if that is already being outshown by a new technology, one that isn’t touch-based, so much as it is interaction-based.

Another gem from Microsoft Research (we wish the Research team was a bit more commercial, if you get us) is a nifty 3D display, that allows a user to interact with things on their screen, while seeing their hands. It leans heavily on Samsung’s transparent OLED screen technology.

Now, this being Microsoft, the contraption also uses a Kinect, and a bit of software. The result is a display that is see-through, interactive, and on the whole impractical and badass. Check the clip:

I was half kidding when I said impractical, before. This could be quite practical, but the technology doesn’t appear to be quite there yet. And even more, modern software in no way supports this sort of user input. Still, both of those thins could be changed.

Interestingly, this is a very ‘off the shelf’ getup, aside from the software. I would love to see some homebrew guys build something similar, and then hack it to run Solitaire. You know, because, well, Microsoft.

Just for fun, you can find all our Microsoft Research coverage here. Top image credit: DreamWorks Pictures, 20th Century Fox.

Text Without Looking At The Screen With A Braille-Style Interface

Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a braille-like texting app that allows users to send messages without looking at their screens. The team believes it will be useful for both the visually impaired and sighted users who could text whilst watching TV, walking or socializing. This could enhance  multitasking and support the integration of texting with television and other experiences.

BrailleTouch is a free open-source app that uses a six-finger chording process, which replicates the traditional Braille keyboard. The prototype texting tool for touch-screen devices is aiming to be a complete solution for sending messages without the need to look at a device’s screen, replacing soft QWERTY keyboards and other texting technologies. It turns a touch-screen into a soft-touch keyboard programmed for Braille and requires only six keys, making it a practical solution for the limited screen size of smartphones. Mario Romero, the project’s principal investigator, said:

Research has shown that chorded, or gesture-based, texting is a viable solution for eyes-free written communication in the future, making obsolete the need for users to look at their devices while inputting text on them. BrailleTouch is an out-of-the-box solution that will work with smartphones and tablets and allow users to start learning the Braille alphabet in a few minutes.


Georgia Tech

via PSFK: http://www.psfk.com/2012/02/braille-texting-app.html#ixzz1n3GQk9I9o text without looking at their screens.