Revolution is emerging in computer
interfaces and the way people interact with machines. In the coming years, the
possibilities are going to be staggering in their variety and scope.1
Among those with the potential to make
the most impact are:
- Microsoft’s
“Surface” tabletop
- Organic
light-emitting displays
- Electronic
paper
- Siftables
portable displays
- Pill
bottles, eyeglasses, and umbrellas that contain simple interfaces
Let’s start with “Surface,” released by
Microsoft in 2007.2 It is a Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-enabled
30-inch tabletop that responds to touch from multiple fingers and multiple
users.
You can take photos with your digital
wireless camera and then place the camera on the horizontal glass screen.
Instantly, the computer will download the photos and they will appear on the
tabletop. Then, using your fingers, you can sort through the photos, re-size
them, send them by e-mail, or print them.
You can pull up maps that contain
information ranging from a space-shuttle view of the Earth down to individual
cars and buildings on streets. All this is done by touching the tabletop and
making gestures with your fingers.
In restaurants, Surface is being used to
allow patrons to place orders or even to scan the RFID tag on a bottle of wine
to see information about the vineyard and vintage. Customers can also play
board games or finger paint. Surface is already operating in T-Mobile stores,
Starwood hotels, Harrah’s in Las Vegas, and Sheraton hotels.
The tabletop will be able to sense, for
example, if your glass needs to be refilled. And people dining together can
drag menu items they’ve ordered to their own personal bills to split up the
check.
A similar concept lets a tiny mobile
device turn any flat surface into a computer interface. It projects the screen
image, a keyboard, and a touchpad onto a tabletop and then uses a camera-based
system to respond to the user’s input. The projected Virtual Keyboard is
already available online for just $199.3
According to EE...
