The keyboard and the mouse have been our oldest means of interacting with a computer. Of course there are some other specialized devices like braille boards, microphones, trackballs, graphic tablets, light pens, drawing pucks, and the list goes on. However, on a common computer workplace, you’re bound to see only the ever humble keyboard, and the mouse. And we have done so much torture to these devices and has given little or no care for these handy helpers. And it seems that the time is almost here that we will be saying goodbye to them.
Microsoft and Surface aim to be first in the mainstream market for multitouch computing
May 30 saw Microsoft, with CEO Steve Ballmer in hand, introducing their new product dubbed Microsoft Surface code named “Milan”. The product aims to be a tactile computing platform with full interaction with virtual objects on a table-top display unit. This project was started way back 2001 and was kept relatively under tight wraps for a couple of years.
Surface is basically a table cut in the middle and replaced with a projection screen. It is then stuffed inside with a run-off-the-mill high-end PC running Windows Vista (ugh!), a projector, and a couple of infrared cameras that sense the interaction of the fingers on the touch surface (display). Microsoft has also developed the software that is taking charge all the interaction within Surface. Milan senses all sorts of gestures, finger manipulations, and interaction with the virtual objects.
However, the big question is even if I can afford this type of machine will I buy it? NO. Why? The reason goes far beyond the fact that it is being made by Microsoft, no. It is the fact that they have put too much moving parts on that thing. Too much moving parts, means too many points for failure. Plus they will need to find a way to make it thinner than it is. And it is a table-top for pete’s sake.
If not Surface and if I will go for Tactile Computing in the future, what would I choose? Read the following entry.
Jeff Han and the wave of the future
Jeffry Han, a Human-Computer Interface designer doing research and consulting at the New York University, made a public demonstration at the annual TED event last August 2006 what he calls an “interface-free computer display”.
Courtesy of multi-touchscreen.com.
What sets Jeff Han’s multitouch screen display apart from Microsoft is that compared to MS Surface, Jeff Han’s display uses a method called “frustrated total internal reflection” (FTIR).
FTIR recognition technology has been existing for quite sometime and is already a very mature method. It has been in use on biometric devices the likes of fingerprint readers. (See at Wikipedia)
Summary
In all, what Jeff Han and his team developed is in my opinion a lot more efficient, more customizable, and space saver since the multitouch screen display can be a few factors thinner than existing touch screens and way thinner than the Microsoft Surface. This will also bring the possibility that Jeff Han’s multitouch screen display may be able to work well with other platforms and not only Windows.
My bet will definitely be with Jeff Han and his team.
Jeff Han has spun off his research team from the NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and called it Perspective Pixel.
It won’t take long and we will definitely see a new breed of display-input systems. No, I don’t want something coming from Microsoft. I want one that runs on Linux or Mac, thank you. And Jeff Han’s display might be the one safe bet.
Watch Jeff Han performing a demo of a larger version of the multitouch screen at Perceptive Pixel
More links:
Jeff Han at TED 2006
Jeff Han’s Bio at TED
Jeff Han’s page
Multi-Touch Screen.com
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