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Holy Grail of Remote Controls
castilejw writes "CNN has an article showing where researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have teamed with researchers from Maya Designs, Inc. to produce the ultimate universal remote, which "would choreograph not just home entertainment systems but also intelligent appliances all around the house: microwave ovens, clothes dryers, air conditioners.". The device they have shown is a modified Compaq iPAQ, which they have so far modified to control two lamps, a fan and a stereo with a five-CD changer." Seems like that much is pretty easy. Now when it
can control my answering machine, my MP3 collection, and my garage door, I'll
be ready to automate my soul. Update: 09/02 15:34 GMT by CT : Oops, this is a duplicate. Move along :) We suck so much. Blah blah blah.
this one is still on "Older Stuff!"
Read your own website
For I did see this on the
Front page once before
Maybe.
Utilizing magnetic schemata since
Yeah, that's great - but until they can go several days without a recharge, they're going to be useless.
Scenario - go out, come home 5 hours later. Bugger, forgot to charge the remote.
but still a good idea
A lot of places have already done this, and have done it better. There was a posting to the Jini mailing list months ago about an iPAQ that did this for a smart room, and it didn't use Windows either. ....besides...wasn't this already a story here last Saturday
Seems like that much is pretty easy. Now when it can control my answering machine, my MP3 collection, and my garage door, I'll be ready to automate my soul.
Perhaps it will also read Slashdot for you and inform you when a story was already posted a few hours before.
Is your browser retarded?
They made a pretty good point, though perhaps inadvertantly. What happens if/when you lose the bloody thing? And yes, people WILL lose a 300$ PDA and probaby lose it regularly. I'd rather have four remotes each having some overlapping functionality, kinda like RAID with striping
If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
That one is still under Old Stuff. Makes you think about who reads their own postings
We can get our exercise by playing first-person shooters, and if someone could only invent a really *good* in-sofa bodywashing system, I'm thinking there wouldn't be any real reason for any of us to put feet on the carpet at all.
Oh, there is the whole "bodily needs" issue, but we've already got good online porn, so who needs the real thing. That leaves us with expulsion of bodily wastes. Anyone know of a high-quality integrated sofa-crapper unit?
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
Good site with details and comments, highly recommeanded. Always has the best news first (apparently!)
Read the postings here.
This been like the other day here man.
I suggest you do a "search" on the site (after all, you have the sources) and check if things like that already been published. this is happening all the time and is very weird.
If you have to remotely flush your toilet, odds are you're doing something wrong.
Another repeat. And this one isn't a day old. Oh look, it was Taco who re-posted again.
Seriously, Taco, we all appreciate the work you and the others put into keeping slashdot going, but some sort of anti-repost mechanism would be useful. I know no method's foolproof, but this one even had the same url!
Alternatively, why doesn't someone repost every article for three weeks, then go back to normal - that way everybody'll be so impressed at the change, they'll stop complaining ^_^
Maran
...from the last time this was posted then:
Will I get completely new Karma?
Also, I just post a bunch of links to the last discussion of this, will I get +5, Informative?
--- My dad's political betting
It is interesting the connotation behind the words "remote control." Symbolic of how we humans are in an ever-increasing battle to control the environment around us. So along comes the 'universal remote' which allows the greediest of control freaks to covet the power in one isolated unit. And I thought it was bad when my stepfater refused to release his grip from the TV remote... just imagine the power struggles taking place in the average houselhold when the remote controls not only the appliances, but lighting, temperature controls, etc... That thing better have a hidden book of matches tucked within its injection-molded body... just imagine during a power loss and the remote appears to be working, but the damn lights just aren't responding!!!
Is that is worked through walls!
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
You can do all that today. Go buy a Pronto from Philips or the Marantz version (RC5000i). You can download configs for almost any component, or use the builtin database on the Pronto. You can have unlimited buttons and screens and it has a very good backlit screen.
I don't want a company configuring mine. My Marantz is set up exactly how I use it. I don't need all 50 buttons from my receiver on it. I only use 4. I don't need my TV functions just on a few TV pages, I sometimes need them while using my TiVo, so I put them where I need them. I have very specialized macros set up to go between HDTV and TiVo that no parent company would ever do.
.45 ACP.
Sadly, the King's groundbreaking research in this field hasn't been followed up on a large scale.
"Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive" -- hey, that's me!
Hey... are we trying to /. CNN
I'm in on that one!
Will it make my Xbox play DVDs??
You have 5 Moderator Points!
Which Helpless Linux zealot/MS basher do you want to mod down today?
what? deja vu is just a change in the matrix...
they know...
Creators of remote controls could learn a lot from a simple philosophy behind the success of Windows: Point And Click.
A laser pointer (so you have feedback about where you are pointing) with 6 buttons which have common meanings to household objects could control most of the functions that remote controls are concerned with:
...and so on. You don't get to program your VCR (timer record, tuning, etc), but you get the important functionality that you want access to remotely (for the average non-couch-potato). The other drawback is that elderly or disabled people may find it more difficult to have to point (assumedly with some degree of accuracy).
With a bit of additional logic, you can add a minimal LCD display so up/down scrolls through the control options, and left/right manipulates them.
i-name =twylite [http://public.xdi.org/=twylite], see idcommons.net
looks like someone finally worked out how my mum works!
thank God the internet isn't a human right.
they could at leats have got it working on the garage door and the dish washer. Only took my 10 minutes to configure my Palm OmniRemote program to do that... ;-)
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have teamed with researchers from Maya Designs, Inc. to produce the ultimate universal remote control.
c'mon, you've got to admit that was pretty desperate.
PS: I find this post Insightful, Interesting and Funny.
I have a $39.00 remote that does everything theirs does and probably can do. X-10 with a breaker panel repeater/filter is very very reliable. (Note: if you never had X10 work right, it's because you never bought the correct equipment. the repeater/filter is REQUIRED) I can control my entire stereo, home entertainment system, drop the projector screen, control lighting scenes or individual lights throughout the home, control appliances connected to X10 outlets or modules, control my computer (Yes, I can map a X10 code to fire up a web browser in KDE and load slashdot)
What they are doing can and has been done for years. having the minute detail feedback on the remote's screen is a kinda-neat idea but not needed by any means. I have voice feedback throughout the house (misterhouse.. the absolute best home automation software available on the planet... it outclasses the $6,000.00 automation software from Panja/DMX)
I'm glad that they are re-inventing the wheel with neato hardware... but my remote needs it's batteries replaced maybe once every 3 months.. I want to see an Ipaq or their device do the same. (No charging station.. oh and no turning it on or off... I don't turn my remote on or off.)
So I give them a Big thumbs up for neat idea... but It's been done before, cheaper, and with bells and wistles missing that most people really dont care about.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Hate to break it to them, but someone's already invented this! They only cost $35, much less than an iPaq! =)
Mine controls my TV, cable, DVD player, stereo, living room lights, bedroom lights, fan, and even my neighbor's cat (just kidding).
Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
If you have to remotely flush your toilet, odds are you're doing something wrong.(+5 funny)
:) Thats funny -- just last night my niece (18 months old) picked up my cell phone (nokia 6360 with IR port on the top) and pointed it at the TV... :) I got a good laugh out of it -- but it really is a good idea.(+4 funny)
I have an IQ of 156
[...]
This is why I only view DVDs on my computer, faaar easier, don't have to switch around audio and video inputs until hell freezes over, then select the proper audio decompression scheme, then select the proper surround sound scheme, and THEN sit down and 'enjoy' the movie, and then have the honor of switching all that shit BACK to watch regular TV.
Here is my question: Since you're so smart, why is it such a difficult task for you to use a console DVD player? I mean, it's not that hard really. 5 to 10 seconds tops, insert DVD, push play, that's it. I simply can't see how you would prefer sitting hunched over your computer to watch a DVD than using a TV.(+4 Funny)
This is nothing compared to the awesome power of the girlfriend remote.
There is also a smaller version for men who hate large remotes. It includes such handy features as:
'Shut up!'
'Relationship Suspended'
'Let's Play'
'Get a move on'
'Go back and start again'
oops, forgot about the concept of timezones
I'll be ready to automate my soul.
Already has by the looks of it.....
"Touch Tuning" with ConnectedTV is like speed dialing with the remote: you can forget all those channel numbers, and easily operate ConnectedTV with one hand.
One handed operation is an extremely important feature for a universal remote control, which should be purposefully designed into the user interface from the day one.
Like Mozilla and The Sims, ConnectedTV features "pie menus," which enable you to quickly and reliably select several different commands from one button by stroking in different directions, without using (and losing) the stylus. Pie menus make ConnectedTV more powerful per square inch than physical remotes that only support one function per button.
The buttons are big enough to easily select with your finger, and have useful functions in different directions. For example, stroking left or right scrolls to the previous or next page. You can stroke up on the name of a show to find out more about it, or stroke down to watch it, and ConnectedTV sends the numbers to change the channel, without you having to know or press any digits.
ConnectedTV also functions as a hot list and spam filter, so you can easily mark and find your favorite shows, while hiding shows you don't like. It's much better than the slowly scrolling on-screen guide, because it doesn't block the tv screen, you can take it anywhere with up to two weeks of guide, and use it at your own pace.
ConnectedTV is indispensable if you have hundreds of digital cable or satellite channels, because you can filter out the channels and shows you don't like, and mark your favorites so they're easy to find whenever they're on.
-info@Connected.TV
ConnectedTV turns a Palm handheld into your personal TV guide and remote
I understand this equipment well without resorting to any manuals. My clock is correct on the VCR, I can easily record shows with it, I have no trouble using my surround reciever, nor my DVD player or TV.
;)
Don't get me wrong, there are remotes that surely are better than others, and I understand that many people want one instead of three+ remotes when they watch TV, but how easy can you make it without making it so easy to do certain tasks that those are the only ones you can do?
Besides, it can be a good thing to use your brain now and then
Can Ozzy Osbourne work out how to use it? If so, then you have achieved true user friendliness!
"Information wants to be paid"
Why do you expect people to pay for subscriptions when you constantly repeat stories, post press releases as news, and even post obvious garbled rubbish?
This kind of thing might be OK in a free, community led service, but the fact that you don't give a shit what you're publishing hardly inspires enough trust to pay you money. I can see that last post now.
Update: 09/02 15:34 GMT by CT: We're closing down, folks. Move along :) You won't get a rebate on your subscriptions. We suck so much. Blah blah blah.
/. is environmentally friendly...it's GIGO recycling!
Dimming the lights via remote.
Definately cool for your home cinema!
If you get modded down for a first post... What do you get for a last post?
The universal remote (actually known as the Personal Universal Controller, or PUC) is part of the Pebbles Project at CMU. It's website is here.
iRooster, the Mac OS X a
Surely the Holy Grail of home automation has got to be voice activated. Perhaps an infared badge to tell rooms receivers where you are, combined with a wireless microphone, linked to a central system, which in turn can drive an array of X 10 controlled devices.
Anyone tried anything like this?
I did stuff like that a long time ago on my palm pilot with omniremote (http://www.pacificneotek.com). Plus that way you dont have to buy anything from M$.
...my name is Wally. My life was ruined one day when someone posted a duplicate story on Slashdot. Maybe I'll sue Taco for the cost of my therapy.
If you want things to work a little more nicely, get Linux/X11-based X10 software, run an X11 server on your handheld (e.g., the handhelds.org distribution on your iPaq), and run the X11 application with the handheld as the display (that way, the application knows that the screen is small). Or, you can also run one of the open source Java or C based remote control apps directly on a Linux-based handheld and have it connect to the X10 home control device through a network serial port.
I think calling any of this "research" is really stretching things. Next thing you know, those people will patent it, and nerds like myself that have been doing this for a few years will have to buy their cumbersome software.
For the record (I'm one of the researchers on the project), the prototype can control shelf-top mp3 players (we've implemented the control protocol for the AudioRequest device). (And one of the paper prototypes considered an office phone and voicemail system, though we haven't implemented that, so we're pretty confident we could handle your answering machine with no problem.)
The system will control anything you write a specification for.
Some neat features that the article sort of glossed over: the system generates UIs that are demonstrably better than traditional remote controls. It requires no programming at all. It can generate multi-modal interfaces (combining speech and GUI). It can generate interfaces for any form factor remote control device (this is the same flexibility that allows multi-modal interfaces).
The CMU page has lots of information about what the system is really capable of.
Oh, and yeah, the system is currently implemented in Java and it runs on Linux as well as PocketPC (in fact, the widgets look better on the Zaurus).
Unfortunately, our system is not smart enough to read slashdot and detect duplicate posts.
Looks good, but nothing with the customization and macros on a Pronto/Marantz. Add that along with a good library of devices and configurations, and you'd have a competitor. A problem with the Palm is the hard buttons. They aren't set up well for being a remote control.
I do like the show guide on the remote. But, you get more information on a TiVo guide screen. I'd definately use the ConnectedTV guide over my cable system's guide, though.
The software to do this has been available on nearly all Palm devices with Infared ports for years.
Simply point original remote at the palm's IR port, switch to "learn" mode. Press button on remote, code entered. Press button on screen you want it assigned to. Repeat.
It even came with some basic layouts and Universal Remote codes installed (unfortunately, not a single device in my house uses a Universal Remote, so...)
I am still looking for a universal remote that accepts voice commands
... only then will I have MY holy grail control.
then... I want a remote control that accepts voice commands from
anywhere in my house
then... I want a remote system to accept voice commands, but also
understands what noise is coming from the TV/DVD/Stereo and can
process my voice over the (loud) audio system
then... I want a remote audio control, background substracted control
system that does per-user voice authentication and can control my
home security system
then... I want all that installed and working flawlessly for under a grand.
Maybe I should start this as a business?
Sounds like what crestron and AMX have been doing for quite some time. Granted, it's not running on an iPaq, but it's the same idea. Remember the touch screens in the matrix, they were AMX...
...a mute button for the wife and a pause button for the kids!