"Body Talk" Could Control Gadgets

Fragglebabe writes "The BBC reports that we could soon be controlling our gadgets using small movements of the body, such as a nod of the head. In order to make this possible, 'Audio cloud' technology has been developed by researchers at the University of Glasgow. They say that 'audio clouds could make using mobile devices on the move safer and easier'. According to the article, 'the researchers have developed ways to control gadgets, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and music players, using 3D sound for output and gestures for input.'"

Comments

the easiest place to test this new technology

[R.D.Olivaw]

inflatable dolls!

Okay

[anon*127.0.0.1]

So what happens if I start headbanging during my morning drive to work?

Re:Okay

[Kierthos]

You swerve across three lanes of traffic, piling into an oncoming tractor-trailer. Better stick with the easy listening on the morning commute.

Kierthos

Re:Okay

[Anonymous Coward]

Your cell phone calls your girlfriend 186 times before the Whitesnake song is finally over.

I'm telling you, boss, ...

[RyoSaeba]

... that nasty, inflammatory mail towards i appear to have sent is the result of my coughing! The mail reader thought i was composing a mail!

Re:I'm telling you, boss, ...

[Twylite]

Achoo!

Your subscription to Allergy Weekly has been paid. Thank you.

Clearly in the future

[dan dan the dna man]

medics will have a hard time diagnosing Parkinsons..

I know the submitter did this on purpose

[eclectro]

Now I can't get this stupid song out of my head. It's the eighties all over again;

Let's get physical, physical,
I wanna get physical, let's get into physical
Let me hear your body talk,
Your body talk, let me hear your body talk

Re:I know the submitter did this on purpose

[Wordsmith]

How might this technology react if the user were to Wang Chung? Or perhaps do the Safety Dance (after all, we CAN dance if we want to).

I can see it now:

[Daedalus_]

Walking down the street twitching like an epileptic trying to get your PDA to tell your phone to dial your mom.

Based on the movement in you pants

[Timesprout]

It looks like you want to shag that pretty blonde over there.Would you like be to help with that by

(a) Suggesting some useful chatup lines
(b) Preparing your love pad while you are doing your stufmuffin routine
(c) Adopt a more realistic attitude and explain why that girl would not have sex with you if you were the lasst man on earth

Wow.

[Yeldarb-7]

controlling our gadgets using small movements of the body

Can you imagine, what if you could control a device by simply touching it with our finger? We could call it a "button."

Douglas Adams foresaw it

[thbb]

The machine was rather difficult to operate. For years, radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then, as the technology became more sophisticated, the controls were made touch sensitive ... now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope. It saved a lot of muscular expenditure of course, but meant you had to stay infuriatingly still if you wanted to keep listening to the same programme.

D. Adams, 1979 The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. chapter 12, first paragraph.

See also: Charade: remote control of objects using free hand gestures (1993)

Why?

[JanneM]

"Laypeople will see a new idea and wonder 'Why?'.
A scientist will see a new idea and wonder 'Can I get funding for doung this?'"

Re:Could be useful if done right

[legojenn]

I don't see what's special about this. The Fonz was able to do this in the 1950s. All you need is an elbow.

This is nice...

[Neo's Nemesis]

so by the time i finish my morning walk, i have had downloaded premium ringtones, deleted some apps, ordered truckloads of food, and conspired to bomb the white house. all unknowingly, seemingly.

Here's the killer app.

[Coelacanth]

...if the accelerometers in your phone sense that you are weaving between lanes, then it provides a mild electric shock and hangs up. If you go around a traffic circle more than 360 degrees, it cuts the ignition and calls the local constabulary.

Oh, and if you download a polyphonic ringtone based on an Abba song, it shocks you to death on the spot.

Heh.. The problems of the future

[dep01]

"Hey Steve! Did you finish that report I assigned you?"

*Steve Nods*

*Device in pocket starts playing music loudly, he reaches for it with his left arm*

*arm movement triggers cell-phone ringtone demo system*

"BAH!" yells Steve.

*Vocal command automatically dials 911, police are dispatched*

"Calm down, Steve! You're only making it worse! Stop!"

*Voice command "Stop" recognized on Steve's computer, closing all programs*

"Noooo!!"

"Help!"

*Police department dialed a second time, ambulances dispatched*

"We can't stop it!! It's too laaaate!"

At last real entertainment for tech support!

[Redwin]

Just think of the abuse you could do to users!

"To start the application you have to wave your arms like a chicken and jump up and down"

"No no! VIGOROUSLY shake the handheld.. your not doing it fast enough"

"No! Don't do that! If you move all the files will be deleted! And don't even think about sneezing! You don't want do delete everything on the network do you!?! Stay absolutly still in that position till I find a solution"

Oooo the power! Bwhahahahaha!

I think this technology is already out there

[Digital Pizza]

Let's see: Cellphone Headsets: talking when nobody is around. This tech: gestulating wildly for no apparent reason. I've seen some early adopters around here (pushing shopping carts for some reason); now I know what they were doing!