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Acoustic Sensors Make Any Surface a Touch Pad

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the now-isn't-that-keen dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Using cheap acoustic sensors the surface of any 3D object can be instantly made into a touch-sensitive interface capable of tracking two objects at once. Its creators are planning to make hospitals more hygienic — keyboards and mice will be replaced by desks wired to perform as keyboards and touchpads. A video shows it in action [.wmv]."

6 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. New PDA Feature? by blaster151 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Hospitals? Not the first application that would have come to mind, but a little extra hygiene never hurt anyone. (Cue jokes about Slashdotters) I'm more interested in the portable computing applications. Does this mean that we could sit down at Starbucks, whip out a PDA equipped with this device, and have the table surface become a full-sized keyboard/mouse arrangement? That would be sweet!

  2. I see a potential problem... by EzraSj · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is clear discrimination against Ninjas, who obviously don't make a sound even when playing a round of quake.

    --
    Meta, Meta, Meta
  3. Idea by pubjames · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Couldn't you combine this with a projector to make a wall you can "paint"? Could be great fun.

    Great for kids too - finger painting on the wall without making a mess.

  4. Not exactly new by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 4, Informative
    It's not an exactly new method.

    Some 20 years ago, when electronic daisywheel typewriters were starting to take over, Smith-Corona/Marchant came out with a novel way to keep using their mechanical typewriter tooling. They used a conventional mechanical keyboard, where the keys stuck a bar of steel with a piezoelectric sensor at either end.

    The delay between the time the impulse reached each sensor enabled a microprocessor to pinpoint exactly where the bar was impacted, and thus deduce which key was pressed.

    That's basically the same principle applied, but in three dimensions.

  5. Re:Space Invaders by Kadin2048 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Imagine cybersex where you can touch the actual bodies as UIs to control the lighting, heating, music, cameras, vibrators. In the room and across the Net.

    Imagine actual sex.

    --
    "Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
  6. Sorry, researchers, but...... by Solder+Fumes · · Score: 4, Informative

    Elo Touchsystems / Tyco already has a product out there that works exactly this way...and a myriad of patents. Acoustic Pulse Recognition: http://media.elotouch.com/pdfs/marcom/apr_wp.pdf

    It's a relatively new product but it's already way past the research stage and well into production.