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MIT Researchers Create a Cheap "6th Sense" Device

Posted by timothy on from the it-will-tickle-your-fancy-if-you-tell-it-to dept.

thefickler writes "MIT researchers have combined a mobile projector with a webcam and mobile phone to create a device that draws information from the environment. For example, the gadget recognizes products on store shelves and can provide product and price comparison information. The sixth-sense device was cobbled together from common parts costing just $300. While the gadget is not being primed for mass release, it represents a forward-thinking way of blending technology with our environment."

2 of 125 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Minor pet peeve by snicho99 · · Score: 5, Informative

    There's also the sense of body position, whose name escapes me, but that's not an external sense.

    Proprioception
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprioception

    --
    -Steve http://www.stevennicholson.com
  2. Re:At the heard of the device... by esampson · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've got a T-Mobile G1 and there are actually a couple of different programs that do this. The one I'm using (and it seems to me the majority of people are using) is ShopSavvy.

    It seems to do a pretty good job of identifying products by barcodes as long as they aren't storebrand items. Its ability to locate the same item at other local stores isn't that great but my guess is that with time they, or someone like them, will build a large enough database and the necessary connections with retailers to make that work. Until then it is mostly useful for looking up reviews for books/DVDs/music and seeing how much I would save going to Amazon, letting me know if I'll save enough to make it worth my while to wait.